Episode 8 of Celebrity Apprentice: Joan Rivers, Hitler and Godwin’s Law
Tonight we saw the completion of the jewelry auction. The show opened with Phil Hellmuth calling me to let me know that the other team had contacted him. He also told me that a friend and business associate was the one who helped Natalie Gulbis out in trying to get him to bid against me. Obviously, I nipped that one in the bud right away so for everyone who has been wondering during the week if Phil Hellmuth was going to betray me…you have your answer. No way! Poker players are tight and I don’t think there is anyone KOTU could have called who would have helped them. Even if they had called a player who actually wasn’t one of my dear friends I doubt they would have seen the utility in coming out against me like that. I love my friends and I love poker players!
Anyway, on to the auction. I was really proud of my team in our auction. I think everyone did an amazing job. Jesse was under represented on the episode because he was the one who really organized the auction itself and I don’t think that was shown. He figured out where to seat our donors, coached people on bidding against our guys to make the auction seem really exciting and made the beautiful auction brochure. Brande brought in a ton of money and did a great job with the models. Melissa, depsite her constant complaining that I did not praise her enough, did a great job with the jewelry and was a wonderful stage manager for the actual show. And I was very happy with my auctioning skills. All in all we raised over $150K profit in that auction! And my friends were amazing in their support. Also, Stewey Rahr, Brande’s donor, was just so generous with us. In fact, we was so sweet that he even bid on one of the other team’s items just because he felt bad for them. You are a good man, Stewey Rahr.
Anyway, on to KOTU’s auction. Well. What is there to say? It was an unmitigated disaster. The series of decisions that were made in regard to that show were pretty astonishingly poor. In particular, I think the decision to put all the bidders on one piece was terrible. Yes, the task is in the end judged on money raised. But this is Ivanka Trump’s jewelry and it is absolutely an insult to her to have pieces of hers not even sell. I feel that decision was inexcusable. Also, I can’t fathom why Joan didn’t come out immediately and take the mic from Clint. I am not sure why it took her so long because it was clear that Clint was completely failing at the auctioneer job. And then poor Natalie. I feel that Natalie was set up right from the start. It made no sense for her to be the one picking out the jewelry. That should have been Joan’s job. She designs and sells jewelry for a living after all. But even so, Natalie was picking jewelry she knew the donors wanted without being told they had decided to not have the donors bid on but one piece. That is a set up, plain and simple.
So we go into the boardroom and the first thing that happens is I praise Melissa for the amazing jewelry she picked out. I find that ironic since Melissa had spent the whole show griping about how she wasn’t getting enough praise for all the great things she was doing. I wonder if Melissa was surprised and somewhat chagrined after all her whining in private at all the praised heaped on her at that moment.
Trump then turned his attention to KOTU and here is where I think it gets interesting because as Trump is quizzing Joan about her inability to raise money (she raised a paltry $8K on this challenge, by far the least on her team) Melissa jumps in to defend her mother. Piers, rightly so, remarks on this, wondering why Melissa is defending a member of the other team. She says she is defending Joan because she is her mother and Piers says so what? It is a game and that doesn’t matter. She is defending a member of KOTU while not defending a member of her own team. Piers felt this was inexcusable and I must say I agree with him. If Melissa wants to figure out why I turned my back on her, since she keeps remarking on it, she need look no further than her behavior in this boardroom where she never once puts her mother in her place as her mother viciously attacks me (as evidenced by the painful, reluctant response of Melissa to the question about whether or not I am a bad person). But the moment her mother is attacked by Trump or by Piers or by Ivanka, Melissa jumps right in to defend her even though she is not on her team.
Now this dynamic makes the game very interesting to play because, while there are two teams on the show in Athena and KOTU, there is also a third team: Team Rivers. That means that the other players have to be very aware of this dynamic and know that if they go against one, they will be attacked and ganged up on by the other. I was certainly aware of this.
Anyway, during the attacks, Joan Rivers compares me to Hitler. How fun! First, let me say that I find comparing anything that happens on Celebrity Apprentice to the slaughter of 6 million Jews to be offensive. But aside from that, I find the comparison to be absurd, so absurd in fact that there is really no response to it. Anyone interested should check out Godwin’s Law. What Godwin’s Law states is basically that the longer an argument continues in a newsgroup on the internet that the probability that someone references Hitler or the Nazi’s approaches 100%. I guess we need to add a corollary for reality tv now! Another corollary of the law is that once that happens, the argument ends. This because there is no where to go from there. The comparison is so absurd that there is no response and, in fact, responding would trivialize the Holocaust itself.
