by Todd Betzold

 

As the final eight take to puppeterring on The Celebrity Apprentice, emotions run high, tears start flowing and words start being thrown around...all in attempts to remain on the show.

 

Lisa and Dayana come back and Clay makes a comment about Lou and Lisa goes off on him...only to show us what is to happen soon...Clay will be joining Lisa's team (Team Forte)...the previews showed it last week. Teresa gets to deliver her winning $60,000 check to her charity, NephCure Foundation.

 

Time to find out the task this week: build two original puppet characters and perform those puppets in front of a live audience with the help of the "Stuffed and Unstrung" (a live, improv puppet show for adults) cast members. They will be judged on puppet design, the overall quality of their puppeteering and improving and total live performance. Each team has to have four members, so Trump adds Clay to Team Forte. Project managers this task will be Lisa for Team Forte and Paul for Team Unanimous. The winning project manager gets $20,000 for their charity.

 

Clay says that he has done puppeteering with his church when he was younger. Dayana says she can do improve, which upsets Lisa because it's what her and Penn do all the time. Lisa says lets go through a task without any fighting...yeah right. For Team Unanimous, they try to come up with ideas and Aubrey is trying to come off as a team player so she can be standing still at the end.

 

Paul's back apparently went out that morning, so he is worried it will last throughout the task. So, Aubrey working with the team and they have no improv people besides Arsenio, so they have Teresa and Arsenio be in the puppets and Aubrey will be the host to keep things moving along well and getting the crowd into it. Brian Henson and Patrick from Henson come in to talk about what they want. They said the funniest thing is when you don't know what you are going to say.

 

Brian and Patrick meet with Team Forte and they tell them to have broader characters because they are easier to use. Brian says to indicate you are using a naughty thought, but not saying it...Lisa does inappropriate, so she knows the line. Since Penn is too tall, he can't be working a puppet, so he will be host...Lisa and Clay will do the puppets and no task for Dayana. Lisa does a Latin accent and Dayana says it is offensive...she's so sensitive.

 

Team Unanimous goes to the workshop to work on their puppets and designing them. Teresa wants to throw some boobs on hers. Team Forte goes to design their puppets...Lisa wants to go work on other stuff, so she leaves Dayana to work on the puppets with specific instructions on how she wants it.

 

Aubrey hates the puppet Teresa and Arsenio came up with, but after her team going after her before, she keeps her mouth shut. Meanwhile, puppeteers and improvisers come meet with Lisa and Clay to give them some tips to use during the show. They seem to be working together very well. At the same time, Team Unanimous is still working on their puppets and have not gone to meet with the puppeteers yet and Teresa needs practice on improvising since she has never done it. Aubrey is worried the team is falling apart and Paul, as project manager, is doing nothing to change it...which he isn't.

 

Team Unanimous finally head back to the war room and meet with the puppeteers...Teresa is struggling big time with this and doesn't seem to think on her feet well, so this improv thing is going to be tough for her. Aubrey gets some pointers on hosting, which she thinks she will be amazing at, but its Aubrey...she loves herself.

 

Eric Trump comes in and meets Team Forte...they are in the workroom and he looks over the puppets and Dayana seems awkward. How could Lisa and Dayana get along so well last week, but now they have hate for each other? Eric notices it and tries to ask about it, but they all deny any tension. Ivanka comes in and checks out Team Unanimous...they mention Paul's back issues, so that could help him if they lose. Ivanka notices Aubrey is quiet and hopes that doesn't hold her back from bringing her creative abilities to the team.

 

Team Forte goes through a warm-up...Penn is trying to pump up the "audience" and Clay and Lisa go through some lines and work with their puppets and they do well...Dayana sits and does nothing...she is angry, but just sits back and doesn't fight to do anything...it's easy for her to stay if she does nothing to lose it for the team. Now Team Unanimous gets their warm-up time...Teresa and Arsenio use their puppets. Teresa is not catching on very well...Arsenio is doing well, but as a comedian, he should be good. Aubrey is worried she might have to carry the show as a host and Paul sits back and does nothing...what a great project manager.

 

Day of the shows and Team Forte is in the dressing room waiting for the show to start...Clay suggests Dayana stands on the side of the stage and helps them put the puppets on and this sets Lisa off. A huge fight erupts between the two of them...Dayana walks out and then Lisa goes off on Clay and Penn because they never step up to back her when it comes to Dayana...it's super awkward in that dressing room now and they have a show to put on.

 

Penn goes out and talks with Dayana and just listens...doesn't try to solve it and lets her vent. They all come back together and now time for their performance. Penn does a great job as host, which is totally his forte, so he is comfortable. Clay and Lisa do a great job...they work very well together and get close to the line of being too dirty, but it was hilarious. The crowd was laughing big time and excited, so Team Forte has a big wall to climb to win.

 

Time for Team Unanimous to put on their show...this might be rough. Aubrey starts it for them...she does ok, but Penn did amazing with the crowd. Arsenio starts out well and gets the crowd laughing. Teresa comes out and keeps saying no and no, which is a cardinal rule in improv to not use no. It starts rough, but she improves. Aubrey says she is important for cutting off the performances at the right time, which Lisa did complain a little about Penn not cutting it off at the right time. They did well, but I think Team Unanimous was the clear winner.

 

Time for the boardroom...not going to be pretty. Dayana says Lisa was an okay project manager, but not great. Lisa says she hates people that disrespect the need to be behind the cameras, which Dayana always wants to be on camera, on the stage. The Trumps seem to agree with Lisa's decisions on who did what. Lisa then breaks down in tears when asked who she would bring back if they lose...she may just bring herself back. Trump goes to Team Unanimous and Paul says Teresa was the weakest player because she takes so long to make decisions. Paul's back problems came up...it could help him out if they lose. After all that, the winning team tonight is Team Forte (Lisa finally wins some money for her charity), so Team Unanimous loses and someone will be fired (I think it will be Teresa).

 

Time for Team Unanimous to fight it out...the puppets were too complex, so that could fall on Arsenio and Teresa, which Paul says...Teresa says the final decision falls on Paul. Teresa and Paul are fighting it out and Teresa keeps trying to get Aubrey to back her up, but she is being quite silent right now...keep the spotlight off yourself Aubrey. Paul decides to let Arsenio be safe, even though he did design a puppet and they didn't like the puppets...so, it is Paul, Teresa and Aubrey coming back...I think Paul will get eaten up.

 

With not much time left in the show, I think this is going to be an easy one. Aubrey questions why she is being brought back and trump does as well, because the executives liked Aubrey, but had negative things to say about Arsenio. Trump is focusing on Aubrey and asking her questions...who is great between the two...who is better...who should I fire? She says to fire Paul because Teresa tried and she should have been utilized more and that's a project manager's job, which falls on Paul...he wasn't passionate about it. Because he was project manager and had the final say on everything and he lost and didn't bring Arsenio back, Paul is fired. Teresa and Aubrey move on.

 

The Celebrity Apprentice airs Sundays at 9/8c on NBC.

 

(Image courtesy of NBC)

 

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