Poker News Daily: Does being called a whore and a pit viper bother you?
Duke: I’ve watched all of these shows. I can see where people might develop a bad opinion of me. I understand that people think I called Brande Roderick an idiot, but I didn’t. If you believe that, then I look like an asshole. I understand that people think I’m too aggressive or too in your face. This is the first time I watched the show and asked myself how someone could possibly have had a bad opinion of me. It took 10 challenges for me to feel that way.
PND: Melissa Rivers went on a tirade of epic proportions at the end of the episode. Take us through it.
Duke: She felt like I was throwing her under the bus. However, she threw herself under the bus so beautifully that I didn’t have to say a word. If people are wondering why I had so much to do during the task, but wasn’t under attack in the boardroom, it was because Right Guard said they liked the concept, but not the photography and layout. Those were the only two things I didn’t do. Melissa was in charge of the photography, so it was either Melissa or Brande at fault.
I was clear with Brande that I had a lot of responsibilities. I made it clear to Jim Cramer that I didn’t ask for that much responsibility. Melissa’s main idea for the magazine was that we should profile David Lee’s first date. It’s for SI! No one wants to see that. She’s been deeply personal in the game and has been obnoxious to panel members in the boardroom. She’s jumped across the aisle and thrown her own team under the bus. Melissa was having this weird paranoid fantasy and kept trying to get rid of me. There was nothing I needed to do to push her over the edge. I’m not saying that if I had to, I wouldn’t have tried to set her up, but I didn’t. To win the game, you have to make sure that everyone else gets fired.
PND: Was the barrage of anti-Semitic comments from Joan Rivers troublesome?
Duke: There are things you can trivialize and things you can’t. We’re talking about the slaughter of millions of people based on their race and religion. We saw that happen in Rwanda and Kosovo too. This is a problem that everyone should be sensitive to and it’s still happening today. It shouldn’t be a Jewish thing or a Nazi thing; it should be a human thing. From the very beginning with the “Sophie’s Choice” comment to the Nazi comment at the end of the show, Joan has trivialized the events.
What did I do to deserve that kind of commentary besides not liking her daughter? Donald Trump is still trying to figure that out too. I have a very critical eye of myself. I have never lied and never made any personal attacks. I defended poker players last night. I didn’t lie to anyone. I didn’t cheat. I didn’t conspire. I didn’t bring it down to a personal level.
PND: In the boardroom, you said that Brande was your stronger competition. Is that really the case?
Duke: Both Rivers make the assumption that I’m trying to get rid of Melissa because she is the stronger competition. Let me explain it. We know our team is going to lose, which will leave us with a two people, so we are more likely to lose again. Brande was just Project Manager, so if I’m on a two-man team with Brande, I’ll be Project Manager. Who is more likely to get fired if you lose? The Project Manager! I don’t have a very strong case against Brande and I can’t use the money raising argument. I’m going to be Project Manager, which is bad for me, and Brande is much more likable than I am, which is also bad for me.
Let’s say that I’m on a two-man team with Melissa. She has lost as Project Manager and wants to win, so she will be Project Manager again. She’s weak at fundraising and she’s also less likable. I’d be heads-up against Melissa and she’d be drawing dead. By that time in the game with all of the personal attacks, I incorporated a life equity decision. When I walk away from the show, I need to have my soul intact. There was no question that Brande deserved to be there more. I didn’t want to reward Melissa’s crap.
PND: Talk about Joan Rivers rushing off the show. Do you think she will be back next week?
Duke: At the time, I didn’t think about whether she was coming back as opposed to her decision to leave in the first place. It feels like it’s a lose-lose. Let’s say that she threatens to quit, walks off, and never comes back. It’s bad for Joan because it shows her to be unprofessional and it’s bad for Melissa because she should be able to fight her own battles. Let’s say Joan walks off, but returns. Now, she looks like she was being a drama queen. We all know Trump’s mantra is that you don’t quit. Tionne Watkins got fired this season for volunteering to support her Project Manager in the boardroom.
PND: Amid the end of show tirade, Joan made the comment that Celebrity Apprentice wasn’t about charity, when in fact that was the main reason you signed up for it. She then insinuated that poker players were members of the mob and were beyond white trash. Were you proud of how you handled the situation?
Duke: I was proud of myself. All I did was defend poker players. They came out and helped raise money, asking nothing in return. Poker players believe in charity. Where were Joan’s friends? She was disparaging my friends and my community, but where was her community in all of it? She had raised somewhere between $25,000 and $40,000. Poker players came out and raised $200,000 for charity. I’m not sure that I was angry at anything she said before that moment. I signed up for the show, signed a release, and knew that I might have to defend myself against attacks like that. The community, however, doesn’t deserve scandalous attacks like the one Joan made.
