The All-Stars are asked to design a Foxwoods Resort themed suite and host a party at the brand-new Barclays Center. One detail-oriented Project Manager gets too literal with the theme, while the other teamâ??s plan could be shut down due to bad weather. Boardroom Advisors: John Rich and Donald Trump, Jr. Special appearances by Lisa Lampanelli, Hunter Hayes, Teller and David Burke.
Marilu Henner’s team (Lil Jon and Trace Adkins) loses the challenge. Marilu Henner was fired.
The Mayor of Stress Town
LJ delivers his check to the American Diabetes Association. His mother has diabetes and had a stroke recently. Lil Jon returned to Celebrity Apprentice in order to raise awareness of the disease.
At the Barclays Center (home of the Brooklyn Nets), Trump shows up Don, Jr. and John Rich. Executives Rodney and Scott set up the next task: to throw a party representing the Foxwoods Resorts within one of the suites in the center. Lisa and Marilu take the Project Manager roles for their respective teams.
Scott and Rodney sit down with each team in their respective suites. They hand out five cards, each showing a different character theme they want used for the parties. The five characters include Ace, King, Queen, Jack (I think), and Joker. Foxwoods is a Native American casino, owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, and their events always include a bit of their heritage.
On Team Power, Lil Jon is drawn to the King theme, while Trace prefers the Ace and Joker. On Plan B, Penn looks up the characters before getting excited by the idea of the Joker. Eventually, Team Power picks the King, and Plan B gets the Joker.
Marilu works on the food and decor for her party, leaving Trace and LIl Jon to take care of entertainment. For some reason, she decides she needs a large mirror. She also ends up ordering thrones, crowns, scepters, and capes. I guess so that people can dress up during the party. Trace starts calling his contacts in the country music world, while Lil Jon looks for a sound system he can use to DJ.
Penn handles the entertainment for his team. His ideas are a Penn and Teller bit, a ten-minute set from Lisa Lampanelli (fellow Season 5 contestant), and food by David Burke, a celebrity chef known as “The Prankster.” He looks for a native Pequot flautist to provide background music, but can’t find one willing to travel (there’s a huge blizzard going on). The best he can find is a Native American flautist who will try to learn some Pequot music by the next day.
Both teams are running into trouble from the blizzard. Teller can’t fly into New York, but has a back-up plan to fly to Philadelphia instead. Trace calls Dolly Parton, who would come except for the weather. Lil Jon’s music system guy eventually stops picking up the phone, so he’s unable to DJ. Finally, Trace manages to book Hunter Hayes, who happens to be in New York already.
Both team also get very punchy. Trace gets so weird that Marilu calls him “Gary Busey,” at which point he starts rolling around on the floor. In the midst of his insanity, Trace actually throws out a good suggestion, which is “beautiful maidens.” I mean, at least it’s something.
John Rich also has a suggestion when he shows up. He mentions that Lil Jon is known as the “King of Crunk.” Lil Jon perks up at that thought, but Marilu has gone into a state of walking catatonia, and is unable to hear anything at this point.
There’s a fun bit where Lisa and Penn discuss the possibility that Teller might not make it. She says she could fill in, and Penn thinks about it. He could do a juggling act, but there’s a danger of him punching her in the face. She laughs that her enormous fake lips would protect her from harm.
A new day dawns, and Teller has miraculously arrived. Lisa ends up having very little to do as Project Manager. All she really seems to do is decide where to put the food within the suite. The rest is handled by the professionals that Penn hired. The food is incredible. David Burke has even created calamari food sticks that look like little joker hats. Lisa’s act is raunchy, but since she works at Foxwoods all the time, that shouldn’t be a problem. Even though the editors try to imply that her roast of Donald Trump is making Don, Jr. frown.
Over at Team Power, things are not looking so hot. Trace and Lil Jon have to haul around the seven-foot mirror Marilu ordered. The sound system doesn’t happen, leaving Lil Jon nothing to do but “walk around and kiss babies.” Worst of all, Marilu has pulled a surprise on everyone by hiring a chess champion to play with the guests (on a paper chessboard with plastic pieces). It is neither royal, Native American, or entertaining and it takes up a lot of space in the crowded suite. There’s nice food, but it really doesn’t compare to the David Burke extravaganza going on across the stadium.
The one good moment in the Team Power party is when Hunter Hayes shows up with a couple buddies and they sing. There’s something so casual and intimate about the performance that it really provides a wow moment.
In the Board Room, Lisa is proud of her decor and her party. She had David Burke, Penn and Teller, and Lisa Lampanelii. Penn mentions that he felt it important to use elements already connected to Foxwoods — in a creative way.
Marilu brings up her own celebrities: Hunter Hayes, the Countess from Real Housewives of New York, and a grand chess master (who has no name, apparently). She does mention that Lil Jon didn’t deliver a visual “wow factor,” and that Trace was “curmudgeonly.”
Trace belatedly realizes that they should have fought for the Joker theme, instead of taking the King card. The Joker was too much in Penn’s wheelhouse to allow him near it. John Rich reminds everyone that Lil Jon is the “King of Crunk.” He asks why Marilu didn’t tie that into her theme. She has no real answer.
John Rich and Don deliver the verdict from the Foxwoods executives. They liked that Marilu hired a masseuse for her party, but hated the chess playing. The decor was too obvious and theatrical. Lisa’s party had good brand integration and attention to detail. It was missing some fun, casual touches and came off a little stiff. Still, it was a clear win and Lisa takes a $100,000 prize for her charity, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Lisa and Penn skedaddle up to the suite.
Team Power is left in the Board Room. Lil Jon defends himself by throwing all blame onto the Project Manager. Marilu adopts an interesting strategy by attacking Trace, who, with two wins to Lil Jon’s one, would be harder to fight for the final two positions. Marilu claims to have won seven out of nine tasks (I guess, she means she was on the winning team seven times). She also says that Trace checked out “three tasks ago.” Trace sits glumly, only rousing himself to defend Hunter Hayes when Marilu implies that the singer lacks “wow factor.”
Trump hedges for a little bit, telling Marilu that he’d love to keep her. But, since she was directly responsible for failing the task, he fires her. At least she went down swinging. She thanks Trump, telling him that she had a blast, and waves to the camera as the elevator doors close.
Riding away in her towncar, Marilu blames her defeat on her team mates, who checked out of the task. She thought Trace was especially glum.
The next week is the final four interviews, and the beginning of the final task. Apparently the producers think we’re pining for Gary Busey and are bringing him back. Honestly? I’d rather have Omarosa.