So for anyone who is wondering why I didn’t attack Joan in the boardroom, this is why. What exactly am I suppsoed to say to her? That I’ve never invaded Poland? That I have never killed anyone? It was just so silly and offensive and responding would have handed the power back to Joan so I held my tongue and just tried to act as professionally as possible. But, make no mistake, I was totally steaming inside. And hurt. I did not enjoy the vicious, personal attacks and watching Melissa defend her mother in that boardroom, well my thoughts mirrored Piers. Who’s team was Melissa on? It was clear from that boardroom that there was only one team she cared about and it was neither KOTU nor Athena, it was team Rivers.
The verdict was delivered and not only did Athena win but we set a record for money raised in a single week with a grand total of $245K for Refugees International. They are an amazing charity, advocating for the over 40 million refugees around the world, and really deserve the money. I am so honored to be playing for them on the show. In the end, this is why I did the show, to help organizations just like this one not only raise money but also raise awareness about such an important cause.
Anyway, on to the firing of Natalie Gulbis. I find that firing illogical and believe that Joan was setting Natalie up for that from the beginning. For all Joan’s tears in the boardroom, she spent a tremendous amount of time in her private interviews bashing both Natalie and Clint and there was no doubt she was setting them up for failure. And yet I feel that pretty no much matter how you look at the task, Joan was the one at fault here. There are only two ways to judge this task:
1) Say that the task was solely about money raising and the show did not matter.
Joan made this argument because when Piers, Ivanka and I all criticized Joan for the decision to not insure that all the pieces sold, Joan argued vehemently that this task was just about the money. But Joan raised the least money on her team by far, only bringing in $8K as PM of a money raising task. Natalie, depsite failing to bring in Phil Hellmuth, managed to bring in more than Joan. So if the task is just about money, as Joan argued, then she should be fired since she raised the least by far (which was not made clear on the show).
2) Say that the money didn’t matter so much as the show.
Well Joan argued against this as a criteria for firing but, even so, Joan should still be on the chopping block if we go this way. Joan sent Natalie to pick the jewelry when clearly that should have been Joan’s job. Joan made the decision, as project manager, to put all the donors on one piece of jewelry, insuring that some pieces would not sell which had to embarass Ivanka trump. Joan did not step in as auctioneer quickly enough. All around, Joan made a lot of mistakes in her decisions here.
Now if you go with (2) then you could also argue for Clint going since he really screwed up that auction. But Natalie seems to me to be in third place in terms of who to fire, by the criteria that Joan herself put forth. When they went in the boardroom, for all Joan’s tears, she never suggested that she was responsible for the loss (as pretty much every other project manager had). She allowed Natalie to take the fall, never once stepping in in her defense or suggesting, perhaps, that Clint might be another choice. Joan set the bus in motion and as soon as she had the chance, ran Natalie right under the wheels. Well done.
Now, I am going to quickly cover the Schwann’s Challenge. I will look at team Athena first. Jesse was project manager here and was somewhat hard to work with. I am a huge fan of Jesse’s but he really locked us out on the marketing side of things. On the food side, Jesse and I butted heads about what to make but, in the end, I agreed to cook all three dishes so we could have a taste test. Jesse was really pushing for the chili. The rest of us wanted the turkey meatballs because they were original and originality was a huge piece of the puzzle. I am glad I pushed so hard for that dish and that Melissa and Brande backed me up because the originality, in the end, was so important. One thing about me, I do push on things but only if I truly believe I am right and in this case I really felt strongly about the originality piece. I think Brande put it best, that Chili is something you can get out of any can but turkey meatballs with gluten free pasta was something unusual and different.
In terms of our marketing plan, I have to confess I was completely freaking out about it. Jesse did not share any details with us at all. I had really been in charge of the marketing plan on most of the challenges, that was kind of my niche. So I was having a Type A, control freak crisis about not seeing any of the marketing. I kept calming myself down by telling myself that I had complete faith in Jesse and Melissa to execute something great since they are both smart people. So imagine my surprise when I walked in that boardroom and found out we had no marketing plan at all! (That was the first I had heard about that). I wanted to die! Sometimes Type A control freaks have a right to be freaking out!
One thing that wasn’t shown was that Brande made an awesome dessert. For some reason it isn’t made clear in that episode that Brande made the dessert. I think it was the single best tasting thing we produced and the Schwann’s guys agreed.
On to KOTU: I think Clint made some really good points. I think he was absolutely right to say that chicken was not the way to go. We had discussed chicken on Athena and decided that too many of their dishes were already chicken dishes so it would not be judged original enough. Clint voiced his opinion about this but no one backed him up so he was over ruled. If originality is the reason they lose well Clint can’t be blamed for that. Clint also voiced very strong opinions about the dessert and, in fact, they were the exact opinions of the executives…that the dessert would not freeze well and would be complicated to package. Another point for Clint. Where Clint falls down on this episode is in the marketing plan. Clint went with a TV campaign but the executives made it clear that they do not advertize on TV (until this episode!). That was a big fall down on Clint’s part. But, on balance here, I think that Clint had more going for him on this challenge than against him.
When we got to the boardroom, Trump asked Melissa what she thought of how we did. Amazingly enough, she immediately ran down the food, saying that if we lost it would be because of the food! That was pretty cheeky from a woman in charge, with Jesse, of a marketing plan that never got produced. The question was really, in the end, whether our food was good enough and original enough to overcome the lack of any marketing campaign at all. And, apparently despite Melissa’s opinion that the food should have lost it for us, our food was so good and so original that we won the challenge depsite not even completing the marketing piece. They specifically cited the gluten free pasta and the use of turkey as very original and key in our win which vindicates my arguing so strongly for that piece. They also specifically cited Brande’s dessert in the taste category, saying it was the single best thing they had all day.
As for KOTU, they liked Clint’s chicken dish but hated the dessert and thought there was no originality to the food. They also felt the TV campaign was, in some ways, worse than the no campaign at all produced by Athena. So who should be fired? It seems like Joan is safe somewhat by fiat because she actually managed to make zero major decisions despite being on only a three man team. That leaves Clint and Herschel. Now, there are arguments both ways. If Trump feels the marketing piece ultimately caused the failure, then Clint must go. If Trump feels the lack of originality and the dessert caused the failure, then Herschel must go since Clint was on record in disagreeing strongly with those decisions. Ultimately, the marketing can’t have failed the task, really, since Athena did not even produce a marketing campaign to compare it too. Therefore, it must be the food and in that case Herschel must go. So Trump did the right thing here.
Next week, more good times as Joan calls Brande a dumb blonde and calls me and my friends white trash!
I’m tellin ya Annie, more class in your pinkie finger…
Here’s a funny story. I missed the first episode of the season so I didn’t know who would be on the show this season. My co-worker saw the episode and told me Dennis Rodman and Joan and Melissa Rivers and Andrew Dice Clay would be on the show. My response was “Dice will be gone in the first episode. No way Trump takes his crap.” I then told him that I thought the women in the first season of TCA were kind of weak and that I knew who would be perfect for the show. I told him “There is a poker player named Annie Duke who was on 1 vs 100. She is incredibly intelligent and set a record for lasting the longest on that show. THAT is who they should put on TCA.” My co-worker then said “Actually, I think she IS on the show.”
I was thrilled to hear that and I have enjoyed watching you think circles around everyone. As much as they try to edit the show to make you seem difficult or stubborn, in the end you always turn out to be right.
I’m guessing Melissa will be sent back over to KOTA now which means Clint will be a total third wheel and will need an act of God to survive next week.
Keep kicking ass, girl! You’d still be my favorite woman on the planet even if you didn’t give a great B1*#J@8… lol. I can’t imagine how your kids reacted when you said that. But since you said you wouldn’t do anything that wouldn’t make them proud, they probably were laughing harder than anyone else when you said it.
Love your blog.
Did you know your blog might be hard for some people to find because in FIREFOX one has to scroll to the middle and your blogs are skewered to the left?
Happens every week and seems to fix it self the next day until you post again.
Hey Annie. Joan is a big baby.I can’t believe she put her fingers in her ears so she could not listen to you.OMG my kids don’t even do that. I was listening to you talk about whipping dishes out for your kids. I have 6 kids, So i totally get it. I have some bitch en turkey recipes. I like your recipe on meatballs and pasta. I’s it available.I would like to give it a try. Keep going you can win this.Then Mrs Satan rivers would cry in her crib.
So Joan can hate Clint, and now they are best friends… but Annie can’t be a friend to Brandie? I also find it ironic that for a person who makes their living talking behind people’s backs, could ever criticize another for doing the same. Joan and Melissa set the bar for gossip.
Speaking of Melissa.. (The biggest ego in the room next to Donald) Does she really think she would be where she is without her mother? At least Annie did it all on her own. And her banter at the end bordered on school girlish. I was waiting for her to bust out in tears.
The behavior of both plastic Rivers women speaks for itself. I think Joan in particular is bat-sh*t crazy and might need some real help.
Annie is poised to win it all!
I was so excited to see you were on Celebrity Apprentice this season. I just couldn’t believe Joan went so far as to offend you and all poker players everywhere with her remarks. Your calm demeanor and intelligent comments really showed your class. Keep up the great job, you are doing all poker players proud!
Thanks for the blog. You rock!!
Annie:
I’ve been rooting for you since the third week. I can’t stand the Rivers’ duo. You’ve just got to destroy them. Pull a Piers’s slaughter; maybe even trump the way he slaughtered Omarosa.
Wishing you all the best!
I was worried about Phil for a minute there! Glad i don’t have to board the “HatePhil” bandwagon.
Hope they put the crazy plasto-face together! That will accomplish two things:
1. Clint HAS GOT TO GO! I’m had no clue who Herschel Walker is but i think he is a much better player then Clint. Guess we are at that stage in the game where backstabbing is more important.
2. You don’t have to save one of them by winning the tasks.
Annie,
You are awesome on Celebrity Apprentice. The River’s ladies are crazy. Hopefully you didn’t let them get to you, and stayed on task remembering it was about winning in the end. You are a natural born leader, and when you see something that isn’t right, you speak up. Ultimately making it better for everyone. You’ve turned me into a big fan or yours.
Hi Annie, you are doing a great job; and I’m glad that you were able to raise so much money for Refugees International. I do have to say though, that the disparity between the fundraising and non-fundraising tasks is really starting to bug me. I think Trump/Burnett/NBC are being really cheap with the $20k. That’s a fraction of what they charge for 30 seconds of commercial time on the show, let alone for the corporate sponsorships.
Anyway, I am looking forward to you defeating Team Rivers and winning it all! Thanks for the blog and all the tweets.
Just wanted to say you are the BEST player on TCA.
Hopefully they get rid of the plastic Rivers. I don’t even know how Melissa rates a celebrity. The only thing she does is ride her mommy coat tails. If Joan wasn’t her mother she would be a BIG NOBODY!!!! You Rock and keep your spirits up!!
Keep kicking ass and taking names. I used to love Joan Rivers but now I just think she is a special kind of crazy.
Annie! I love you on the show. You’re my favorite and it’s clear you’re the smartest player of the “game,” thus makes you the most fun to watch. Really wish your charity was one that benefited American causes/needs, but I guess it’s hard to really complain about any charity.
Next week Brande and/or Jesse will be fired.
Its not a surpise trump fired Walker and Natalie this week … both might be good but niether cause any real waves in the challenges or in the boardroom.. niether tried to stand out.
I also predict Joan will cry in the board room again next week so she can guilt trump out of firing her… worked well this week why not next week.
I am still stunned about what was said in the kitchen … I thought Annie Duke was a fun wholesome women
hehe
I had to rewind to make sure you said what I thought you said. Twice… I was laughing pretty hard for a bit … didnt help they cut to Brande’s expression.
This week seemed very set up … like you all were being coached into what type of situations you should be trying to act out. Hard to explain… maybe its just the way they edited it.
Joan has never been the same after Johnny passed her over for the tonight show. At least Letterman picked himself up, dusted himself off, and got back in the game. Key word=GAME. I don’t know you, but assume you to be a nice person. If you are a chameleon at times, so what!? I’m rooting for you and Jessie, so Go Annie, go!
Mark Ripple,
Author, Handicapping the Wall Street Way
Annie,
You rock baby! You, Brandi and Herschel are the class of the show. I’m rootin’ for you BIG TIME!
You are the quintesential renisance woman. You bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan and never ever let him know he’s a man. The BJ reference gave me thoughts that I never thought I’d ever have watching TCA but, it was the cherry on the sundae. (no cherry stem reference intended) wink wink
Another week that you have done well. It was a pleasure watching you and your team kick ass. (Even more so this week !)
I used to like Joan, I even kind of thought her daughter was OK — they have pretty much proven themselves to be totally insane. Melissa moaning about not getting a pat on the head and her jealousy over your friendship with Brande reminded me of life in the fifth grade. Holy Crap, shut it and to quote JRiv, “GROW UP!” You are talented, smart, driven and don’t kiss a$$, apparently, they are not used to that and it’s bending them out of shape.
Glad you used Godwin’s Law. Why not mention the religion of your parents to show the irony.
Hi Annie,Wow,nice job!!!Frankly,you have superior intelligence than the others,so you should win outin the end. Congratulations on triumphing over the ridiculous ploys of the others,Ben
I hate Joan Rivers. I hate her because she is shallow.
However…
Nicely played, Annie….
You know she never said you were Hitler, and the comparison was not made because of the things everybody hates about him, Satan himself.
If she says “Annie playing poker is like a Volcano”, do you really think she is talking about your weight?
The nice thing about being compared to Hitler is that is causes an effect, which can be used as a joker by the “victim”.
Nicely played, a straight flush in the turn, when she has color. Just don’t let people think you really think she meant it.
At this point everyone thinks you’re smart… just don’t stick to the Hitler think treating everyone as if they were stupid.
I have to say, the more I see you, the more I really respect and like you. The Gluten Free meal was absolutely brilliant! My family is Gluten free, so this was way cool to see on a national tv show. The marketing behind the meal being gluten free almost stands on it’s own. Although I was majorly disapointed in Jesse’s lack of Marketing. (This does seem to be a strong point for him?)
And the more the River’s women try to paint you as “evil” and “bad” the more you look good. All for the sake of entertainment! If it were up to America to vote for the winner, i’d vote for you.
Brilliant!
Hi Annie,
Watching you compete in the political reality game show your on, the cards are stacked against you. I think all in all you and Jesse should be competing against each other on the final task. Clearly you have the initiative and talent to complete a task all by yourself. All of the opposition targeting you as the “bad guy” is merely for ratings. You shine against the other celebrities which I think is rather remarkable because out of all the celebrities, you were probably the least recognizable due to your profession.
Just know that no matter what happens on the show, you are a mother number one, and have a very successful career without needing to defend who you are. On that note should you decide to change careers, after showing your work ethics and ingenious ideas, you would have limitless opportunities (me included if you ever decide to become a wedding coordinator!).
Hi Anne, When my wife and I heard Joan comparing you to hitler, I jumped of my couch and call Joan a F*** disgusting C****!!!! I was so pissed. I just got done watching “The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler”, right before this episode of Apprentice. Being born to Russian Jewish immigrants, Joan Rivers should know better than use that reference.
You are doing a terrific job! Keep up the great work!!!!
PS. I love your qualities;)
Annie your hot and a smart beautiful women,let me know the next time you are in town.
Joan and melissa are so immature, I think working together causes them to regresss to 12 year old codependancy. Loved piers calling them out.
This show is fixed, can’t believe trump allowed joan to set natalie up like that. Sure, the jewelry company owner sends her to pick the jewels, doesn’t give her any tips, then picks her selections apart…just a coincidence I’m sure! Nobody else could get away with weaseling like that.
only one word want to say:GREAT!
I’ve loved Annie as a poker palyer and I love her on celebrity apprentice. She’s intelligent, honest in her remarks, and a lady in every way. The only thing funny about Joan Rivers is her face, it’s frightening. Mothers should hide their children to save them from horrific nightmares.
I never seen a more obnoxious, rude, conceited, or ignorant woman. Joan has a habit of pattying you on the back while stabbing you in the back. Donald Trump should be ashamed for putting a mother/daughter duo on the same show. Melissa is nothing more than a Joan clone and isn’t that a frightening concept. Joan ridiculed and slammed Clint Black (always the considerate gentleman) and then turned around and declared her love. Dont you just hate phonies. Joan and Melissa should choke on their own venom. Wake up Trump and give us a classy show with good sportsmanship. This really makes the Donald look cheessie.
What I get a kick out is the 76 year old is a fiesty thang but what happened to the cliche
‘There is no crying in baseball or poker or the boardroom’ Has Donald lost his ever firing mind? Is he afraid of her.. Way to stand up to her. Does anyone know about your education credits? Geesh.. Does anyone remember that Joan disrespected Johnny Carson and stabbed him also. No wonder no one gives her money.. the list must contain people she has previously stabbed. WTG girl – take the high road.
