One of my guilty pleasures is watching "Celebrity Apprentice." I'm a sworn hater of reality TV, but watching non-business people trying to work in the corporate world is an interesting lesson in communications, marketing, sales and customer service.
This season's "Celebrity Apprentice" contains folks like Clint Black, Scott Hamilton, Joan Rivers, Dennis Rodman, Andrew Dice Clay and a bunch of others. In the episode I caught last night, Dennis Rodman was the project manager for a challenge whereby the two teams had to provide customer service for a luxury hotel in NYC.
I've never been a follower of the NBA, but even if you're like me, you've had to have become familiar with Dennis Rodman over the last decade or so. Once one of the most talented players for the Chicago Bulls, Rodman made his mark on the sport not so much by his playing abilities, but by his appearance and behavior: facial piercings, tattoos, multi-colored dyed hair. Plus, he was known for his extreme temper and attention-seeking antics. He's one of the only professional athletes who would show up in Times Square wearing a full bride's gown and veil, then turn around and watch clips of him kicking a cameraman right square in the crotch.
This kind of personality on "Celebrity Apprentice" was sure to be a train wreck... and with this hotel's customer service being placed in the hands of Rodman, we got to witness some extremes.
What I didn't expect to see turned out to be, well, just sad. Rodman's teammates (Clint Black, Hershel Walker, Jesse James, etc.) were totally behind him when the task began. Rodman really tried to make a go of it by helping guests, bending over backwards to be courteous, going the extra mile for customers.
Then, his demons came out. And by that, I mean he started drinking.
From the time he got his first drink, the whole thing went downhill. He not only became more belligerent and loud and hateful, but at one point, he simply disappeared. Without warning, he left his post, went to dinner and came back hours later... more drunk.
When Donald Trump took all the players into the board room, it turned from a firing process to an intervention on Dennis Rodman. Major, MAJOR props to Jesse James for having the guts to stand up to Rodman, point out how his alcohol use is out of control and do it in the most loving and supportive manner possible. Reason being? James has been down that road of addiction and abuse... and he's been clean for nearly a decade. His handling of the Rodman situation was nothing short of impressive.
As the board room episode moved on, the mood became less about the challenges and winning... and more about showing Rodman that he needs help. Tears were shed because, simply put, it's just so sad to see someone in the throes of alcoholism.
The very most impressive thing, though, was a subtle PSA as the show ended: the contact info for Alcoholics Anonymous.
We all hope that if viewers saw themselves in Rodman, they'll get help... and we hope Dennis Rodman will, too.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment