Verbal Smackdown 2008: Piers vs. Omarosa

It was to be the showdown of the century. Every episode led up to this one moment: the battle between the cocky, British tabloid editor Piers Morgan and backstabbing, former Apprentice contestant Omarosa.

The Apprentice has seen four years of challenges, disputes and “You’re fired’s.” Now in its seventh season The Donald upped the ante with 14 headstrong celebrities left to duke it out in order to win money for charity.

In episode 10, teams Hydra and Empresario compete to sell the most art for the most money at the prestigious Moti Hasson Gallery in New York City. With Piers (Hydra) and Omarosa (Empresario) as team project managers, the battle between these two is on. Their volatile personalities and dislike for the way each other deals with people has caused a vicious rivalry between them since day one and has resulted in several verbal squabbles. The two are ready to go head-to-head.

It was impossible to envision what this episode would have in store. Sure there would be arguing and name-calling but to what extent? As the teams planned their strategies, both Piers and Omarosa remained in their respective corners; however, Omarosa seemed a bit more concerned with what Piers was doing than trying to come up with a strategy of her own. Being one of the more important challenges of the season, Omarosa definitely needed to focus on her game-plan so as to not land in Trump’s hot seat.

As the teams set up their art galleries, it seemed as if a heated altercation would arise as actor Stephen Baldwin of team Empresario began snooping on team Hydra, but nothing exciting came of it. Very disappointing. At the 20-minute mark this episode was looking to be a dud. Then the buyers came. Surprisingly, Empresario sold the most art initially. Omarosa obviously looked excited as Piers began to sweat. But their good luck faded fast as patrons quickly turned to team Hydra’s art. The customers bought plenty and team Empresario didn’t sell another piece. Supermodel Carol Alt of team Hydra even stole a few of Empresario’s customers. Piers knew victory was his.

In the board room, Trump said that Hydra creamed Empresario in the “biggest slaughter” in Apprentice history. Hydra sold 14 of 20 paintings for $164,000 while Empresario only sold three of 13 paintings generating $7,000. This was indeed a “personal win” for Piers. In the final 10-15 minutes, Piers kisses a cowboy while Omarosa calls Piers a “homosexual” and characteristically throws her team under the bus (something she is quite famous for). In the end, Omarosa lost because of poor planning and a consistent losing streak. Even though Trump said he’s a big Omarosa fan, it was time. Finally, after 10 episodes Trump fired Omarosa.

Secretly, we all wanted her fired. Everyone was just waiting for the day and it was certainly an “edge of your seat” moment. But it was almost bittersweet. Sure it was priceless to finally see her get the axe, but no longer would Apprentice fans witness Piers and Omarosa’s sensational antics. Omarosa thought she had it in the bag. She thought that if she blamed her teammates, and did a little name-calling, she could saver herself as she often did. Not this time. At some point, the childish backstabbing had to stop and Trump realized she was just not worthy any more.

As a whole, the episode lacked in the intense drama it was expected to have. There weren’t nearly as many low blows throughout the entire episode as the previews lead on. However the boardroom more than made up for it. No one could have predicted Omarosa calling Piers a homosexual. She really must have been running out of ammo.

The rivalry between Piers and Omarosa had been stewing all season. Whether you were rooting for Omarosa or Piers, it was obvious that Trump made the right decision in firing Omarosa. She is notorious for finagling her way out of situations and putting the blame on others. That’s why viewers love to hate her. We desperately want to see her get fired, but at the same time we want to keep her on the show to see what ridiculousness she will come up with next.