Justifying Bad TV

I never watched Celebrity Apprentice because of Trump.

I watched out of curiosity. The first season I tuned in had La Toya Jackson, Meat Loaf and Gary Busey on it. I mean, I kind of had to watch.

I find people fascinating but generally not of 'reality' tv people. I'm not a Housewives of Some Big City fan and I don't watch any of the Survivor-type shows. I used to watch American Idol but I could only tell you a handful of the winner's names.

No, I like the shows that are most about the before and after. I LOVED Trading Spaces with the neighbors decorating neighbors' houses.  I like Treehouse Masters with the host that's punny and the after shots of gorgeous tree houses. I also like the make-up/costume creation show Face Off and the classic Top Chef to watch people make amazing things out of food. I like to see how the competitors can take similar ingredients or materials and interpret them with their own unique style. Project Runway is another favorite for that reason. Also, Tim Gunn is a fantastic human.

Celebrity Apprentice's premise is basically not-as-popular-as-they-used-to-be celebrities making money for charity. They have tasks assigned to them that usually involve marketing or promoting of a brand and whichever team impresses the executives the most wins. It's dumb. But it's surprisingly intriguing and for me it's not because it's fascinating watching celebrities, it's fascinating watching them be people.

The whole season La Toya didn't try to read anyone's aura, Meat Loaf looked more like your middle aged neighbor than a rock star and Gary is clearly just a man who suffered a brain injury.

But because they are celebrities, they know how to be a famous and on camera so it's rare to get a peek behind the veil.  When someone gets mad or emotional about the task, that's when the true personality usually comes out. It's not the most watchable when the 'drama' starts or the name calling gets colorful. It's all about the moment you catch a glimpse of who these people really are.

My favorite 'whoa, you're a dick' celebrity moment was with Lou Ferrigno. He was the HULK for crying out loud, beloved by many. I couldn't wait to see what kind of person he was.

As the show aired, I learned one of the charities he works with is National Center for Lost and Exploited Children and I was intrigued. But then I watched him be the first to throw someone under the bus and play the 'deaf card' to get out of an uncomfortable task. He was bossy and rude and I was so disappointed! Dennis Rodham had more class than the Hulk.

The show went off the air for awhile. Trump focused on making America great and I decided I could never watch again. I truly find Trump's existence terrifying and the ugliness of him fully outweighed my morbid curiosity of celebrities.

But the show is back now and this time-no Trump. Instead, the new host is Arnold Schwarzenegger, or 'the Governor'. His catch phrase replaced Trump's 'You're fired!' with 'You've been terminated.'  I laughed so hard I nearly peed my pants because it's just so frivolous.

But who cares? How is it worse than watching 22 men run into each other while they chase pigskin on AstroTurf? Or watching dragons and scantily clad blondes battle for a chair made of pointy things?

Besides, I like seeing my old idols like Boy George say things like, "I'm a very creative person," in his beautiful accent. Or to learn that Snooki is nothing like the person that I remember seeing from Jersey Shore ads. (And only ads because that's where I draw the line). She's actually a bit insecure and soft spoken until she drops the f-bomb. Also, La Toya is a badass.

Shows like this remind me that we're ALL just people. Some of us have lifestyles that wreak havoc on our bodies or our minds. Some of us grow up with privilege and money others only dream of. Some of us have to work our asses off to get anywhere. But we are all capable of showing emotion and making mistakes and feeling vulnerable and saying things we shouldn't.

We are all human and it's something to celebrate.