Ok..wow..what a show! Unfortunately, I feel that Joan is going to win this show because Trump totally has blinders when it comes to any issues with Joan. I cannot see him firing Joan. I wish to God he would though. Baby Melissa would be trailing behind mommy dearest Joan. That would be good tv. You are absolutley the best player in this game. You raise the most money, you make the best decisions. I was disappointed this week with Jesse and his sandbagging on the raising money. Also his covert marketing efforts or lack thereof. Congratulations on lasting this long with this group of idiots. Kudos to Ian, Andy and Stuey. Kudos to the poker players of the world! We hang together Natalie.I can hardly wait until next week !!! Good luck.
Annie! You are by far my favorite apprentice…and not simply because we share the same name : ) I have been absolutely shocked by Joan’s behavior over the past few episodes. Did she not realize she was being taped and that millions of viewers would witness her bizarre antics? Throwing champagne glasses, covering her ears, and comparing you to Hitler…how old is this woman? It appears that she is not simply interested in LOOKING younger. It’s a shame because I really liked Joan before CA aired. She certainly isn’t doing herself any favors by acting like a crazed mother-hen. You all are playing a game for crying out loud; why does everything have to be so personal with her? I have been truly impressed by the way you have handled all the scathing personal attacks. I’m glad you realize that her comments are much more a reflection of her character than yours. I just hope she’s able to pull it together and treat you with some basic civility in the upcoming episodes. Knock ‘em dead!
I’m getting so sick of “Team Rivers”…Joan doesn’t realize how ignorant it makes her look to keep using “poker player” as an insult. I don’t know how you’ve managed not to bitch slap one of them by now, but I admire your restraint!
Good Luck at the WPT Championship and Great Job this week. Your concept for the turkey meatballs and gluten free pasta was spot-on. Your approach of identifying the top selling items off their regular menu and creating a healthy version was brilliant too. I watched the episode with my daughter who has celiac and eats a gluten free diet, and she was soooooo excited to see this addressed in a major TV show. THANKS and good luck (note I had been a Joan Rivers fan prior to this event; I saw her perform in Vegas many years ago and it was one of the best shows I ever saw).
Go Annie! You are smart and graceful, you get things done, and hopefully you will be the new Apprentice! The team Rivers is of course something different altogether. They also seem very disrespectful to Trump and Ivanka. From the last episode it seemed that Joan skillfully set her own team up for a failure. What a shame that she was not fired! But her time will come, no doubt.
Mr. Trump is obviously only keeping people on the show who make for good TV. The winner will be a combo of money raising, hard work, and someone who makes for good TV so I think that will be Annie. Joan only has the TV aspect going for her, Melissa too. Clint gets annoying, Jesse is too non-confrontational for this show. Unfortunately I think they are the next to go. Mr. Trump will keep Brande for 2 reasons:1 he likes to look at her and 2 her presence really tweaks Melissa.
I am amazed at how well you have done in your research. You knew you needed to come out strong, lay back, and then get involved in some tiffs because Mr. Trump needs that for ratings. Great job.
I would love to know what your charity is planning on doing with the money and how it will help them out. Maybe next post.
Congratulations, Annie, on raising $245,000 for Refugees International. You’ve had to put up with a lot during that experience, and I can tell that it truly stung you to have someone say, in public, in seriousness, that you’re like Hitler. I also know you have a thick skin and the cause you’re fighting for is worth it.
You have represented yourself and poker extremely well in this show. Imagine an entertainment icon, a giant country music star, one of the greatest living athletes, and a talented and beautiful LPGA superstar making a CREDIBLE argument that they are underdogs in fundraising because “Annie has poker players”? And then you – and Andy Bloch and Perry Friedman and the guy from Anthrax who you taught to play poker – DELIVERED. And not just delivered but did it with style, class, and humor.
It would be easy to trash Joan Rivers in all this, but I won’t. When things were going embarrassingly bad during her team’s auction, she stepped up to the plate and saved the day, at least in keeping them from looking totally awful. Besides, there is a legal term “res ipsa loquitur,” meaning “the thing speaks for itself.”
It speaks for itself: you raised $245,000 for voiceless people to keep them from being wiped off the face of the earth; you rallied your friends to carry you to victory; you put on a show that made people feel good about donating huge amounts of money and made the Trump family proud to be associated with this particular project. And while you were doing it, Joan Rivers said you were like Hitler.
Res ipsa loquitur.
M.
Hey Annie,
I almost never post comments, but I’m a huge fan of how you are playing this game. Most of the poker players/gamers on these kinds of reality shows (Jean Robert, Kenny – Survivor) are trying to assert their gaming strategies, but are way too overt + self indulgent. You’re being really smart and subtle, and it’s so refreshing to watch.