Hey wayne…why are you defending someone you don’t know?
Annie is an idiot and so are you.
Annie, hope you win! Joan needs a mouth lift as well. Melissa is a chip off the OLD block!
Forget about all the drama! This is my first exposure to the Annie Duke, and she acts, talks and looks like white trash. She has children! Such a fine role model.
I know nothing about poker players; however, like any other profession, I imagine there are good and bad. So the poker playe remarks were lost on me. I will say, though, it is easy to see how Annie could exacerbate the negative impression of the profession.
Now that it is down to Joan Rivers and Annie Duke, come on Joan … kick that witch back into the trash can where she is supposed to be.
Well as far as the OLD age goes, most of us will get old someday, if we are lucky. No one can help what year they were born, but they can help how they act. Joan has more class in her little finger than Annie Duke has in her whole body. Annie is a smart coy player, I give credit where credit is due, but as a person she is a real loser. Melissa did act high schoolish but with those two catty females–Brandi and Annie–I am sure she was so tired of them that she totally lost it. Brandi is only there because of her looks. I was sorry to see Jesse and Clint go. Jesse was really genuine but a little too laid back for the likes of Donald Trump. He was a fish out of water. Clint was a bit bossy and would not listen very well but at least he is not a cold person like Annie is. He is talented and not a little-known like Annie Duke. I have to admit that Melissa looks so fake with all her plastic surgery (such a shame) She would be a very nice looking lady otherwise. Now I figured out why Annie wins all the poker games–the men are scared when she smiles. Her fangs (I mean teeth) are wayyyy scary! Maybe when she gets off the Apprentice she can find herself a dentist because clearly she has never been to one, or if she has, she better get her money back! She is good at that, you know! Go get em Joan!
To all the Annie Duke haters, please explain to me what was so over the line in her actions this season, ITS A GAME YOU PLAY TO WIN, if winning wasnt important then Melissa wouldnt have thrown the fit she did when fired. If winning wasnt important Joan wouldnt have come back the next episode. Annie hasnt done one thing unethical or immoral yet you people take Joans side in calling her and her friends endless names and just blow it off like its nothing. If there is anyone who deserves criticism its Joan for not being able to control her temper, emotions, or mouth; especially since she knows this is for TV.
why should annie duke apologize. what has she done wrong. yes she’s all about herself, her charity, about winning and working hard, but if you don’t like her personally doesn’t mean you have to be an ass about it. it’s a f’n game and you play to win. i think annie is twice the person of joan and melissa rivers and she’s right, the rivers would suck in a poker game. this show isn’t about who can insult who the most, and good on annie for taking the punches and just letting it go. that hatred must be living great inside the bellies of the she-devils, joan and melissa rivers. i called annie duke to win the show and she probably will win it. the whole game is very much like a poker game, and she already knows how that goes so OF COURSE she would do well in a game like the apprentice (even if some of the tasks are out of her comfort zone), and OF COURSE her winning or her being top dog threatens the pie faced rivers duo, but they don’t need to worry because people with commen sense all around the world see right through their bad behaviours. the rivers are not surprising because they have always been like this. i’m decades younger than the rivers duo but have been watching them for years, and although i like to laugh at them, i don’t think they are people i would like to interact with ever, because they are the biggest hypocrites. i can’t imagine that the rivers actually have a life and people make them money. it’s seems stupid to me, and also the pot calling the kettle black…i mean i’m sure joan rivers and melissa have blood on their money too.
Annie Duke is a bully and NOT a team player. In the business world, no matter how good you are, or how good you THINK you are, if you are not a team player, you are out the door!
It is a sad day when someone will ‘win’ at all costs: integrity, character, honesty, loyalty and all those other characteristics most of us hold dear.
Annie Duke is a horrible animal (not even human). Poker is fun to watch because everyone knows it’s a game of lying and manipulation. For the most part, everyone sitting on the table is ready for it.
It’s disgusting when you see Poker professionals apply their science outside the game.
Annie Duke has made one point very clear….NEVER trust a poker player.
Melissa blew it by focusing on the “mean girl” games and not bringing the conversation back to Annie’s failure to deliver (Annie and Brande both put the task on Annie’s shoulders – “Oh, Annie is the QUEEN of…”). Well, the queen lost, and Melissa should have repeated that over and over.
Melissa’s reaction to Annie/Brande’s phoniness – totally fair. Abusing the crew – not so much. Hope she apologized.
