Schwarzenegger ushers in “The New Celebrity Apprentice”

A new era began in Celebrity Apprentice history as Arnold Schwarzenegger took over the keys to the franchise from President-Elect Donald J. Trump.

Schwarzenegger also elected to relocate the show to Los Angeles and will have a brand-new boardroom at Silicon Beach, where the latest group of celebrities will compete for the $250,000 check and the right to join Piers Morgan, the late Joan Rivers, Arsenio Hall, and Leeza Gibbons in the Celebrity Apprentice’s winner circle.

The new celebrities that are fighting to get in Schwarzenegger’s good graces are:

• Laila Ali
• Brooke Burke-Charvet
• Eric Dickerson
• Boy George
• Matt Iseman
• Carrie Keagan
• Carson Kressley
• Jon Lovitz
• Vince Neil
• Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi
• Kyle Richards
• Chael Sonnen
• Porsha Williams
• Ricky Williams
• Carnie Wilson

Who made up each team? What was the first task? Who were the first people that were fired? Read on to find out…

After the celebrities had arrived, Governor Schwarzenegger greeted them and warned them that he would be “tough and fair.” In true Celebrity Apprentice tradition, the candidates were divided into their teams by gender.  While Matt Iseman were fans of Boy George and Vince Neil and revealed that he was a real super fan, Ricky Williams suggested the name “Arete.” On the women’s side, Lisa Leslie suggested that their name should be “Prima.”

The teams headed into the boardroom where they were face-to-face with Governor Schwarzenegger, his nephew and top entertainment lawyer: Patrick and Tyra Banks. Tyra assigned them to do a 10-minute “Tyra” beauty experience for her beauty brand.

Tyra visited both teams to explain her products. While the girls chickened out to put on the product, Carson volunteered himself to be made over by his teammates.  Boy George’s biggest challenge was to incorporate the guys into their presentation. Several of Team Aerte’s athletes protested at the idea of them doing man-on-the-street makeovers.

Back in Team Prima’s office, the women got to work as Carnie and Brooke created the graphics, while Kyra Richards was part of the furniture. Meanwhile, Carrie Keagan who at first was confused about their presentation, she became Porsha’s assistant. Over on the guys’ side, Vince, Jon, and Eric were learning how to put on the Tyra make-up. Boy George advised his group to be “funny, fierce, and get a good night’s sleep.”

The next day, Team Prima prayed that Tyra would love their presentation.  Little did they know that Arnold and Patrick would be joining Tyra at their presentation. Brooke volunteered to host the event and shared that they came up with a 5-minute “Tyover.” However, Carnie might have pulled a blunder when she tried to add an improvised musical moment to the presentation because it disgusted the Governor, but pleased Tyra.

As Team Prima celebrated completing their first task, Team Arete got to work. Matt Iseman got the crowd rolling as he demonstrated his knowledge of the product. Up next was Vince Neil and he brought the fun with his presentation. Both Eric and Ricky Williams got over their nerves and mastered the make-up, while Jon added a funny twist before Boy George ended the event with the slogan: “May the Fierce Be with You.”

In the Boardroom, Boy George and Carson praised their teammates. However, Jon Lovitz got burned by the Governor and stated that “do not call me, Arnold, in here.” Brooke praised Porsha for being the first Prima’s project manager. Porsha praised Laila for being “a solid advisor” and added that her team met her individually.

Tyra praised the women for creating the world that perfectly represented her brand, but she lamented that the women did not use their faces in the task!  She was impressed with the men’s knowledge of her product and liked the unity that Team Arete showed as they individually showcased their knowledge of the product. Because of that, Team Arete won the task and Boy George became the first Project Manager to win a task this season.

The women had a horrible performance in the boardroom and Arnold was not happy that they were dodging their questions. Carrie Keagan was the first person to throw Porsha under the bus and eventually after comments from both Schwarzeneggers; she reluctantly decided to bring Carrie and Nicole back into the Boardroom.

Arnold stated that it was Porsha’s turn to decide someone’s fate. Porsha decided to put her vote against Nicole. Nicole called out the Real Housewife for her fakeness and Porsha wanted Snooki to talk up more. Carrie stated that she gave 100-percent to a project, but Porsha disagreed. Arnold decided that Carrie was to be “terminated” and ordered her to get to the chopper.

As Carrie left the campus, Nicole and Porsha reunited with the other teams, and they began their second task at the El Captain Theatre. While the Governor stated that Eric Dickinson had a scheduling conflict and Trident challenged them to record a song and a music video for their smile campaign. Team Prima chose Carnie to be their Project Manager, while Team Arete wanted “the biggest star in the world” to be their project manager. The prize—$50,000 ($25,000 from Arnold and $25,000 from Trident).

While the women had an idea that involved Laila knocking out Snooki in a boxing ring, Jon annoyed the team by saying that the Brits had bad teeth, which insulted both Boy George and Carson Kressley. Carson steered them away and decided to make them about a song about all different kinds of song.  Meanwhile, Lisa was nervous that the group was missing the point and advised the team that they should address Trident’s campaign of “different smiles.”

As Brooke, Carnie and Kyla rocked out with the musicians; the men arrived at Venice Beach to film the music video and chaos erupted. In the studio, Boy George and Vince Neil unleashed their songwriting. Unfortunately, Boy George was ticked that Vince was having a drink and he was slowly becoming drunk.

While the recovering alcoholic became increasingly aggravated with his teammate, Lisa Leslie directed her teammates at the boxing gym and Brooke saw that Lisa’s shots were sideways. A panicked Carnie stated that the group needed to go back and reshoot the music video footage.  As the women reshot the footage, Boy George and Vince Neil nearly came to blows regarding Jon’s edits of the music video.

At Team Prima, Lisa was the only woman who was worried that their music video would not meet Trident’s standard and during their presentation, the Trident representatives looked like they were unimpressed. However, they also acted like statutes when they saw Team Aerte’s video.

Back in the Boardroom, Governor Schwarzenegger reminded them “to crush their enemies and make sure that everyone gets fired first.” Patrick revealed that the Trident executives loved the men’s message, but thought that their work was sloppy. Tyra stated that they liked the women’s concept, but they did not grasp at Trident’s campaign.  Once again, the men won the round and project manager Jon Lovitz would receive $50,000 for his charity.

The women were forced to face Arnold, Tyra, and Patrick for the second task in the row. Porsha stated that Nicole represented the everyday woman. Kyle stood by her concept, despite the Trident executives hated the idea. Once again, Nicole did not defend herself and dodged the question. Arnold warned her that by not participating, it would put her in danger and Carnie decided that she would bring Lisa and Snooki back in the boardroom.  Carnie revealed that Kyle worked her butt off and decided to save her from danger. Nicole thought she was strong as an actress, while Lisa added that the Trident executives loved her footage. Carnie made a fatal mistake and Arnold told her that she was terminated and added: “Hasta La Vista, Baby!”

Next week, the Battle of the Boardroom continues!