When the competition was down to the final four we covered all the reasons why “American Ninja Warrior” host Matt Iseman (3/1 odds to win) should be the next “Celebrity Apprentice.” After contributing to a team loss in the final task, he barely made it into the finals where he’s competing head-to-head against music legend Boy George (8/11 odds to win). In that task Matt showed his vulnerabilities as a potential winner while George showed his greatest strengths. With that in mind it’s time we take a closer look at all the reasons why George is, in his own right, a huge threat to win tonight’s finale.
Sign up to get Gold Derby’s free newsletter
with experts’ latest predictions and breaking news
George’s season began on as big of a high as it could have — he led a men’s team to a win on a task to showcase and demonstrate a line of makeup for Tyra Banks Cosmetics. As one of the biggest names on the show, George capitalized the celebrity status of his team while also using his own personal experience with makeup and style to his advantage. In many ways the application of experience and celebrity to raise money for charity is what the challenge of “Celebrity Apprentice” has always been and no one has been better at that than George.
As a musician, George’s greatest asset is his creativity, something he’s been able to put to use multiple times while creating original songs for a number of the brands. He contributed music to four tasks, three of which his team won. We’ve already seen that in the final task he’s creating yet another original tune, though the latest episode ended with a fit of drama due to George clashing with the producer-chosen keyboardist working with him. The song, if finished, will be used in his team’s required 15-minute variety show to promote Carnival cruises, giving George a significant advantage over Team Matt.
The other area George holds an advantage, at least on paper, over Matt is in fundraising. For the See’s Candies task in Episode 3, teams were asked to solicit donations from their wealthy friends and though he wasn’t project manager, George managed to raise the most money on either team while Matt was on the lower end. In the final challenge George and Matt will compete again, in part, on how much money they can bring in to support their charities. While this is only a portion of what Arnold Schwarzenegger will evaluate them, in seasons past it’s been a significant factor in deciding the winner.
One of the things that will help George bring in donations is his ability to have big named friends come to and/or perform at his event. Matt has previously admitted to being one of the least known celebrities on the cast so his rolodex of friends to call in favors with may be small.
Join the live ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ debate going on right now in our world-famous forums
In all, George has brought a ton of star power to this season, something that has always impressed former judges of the competition. Whether Arnold is as impressed by this quality will be determined when the final episode airs on NBC tonight at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET. Get a closer look at the Season 8 contestants by clicking through our cast photo gallery.