Annie is great at game strategy but she’s two-faced and deluded. She has said repeatedly that she has never made a personal attack. She called Joan an asshole ON CAMERA – and that was just one comment. Joan’s Hitler comments have been really out of line – I’ll give her that – but don’t say you’re talking the high road, then call someone an asshole with your next breath.
I hope that Annie’s success in the finale depends on Melissa and other teammates she has screwed. That’s the thing – you can’t just be smart individually; you have to be able to work with the group. She’s not so good at that. Poker’s not a team sport.
Final thought – I think the poker playing community has shown itself to be generous and cool. God Bless!
I cannot believe the morons posting here saying Annie has “no character”, etc. Annie has been a FABULOUS Apprentice player. Annie Duke is NOT a “disgusting person”. Joan and Melissa Rivers are a disgusting person and a little baby, in that order. I used to admire Joan Rivers, but to compare Annie to Hitler was more than offensive to me. My relatives were murdered by Hitler. How DARE that woman! THAT makes Joan Rivers a despicable person. Perhaps Joan is losing her faculties, I don’t know — can there be ANY excuse for the things Joan has said??? Annie has not personally attacked ANYONE. Her integrity is intact. Joan has attacked her from the get – go. Melissa is a paranoid 2 year old. Annie did nothing to her except not like her. Joan knows nothing about the poker community. She insults the very people who Trump NEEDS to patronize his casinos!! I hope Rivers never works in Vegas or Atlantic City ever again. You go, Annie. I think Trump set the fix from the beginning for Joan to win, but I hope I’m wrong and I hope you and your charity win.
Let me start off by saying that I absolutely love Annie Duke. She’s smart as hell, FILLED with character (in a very good sense), attractive, and has the ability to adapt to any situation and come out on top. I’m certain Trump knew she would be the winner half way through the competition. Joan does not stand a chance unless Annie does something outrageous that forced Trump to declare Rivers the winner, but he would have to be literally forced to do it. I can see how Annie could be disliked by many that feel threatened by her, are jealous of her, or are simply overwhelmed by her dominant personality; weaker, insecure people specifically. but at the very least they’d have to admit she made this competition hers, and made it look easy. Now that’s pretty impressive considering what she was up against.
Nah mako, there’s not much to be jealous of when it comes to Annie Duke. She’s a self absorbed immature brat. I don’t know many people who would want to know her or be around her.
I am a female, and do not personally know Annie Duke, but have watched her play poker on t.v.
Who the heck cares what your profession is, if it’s legal and not hurting anyone?
If I were poor and needed help, I could care less if my next meal came from a poker player or a grave digger.
Joan needs to get off her high horse and stop bashing people who are so called “beneath”her.
I feel as if Joan Rivers made a complete fool out of herself and if anyone was self absorbed, rude, obnoxious and interuptive, it was she.
Unfortunately, the last challege is what did Annie in…Splitting it up into 1/5 of this and 1/5 of that, was the ONLY reason she lost, and it’s too bad that was announced ahead of time, because Trump had NO choice but to choose Joan at that point.
If Joan hadn’t of been SO RUDE to the party planners, then Annie would have had the time she needed to plan much better.
I cannot even believe that Donald Trump let Joan back into the game after she walked out in a tirade.
Melissa is old enough to fight her own battles, and maybe if she smiled once in awhile, people would like her better. Get off from mommy’s apron strings, and act like a woman and not a child…Temper, temper temper..Not too becoming.
All in all, Annie Duke did a wonderful job, and she’s the kind of woman I would like working for me.
Good Luck Annie..You did a great job. What goes around comes around and you really know who your friends are.
Annie is a gamer and a good one. She knew exactly what to do to get into the finals, but as a team players she sucks. I would never want to work with or for her. She does not know how to work with others, I guess that is why she plays poker. I don’t think she deserved the names that Joan and Melissa called her. However Joan is a comedian and I am sure they were just exaggerations of anger expressions she didn’t mean them to be taken literally. I liked Joan’s charity better, we have enough refugees in America and we can take care of Americans and we need to help our country out more than another right now. I am glad Joan won. I just want to say that Annie was more professional in the Board room, Joan kept interrupting all the time, which I thought was unprofessional.
Annie Duke was so full of herself it was always how she won the task not her team. Joan Rivers has been around along time. Annie who belittled her like she did was just unbeleivable. Did she ever learn to respect her elders growing up. I would never trust a person like her ever. Congratulations Joan you were truly the better person in this and I have always admired you. Annie Duke needs to learn from you and maybe she might be a better person but I highly doubt it.