At this point, it’s your game to lose. To me, your only valid competition is Jesse, and he seems to be slipping, and Brande is my pick for the dark horse contender. I’ll be rooting for you!
WOW!
35 Blog Responses In 8 Hours!
ANNIE does this blog herself, doesn’t she?
Up ’til 4am again?
There are so many positive things to say about Annie Duke … and so many people to say them.
Annie Duke is making a BIGGER and BIGGER Name for herself, as WE speak.
I predicted in a previous blog post, the sequel will be, should be, “The Annie Duke Show.” It “probably” will happen ( odds Annie? )
Annie, indeed, likes to TALK and WRITE
Based on my own personal experiences I would “bet”
she gets in trouble for that often!
My Tribute To Annie
This guy who LOVES PEOPLE ( and occasionally Poker), who LOVES to communicate … to write and speak and produce and broadcast and LISTEN …
A First Ever For Me
http://socoolbob.wordpress.com/
I sincerely hope YOU like it!
I sincerely hope Annie likes it!
Congratulations and keep up the good work.
(What do you suppose Annie’s assignment will be “when” she WINS? “The Annie Duke Show” – What A Good Idea – You’re Hired)
It’s sad the firings are so setup and it’s obvious they are. I realize these board meetings can go on for a couple hours and they only show a few minutes of it cut down on tv. But 2 important areas they didn’t cover that should have led to NOT firing Natilie are 1) she was told to pick out the cheapest jewelry before she went and 2) it was while she was gone they decided to have their donors bid on one item- at least that’s how it appeared to happen in sequence on last wk’s show.
What a copout that she was fired- Trump obviously wanted the evil wacko witch Joan to stay around so she could insult you for ratings plain and simple.
Joan not picking the jewelry herself was 100% plenty reason to get fired herself. Ridiculous it fell on Natalie’s shoulders.
Sadly, Joan shows her true colors every week. And anyone who has worked in corporate America knows that Trump is reluctant to fire her, because she is part of his “old boy network” – yes she is female, but how do you fire your old pal? “Ya ain’t really gotta, now do ya?”
Now, i work in reality tv. And believe me, we edit and story to build the juicy contentions, the dramatic tensions and the cliffhanging hatred. So, while Brande’s dessert was fabulous, it just doesn’t play as well as “Controlling Annie” fighting to get her turkey meatballs to the plate.
I like that you give them little to manipulate Annie. You pick your spots, like the “blow job” reference. But always you stay true to yourself.
So does Joan. It’s just sad that’s who she is.
Bravo. We’ll keep watching – til you win. (Since i believe this is taped.)
Good going, Annie. You’re so logical — I love it!!
Perhaps Trump will “even-up” teams next week and Joan and Melissa will be together. Poor Clint.
You, Jesse, and Brande are my favorites!!
.
Sadly these days anyone compared to Hitler is common and should be unacceptable. There’s an old saying that if you don’t appreciate the past then it is doomed to repeat itself-
Sadly our young generation isn’t very aware of the travesties of the Hitler era. In the 70′s there were tons of tv mini series on covering the holocaust, even one that was very controversial where they allowed totally nude people to be shown on network tv to show the reality of what happened in those camps as they stood in line to go into those gassed showers.
Why those mini series aren’t reshown on national tv is beyond me- the Jew hate in this country is dangerously growing-
Considering the Lederer sir name’s history, and Joan herself’s heritage, this is a dispicable comment by this old insane woman-
By the way. Mentioning Hitler’s slaughter of 6 million jews is only half the story- He killed 11-17 million people. 6 mil were of Jewish heritage but he killed at least another 5 million of various backgrounds- gypsies, mentally ill, homosexuals, Poles, Romanians, Soviet civilians and prisoners of war, disabled people and others.
One last thing here- in regards to your last comment about next week.
Joan also commented about the money you get is from “blood on your hands”. It appeared to me from the start that once Joan found out what you do for a living, she like many can’t possibly comprehend the poker lifestyle and community. I’ve been playing here in Vegas over 20 yrs and locals understand it, but from a national point of view, people in general just don’t get it.
I could tell early on she was holding your profession over your head and not understanding that a lot of your notoriety comes from your marketing and business side of the poker world. She proved this by blurting out the “blood on your hands” comment. She really doesn’t get it.
What an eye opener to find out she only raised 8k for the task- Trump has another agenda obviously – not fairness but ratings- she absolutely should have been fired.
