Rivers, Duke Make Final Push for Celebrity Apprentice Finale

We’re in the home stretch to the finale of NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice. On Sunday night at 8:00pm ET, World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Annie Duke will square off against comedian Joan Rivers in what promises to be a high-octane three hour conclusion.

Here’s what we know about the final episode of Celebrity Apprentice Season 2: Duke and Rivers will battle it out in a complex task that incorporates fundraising, leadership ability, and pure determination. Yahoo Television gives the following description of the finale, revealing its central task: “In the season finale, former celebrity contestants return to help the two finalists throw a pre-theater VIP bash preceding a performance of the Cirque du Soleil show Wintuk. The party also includes a silent auction.” A portion of the finale will play out in front of a live studio audience in New York City.

In a preview for the show that aired at the end of last week’s episode, it appears that Duke leads a team that includes comedian Tom Green, NBA star Dennis Rodman, and Playboy Playmate of the Year Brande Roderick, who has been one of her strongest allies throughout the show. Rivers will lead three celebrities of her own: country music star Clint Black, daughter and producer Melissa Rivers, and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker. No indication of how the teams were selected was given. Rodman was fired amid a boardroom intervention earlier this season after repeated drinking led fellow Celebrity Apprentice contestant Jesse James to conclude that he had a real-life problem.

On Friday, Duke and Rivers will battle over the television airwaves. Duke is slated to appear on Access Hollywood, a syndicated celebrity news program. The show airs throughout the United States; check your local listings for more information. A press release distributed by Ultimate Bet on Thursday announcing Duke’s appearance on the popular entertainment program states, “True to her nature at the tournament tables, the world poker champion has remained calm while enduring an onslaught of personal attacks from Joan Rivers throughout the reality series.” Duke has been compared to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini during Celebrity Apprentice. Rivers also labeled her a Nazi.

Meanwhile, Duke’s adversary will be making her rounds. Rivers will appear on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Friday. The show airs following The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on NBC. Fallon took over hosting duties from Conan O’Brien in March. O’Brien, in turn, will replace Jay Leno next month, as Leno takes on a weekday program on NBC airing at 10:00pm ET. Rivers revealed to Poker News Daily that she is currently in London and will return to New York on Friday for Fallon’s show. On Saturday, she will be attending the theater in the Big Apple with her grandson and will then perform in New Jersey. Duke told Poker News Daily that she is having dinner with the group of men she befriended during the Loews Hotel challenge earlier this season on Friday night.

It was also revealed this week that Duke’s fellow pro at Ultimate Bet, 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, will appear on the Celebrity Apprentice season finale, although his role is not yet known. Hellmuth nearly turned up during a challenge earlier this season in which contestants were asked to auction off jewelry from Ivanka Trump’s line for charity. Professional golfer Natalie Gulbis, who was a member of Duke’s opposition, called up Hellmuth and asked him to bid against Duke’s team. However, the Ultimate Bet pro declined.

The second season of Celebrity Apprentice began airing on March 1st with 16 contestants. The reality series is actually in its eighth season overall and is hosted by real estate mogul Donald Trump. Over time, it even produced a spin-off, The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. Previous winners of Trump’s Apprentice series include Bill Rancic, Kelly Perdew, Kendra Todd, Randal Pinkett, Sean Yazbeck, Stefanie Schaeffer, and Celebrity Apprentice Season 1 winner Piers Morgan.

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