I guess we all make good points for each of these women, but didn’t anyone hear all the nasty things Joan said over and over in the boardroom?
Each of us is entitled to our own opinions but whether it was Annie Duke or someone else, Joan had absolutely NO class in the way she talked to any of these people.
I can understand respecting our elders, but this was a game, not a regular scenario and Joan was no better than a ranting lunatic most of the time.
Just because she was the “elder” doesn’t give her the right to speak to anyone like she did. I guess it doesn’t matter how many plastic surgeries we have to make the “outside” look good, when the inside is what counts the most. Too bad her plastic surgeon couldn’t fix the inside.
Joan is such an idiot and so is Trump. You can’t tell the show was set up for Joan
to win and she really still didn’t. Kodak liked the charity in the picture frame. Annie won that also, just the Donald couldn’t handle letting the 75 year old bitch down with her breast feeding daughter. Rather strike down the poker people.
I am so tired of watching Donald kiss celebrity butt. Annie is a smart girl and would be a welcome addition to any office. I truly enjoyed her! Joan and her daughter are spoiled brats.
As far as I can see, Joan didn’t like Annie much from day one, comparing her technique and people skills to those of mussolini. Later she recanted and said no she was more like Hitler and also very manipulative (ie GOOD people skills all of a sudden, just badly used). Inbetween those two times, she sat down to dinner with this mussolini and tried to form an alliance with her to get rid of Brande in order to bolster her sad, codependent child’s chances. Mummy making sure Melissa gets what she doesn’t deserve yet again.
Annie’s big crime was to speak to Brande about her performance and get her moving again instead of sneakily doing what Joan wanted, and then, knowing that Melissa had performed well in the task, go the boardroom sure that neither Melissa nor Brande would be fired – and in fact, neither of them were. SO, in other words, because Joan’s underhand behind the scenes plan to remove obstacle Brande failed, Annie is underhanded and the lowest of the low. Weird.
Then, when Brande and Annie are understandably reluctant to be best buds with Melissa after all the flack they copped, somehow it’s because they are mean and nasty and has nothing to do with how Melissa and Joan were acting. Again, weird.
Those two simply do not live in the real world and while I can see how Annie may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I can’t see how a woman who could ruin her daughter like that and call it love is considered to have so much heart.
Did Joan screw Steven Tyler of Aerosmith? That’s what Melissa looks like. And Joan’s mouth had so much plastic surgery that she looks like Howdy Doody…..
It was a sweet victory for Joan………..Annie is a louse.
Jesus, is this the mentality of America? u support a pair of absolute retards like the rivers and find fault in Duke’s behaviour?
Anyone that follows the original series, as this is supposed to do, but with Celebs and the main aim supposedly to raise money for charity, can clearly see there was only one possible winner.
But in a badly fixed and obvious, from episode 6, final pair, clearly arranged to try and match the previous Good Vs Bad end game, all i can say is …. loads!
it didn’t even come close to the previous contest, the rivers …. spoilt brats, i have always liked Joan Rivers, never again will i watch the hag!! as for her daughter, it was said in one episode, she’s only working cos of her mum! how true!!!
How the Fu@k did the fake celebs class as celebs? what a tacky party Rivers laid on for such a supposedly classy and large monetary final event, if that had been laid on in a normal Apprentice competition, i think DT would have had the PM shot never mind fired!
the whole game after ep 6 was a disgrace to TV, and an insult to the American views whom it is clearly intended for!
if thats the best DT can produce, it don’t say much for the rest of US TV or there respect for there viewers
An Annie Duke is Hot! lol I can’t believe she didn’t win,
Watching this show and reading people’s reactions explain everything to me about America today. You have Republicans and you have Democrats, just like you have the Rivers and you have Duke.
I guess those who love Republicans are those who like to reward bad behaviors and childless behaviors like the Rivers. What more can you say?
Just finished watching this episode. A little late, I know… From what I’ve seen, both Joan and Melissa really started hating Brande early on and wanted to use Annie as a tool against Brande. Annie didn’t allow this to happen and so all the venom was directed at her instead.
It’s the typical tale of the dog-faced girls hating the pretty blonde. Instead of being obvious about their dislike (or jealousies) for Brande, they went after Annie instead. Joan herself said it constantly with her BS. She called Annie every name in the book for one reason only… she didn’t throw Brande under the bus.
Donald was right in getting rid of Melissa and he shouldn’t have allowed Joan to return. The favoritism on the show is the kind of thing that makes me lose all respect for the show and the Trump family.