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American supermarket tabloid the Globe reports in its new issue that the finale of reality TV show "Celebrity Apprentice" may have been fixed.
And it credits the story to poker news and information website PokerHelper.com.
Comic Joan Rivers beat poker player Annie Duke in the show's finale earlier this month, earning the title of Donald Trump's celebrity apprentice, despite Duke outplaying Rivers almost every week on the show.
PokerHelper.com reported exclusively after the finale aired that the show may have been fixed because not only are Trump and Rivers longtime friends, but the charity Rivers was playing for had a Trump relative-Donald's sister-in-law, Blaine Trump-on its board of directors.
On page 15 of the new issue of the Globe, dated June 1, 2009, in an article headlined "Apprentice Was Rigged," the article quotes from PokerHelper.com's original report on the controversy: "Blaine is affiliated with the charity that Rivers was playing for on the show, notes PokerHelper.com...It's a conflict of interest of massive proportions. The taint is so staining, it eliminates any logical consideration that the finale was fair. The fix was definitely in."
The 2009 season of "Celebrity Apprentice" premiered in February with 16 celebrities, including Duke and Rivers, from the worlds of gambling, sports, entertainment and porn.
Every week on the show, the celebs would compete against each other in various tasks, with each show ending with one or more celebs kicked off the program for ineptitude by the show's host, billionaire Donald Trump.
The final show had the two remaining celebs-Duke and Rivers-squaring off, with the winner becoming Trump's apprentice and earning money for a charity she represented.
Duke's charity was Refugees International, which raise funds for refugees in Darfur and elsewhere. Rivers' charity was God's Love We Deliver, which delivers free hot meals to shut-ins with AIDS, cancer and other serious illnesses.
Donald Trump's longtime sister-in-law, Blaine Trump, who is married to Donald's brother, Robert, is on the board of directors of God's Love We Deliver, according to the charity's website.
Thomas Somach, www.pokerhelper.com
