Who admits that they like to bedazzle stuff?
That was Poppy’s first mistake. Her second mistake was underestimating the potential contributions of Liza. The final nail in her coffin was going anywhere near Stephanie. That chick will stab you while you sleep. Poppy is fired partially for tackiness and mostly for just for being a victim of this game.
But there is good news! One little known behind-the-scenes “Apprentice” secret: Dismissed contestants don’t get sent home directly after being fired. Instead they are held together at a hotel (referred to insiders as The Ponderosa) for the duration of taping. The recent news of Poppy and fellow firee David’s cozy post-season relationship can only mean one thing: Poppy and David got freaky up in the Ponderosa.
Think about it: You are tired, hungry, exhausted and scared after you are fired. It’s easy to see how and why David and Poppy fell in love.
But back to the game.
This episode starts off with a surprise firing. Anand is caught cheating — or attempting to cheat — and is sent home. Apparently Anand smuggled a secret cell phone in with his belongings (a big no-no) and sent shady text messages asking a friend to bring him money (a bigger no-no).
Anand claims the text messages were never answered, therefore making his cheating irrelevant. The Donald disagrees. Trump is pissed Anand didn’t just fess up to the breaking the rules in the first place and dishonorably discharges him from the game.
Poor Anand. I actually admire his attempt at cheating. What is dumb is that when confronted about his shadiness he tries to lie. Just admit it, dude. Go out in a blaze of diabolical glory.
The cheating scandal actually poses more difficult questions for the producers and for the overall game:
Suppose Anand is still lying. What if his text messages were successful and some of the tasks were won through the inappropriate use of dirty money. This would mean the whole outcome of the game is thrown off. Technically “The Apprentice” is a game show regulated by the FCC. FCC is pretty strict about cheating and the unethical influence of outcomes.
In other words, I think cheating on a game show is a big friggin’ deal.
Does this mean losing contestants have a right to demand more answers about the alleged cheating? Probably.
Let’s see how this one unfolds.