Donald Trump Reluctantly Fires Rod Blagojevich on Celebrity Apprentice

Last night on Celebrity Apprentice, Donald Trump reluctantly fired Rod Blagojevich. From a purely entertainment standpoint, I'm sad to see him go, but it was the right decision.

The writing was on the wall when Michael nominated Rod as PM for the next task. (I'm thinking it was a tactical move to get him fired. Every week, Michael has accused Blagojevich of being the weakest link). Indeed, Blagojevich did not disappoint as train wreck of the week.

This week, teams constructed 3D interactive Harry Potter displays to promote the new Harry Potter attraction at Universal Orlando. Rod's first mistake was delegating the bulk of the work to Bret Michaels (partially understandable given that the PMs were in Orlando). He and the team then failed to do the research, causing their Harry Potter display to be full of inaccuracies.

More importantly, Blagojevich lost crucial communication time with his team because he didn't know how to text or use email. He was unable to discuss crucial details of the project with his team over phone because Selita was siting next to him.

Donald Trump clearly did not want to fire the governor. As EW's Dalton Ross points out, Trump gave Blagojevich many chances to send Bret Michaels to the boardroom over Michael and Curtis, yet the governor stubbornly refused. I actually have to respect the governor for giving Bret credit for his hard work and not throwing him under the bus. Of course, by not sending Bret to the boardroom, Rod put himself at a severe disadvantage.

Given Blago's clearly demonstrated incompetence, there was no way for Trump to rationalize firing Michael or Curtis. I'm sure Trump is banking on Sharon and Cyndi to generate ratings for the rest of the reason. As Sharon pointed out, watching Holly and Summer would be about as much fun as watching ice melt.

Rod Blagojevich may be a sleazy smarmy Chicago-machine thug, but in the context of reality TV, there is something so likable about his unabashedly sheepish aw-shucks little engine that could attitude. The Donald was correct in pointing out the governor's courage and tenacity. Most people in his situation would be too ashamed to even step out in public (just look at the way Tiger Woods went into hiding for so long).

Yet Blago just keeps smiling, shrugging it off, and prodding on with a positive attitude. His stubborn shamelessness may have cost him this week on Celebrity Apprentice (because of his resolve not to send Bret to the boardroom), but his resilience will help him bounce back from the legal and personal troubles he faces.

Perhaps Rod Blagojevich can go the Martha Stewart route--serve a prison sentence and return to television stronger than ever. Or he could steal a page from The Producers, do time at Sing Sing and find creative outlets in a musical. Whatever happens in or outside the boardroom (and courtroom), Rod Blagojevich will bounce back.

Sources:

'Celebrity Apprentice' Recap: Donald Trump tries his darndest to fire Bret Michaels, Entertainment Weekly