Last season, Omarosa was fired only after she lost 3 challenges as project manager! I think she was only kept around to keep the drama and conflict going with Piers. Same for Joan this season. Trump knows she has no chance of winning this competition. He just keeps her on the show for the drama and the ratings. I’m thinking he may pit you against Joan and Melissa in the finals just to see you “duke” it out against them.
Annie, you’re heads above the rest! If you don’t win, I will be so disappointed!
Wow, this episode was crazy and it’s SO disturbing and SAD that a successful person like Joan would really stoop that low. And I was amazed how you handled the situation, and I hope she stays out of your way and stops tweeting useless opinions. Oh, and I really don’t like Joan’s remarks about poker players. I really dare her to live in any poker player’s shoes.
It’s difficult not to defend yourself when you’re being trashed but…..I think you’re playing the game with dignity. What will it take for Trump to fire Joan and Melissa? As to the jewelry challenge firing, Natalie made bad choices in picking jewelry but Clint really was BAD as an auctioneer. I think that Clint would be difficult to work with and his time is coming. He really should have been fired during the Schwann challenge rather than Hershell. It should have been either Clint or Joan but I don’t think Trump will fire Joan or Melissa. I think he keeps Joan and Melissa on to keep interest up in his program but I don’t think he should allow “personality slander” to go on like he has. Because of all the personality bashing, I’ve lost what little respect I had for Trump. Just keep playing the game with dignity. You’re doing a good job, Annie!
Natalie just didn’t use her contact to show her the money-I just can’t believe that a Professional Athlete has no friends willing to donate money to charity.
Jesse James has skated through this game-He needs to call contacts and raise money for charity because I’m seeing him as Mr Bullock at this point.Mellisa is a 30ish child always seeking mommy’s approval it’s getting boring.
The next Celebrity has to be a leader.
Annie should be the next Celebity Apprentice-Pearce who?
I can’t believe how she can attack you, but she is the rudest fakest woman I have seen in awhile. I am sick of her refering to the fact you are a poker player in a fashion that compares what you do to that of a scam artist.
Her personal attacks are sickning. How she berated the models was sickening. Her fake tears and sideways talk were more twisted than the worst angleshooter at the tables.
Sorry you had to listen to her and offended in the way she percieves and describes us players.
You are right it is a tight group. It is not that these people have no regard for money or fear you….its a comradery, for a good cause on top of it all.
I am gonna rant so…go get em Annie!
Just rewatching the show now- Joan with her fingers in her ears, what a joke she is. How pathetic- she should have been fired but people this is NOT about what’s right or fair, it’s about ratings and profits for the show and NBC.
Joan said (to and about Annie) and I quote, “your ego is SOOOO beyond where you are, SOOO beyond where you are”.
This was said inbetween Joan’s ranting insanity towards Annie from every direction.
As for the ego part being “so far beyond where you are” (meaning her ego is bigger than her general importance in society). well, Joan lives in NY, has been a widely known celeb for 40 yrs, and there in NY she raides a miniscule $8,000 for this task.
Annie on the other hand got ppl 3000 miles away to spend 5 hrs on a damned airplane to come and handout tens of thousands of dollars to a charity simply cuz Annie asked them to.
NUFF SAID!
By the way, on Joan’s comment on twitter about apologizing to Hitler for comparing him to you, I replied to her with a link to a pic from google of a huge pile of dead skeletal victims. nuff said.
I can’t help but keep rewatching Joans words and behavior on the boardroom- it’s so stunning and so entertaining-
“Normally when I watch reality shows I comment on them in my blog, but in this case I don’t think it would be appropriate.”
DN’s comment on his blog on cardplayer- Blog titled that day, “Biting my Tongue”.
Someone posted elsewhere that he was playing heads up on (Full tilt?) the other day and commented he wished Natalie had contacted him.
I used to like DN as do most people. I quit liking him long ago. Not due to this incident of his history with Annie, but I started to see a side to him that was rather distasteful. It started (for me) with his endless condescending rants about his “friend” Mike Matusow. I kept thinking with friends like DN (for Mike), who needs enemies! DN’s constant belittling of many others got old with me. He’s very happy when he’s winning but when he’s not, you can look closely and see a real ugliness. (Recent gossip was that he had gone broke at one point).
I also found his behavior at the NBC Heads-Up rather odd considerig his mother’s plight.
In general I wish him well but he keeps losing points with me, not winning any.
If what was said about him wishing Natilie had called him is true, well he needs to grow up. His on-going behavior towards Annie is pretty pathetic.