This Sunday marks the stirring conclusion to the second season of NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice, pitting Ultimate Bet pro Annie Duke against comedian Joan Rivers. Working alongside Duke is Phil Hellmuth, an 11-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and subject of controversy over his near-appearance during an episode this season. Hellmuth sat down with Poker News Daily to weigh in on Duke’s chances against the comedy icon.
Poker News Daily: How exciting is it that Annie Duke is in the finals of Season 2 of Celebrity Apprentice?
Hellmuth: Annie is the favorite right now and it’s pretty nice to see. It’s not just that, either. She’s just completely kicked ass. Right now, she’s the runaway winner. Jesse James was a great player and a worthy contender for the final two. He fell when he got too personal with Clint Black. He also fell because he didn’t want to use all of his resources to win. Obviously, he knows a lot of movie stars other than his wife (Sandra Bullock). Obviously, he must know some billionaires.
PND: Tell us how you feel about the Joan Rivers versus Annie Duke feud so far? It makes you and Annie look like a cakewalk.
Hellmuth: Annie and I have had our own show and we disagree, but I’ve tried to stay away from personal attacks and if there were personal attacks, they were minor. Joan Rivers is getting a bye because she’s 75 years old and everyone knows she doesn’t mean that Annie is as bad as Hitler, but to even bring that up is bad. Joan has gone way too far. She’s gotten to Annie, which is bad, but Annie has not given her any satisfaction by responding in the public arena. Annie has sat back, put on her poker face, and smiled.
PND: Does Annie Duke deserve to win Celebrity Apprentice?
Hellmuth: She’s the one who talks to the owners of these companies during challenges. She’s the one who designs the ad campaigns. She’s the one who writes the copy. She takes control of every piece of the puzzle. Joan Rivers has been sitting back. If Jesse James had said, “I’ll bring Sandra in” during the final boardroom, he’d be up against Annie. The game is about being able to be big on business, which is an argument why Jesse should be in the final two. However, it’s also about raising money. Jesse only brought one of those two to the table.
PND: Have you ever been approached by Celebrity Apprentice producers to appear? Would you consider going on if asked?
Hellmuth: I might. The world would see a whole different side of me. The poker world knows who I am. The people who hang out with me, even if it’s just for a night, know who I am. The rest of the world is confused. If I were on that show, kicked ass, and got along with people, then depending on the lineup of celebrities, I’d make it down to the final two or three. And who knows, maybe Annie is better at business than I am. Her brother, Howard Lederer, certainly is.
PND: If you were on Celebrity Apprentice, what charity would you support and why?
Hellmuth: It would be something children-related. I don’t like that there are homeless children on the streets. Whether you think it’s the parents’ fault or not is debatable, but it’s certainly not the child’s fault.
PND: Did Joan Rivers calling poker players “trash” offend you?
Hellmuth: I was not offended personally. There is a portion of society that takes what Joan Rivers says like it actually matters. This is the same woman who called Annie worse than Hitler and called all poker players scum. I still like Joan, to be honest, but she’s completely out of line. She is the kind of person that can blast you one minute and come back and shake your hand the next minute. Sometimes I’m guilty like that too. However, I blast how people play and then shake their hand on a personal level.
PND: Professional golfer and Celebrity Apprentice candidate Natalie Gulbis called you asking you to bid against Annie in a fundraising challenge this season. What went through your mind when you got the call?
Hellmuth: It took me a while to figure out that it was related to Celebrity Apprentice. Once I understood, I knew it would mean going against Annie, so of course I was going to call her and let her know. I was Annie’s ace in the hole. If Natalie would have called other players, she might have found someone who would do it. I’m actually going to appear on the Celebrity Apprentice finale, but I’m thinking about whether to fly to New York. It’s a three hour finale and they’ve already shot the first hour. During that time, they’re going to show me on it and I’ll probably get a five or ten second thing because it’s about the contestants.
PND: Do you feel that Celebrity Apprentice has, overall, cast a positive or negative light on the poker community?
Hellmuth: Annie has totally kicked ass. You have to give her credit, but they could have cast poker players in a much better light. It’s been too much about the game play.
