Rod Blagojevich the fourth celebrity fired from 'Celebrity Apprentice'

Indicted former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich became the fourth celebrity eliminated from The Celebrity Apprentice's third season during Sunday's night's two-hour broadcast.


"Life is filled with ups and downs, sometimes you win and sometimes you don't.  The real test of who you are is how you deal with it," Blagojevich said after The Apprentice star Donald Trump fired him.

"I was not going to sell out [teammate Brett Michaels].  I think it would have been very disloyal and very wrong.  I'm the project manager, I take full responsibility and I got the boot."

Blagojevich was eliminated from The Celebrity Apprentice's third edition after his "Rocksolid" men's team lost the competition's fourth task to "Tenacity," the women's team. 

As his team's project manager, Blagojevich was deemed most responsible for the team's loss in the task, which required the teams to create and present a three-dimensional interactive display intended to promote Universal Orlando Resort's new theme park attraction to Harry Potter fans.


While Universal executives felt "Rocksolid" had done a good job with their overall display, Blagojevich -- who was offsite visiting the attraction in Orlando along with "Tenacity" project manager Selita Ebanks for much of the task's planning phase -- was faulted for providing his team with very little leadership and direction and instead appointing Michaels' the team's de-facto project manager. 

In addition, the executives also faulted the men's team for including incorrect Harry Potter terminology in their display.

"There were some issues just in terms of accuracy with the script as well as the tree," Trump advisor Erin Burnett explained.

"I think it would have to be Rod's fault," Olympic gold-medal sprinter Michael Johnson told Trump when asked why he felt his team had lost the task. 

"You might say Brett was put in charge of that, but I think Brett would have had a lot better idea of where to go and how to do this if he'd had some vision from the project manager who had actually been there."


Blagojevich said he didn't feel personally responsible for the team's failure after Trump revealed they had lost the task but also declined to blame Michaels for the loss.

"I think he was very good," Blagojevich told Trump.

He then continued to refuse to select Michaels to remain in the boardroom to face potential firing even after Trump repeatedly questioned his decision to select Johnson and Australian celebrity chef Curtis Stone instead.

"I'm not going to throw him under the bus and bring him back here," Blagojevich said.

"But why aren't you bringing him back?  He led the team!" Trump said.


"Because I chose him.  I believe I chose him correctly and I think we lost because maybe there wasn't enough help for him while I was gone, and enough follow-up for him when I was gone," Blagojevich replied.

Even Michaels seemed confused why Blagojevich wasn't selecting him.

"If I was in his shoes I would put my butt back in this room," he told Trump.

However Blagojevich declined Trump's repeated offers to let him change his selections.

"Brett led the team to a good performance," he said.  "I think Brett is a real asset on this team... we could have won maybe if there was a little bit more work in the right direction possibly if the other two stepped up... I don't believe we lost because of Brett."


Trump then deliberated his decision with Burnett and fellow advisor George Ross, however Blagojevich's decision clearly frustrated him.

"Tough guy.  He's like a piece of steel, won't change his mind," Trump said.  "Put's himself at a great disadvantage."

After completing his deliberations, Trump made it clear that he felt Blagojevich made a mistake.

"Governor, I have great respect for you.  I have great respect for your tenacity, for the fact that you just don't give up.  But Rod, you're fired," Trump said.






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