'Survivor' winners

Survivor' winners Where are they now?

'Survivor' winners. They outwitted, outlasted and outplayed and won the grand prize. With the upcoming season finale this Sunday of "Survivor: Redemption Island", we see what past season winners have been up to while off the island with their winnings. 

Richard Hatch
When: Season 1, Borneo 
Then: Worked as a corporate trainer in Newport, R.I.
Now: Has been battling the federal government concerning his winnings and was recently handed down a heavy ruling

Tina Wesson
When: Season 2, Outback
Then: The Tennessee native, wife and mother of two was working in the health care field.
Now: She was the oldest female to win the competition. She wrote a book about life's challenges and is an accomplished racquetball player

Ethan Zohn
When: Season 3, Africa 
Then: After graduating from college, he became a professional soccer player in an African country and played for a Massachusetts team and a Hawaiian team.
Now: Has been battling a deadly disease, with recent good news, and started a nonprofit soccer organization.

Vecepia Towery
When: Season 4, Marquesas
Then: The Northwest native  was the first frican-American contestant to win.
Now: Had a baby and was featured on a TLC documentary show 

Brian Heidik
When: Season 5, Thailand
Then: Worked as a soft-core porn star with his wife and played football in college 
Now: Was arrested in 2006 after his wife called police because he allegedly shot a family pet with an arrow.

Jenna Morasca
When: Season 6, Amazon 
Then: Was a college student, worked as a swimsuit model and in professional wrestling.

Now: Did a pictorial for this racy magazine, dated another "Survivor" winner and they appeared in another reality series

Sandra Diaz-Twine
When: Season 7, Pearl Islands. Season 20, "Survivor: Heroes & Villains" in Samoa 
Then: The wife and mother of two children worked as an office assistant in this Southern town.
Now: The two-time winner lives in Fayetteville, N.C., and works as a bank teller

Amber Brkich
When: Season 8, "Survivor: All-Stars" in Pearl Islands, Panama 
Then: Was a contestant on "Survivor: Outback", posed for this male magazine and married a fellow contestant. 
Now: She and her husband appeared on a racing reality show and have two children.

Chris Daugherty
When: Season 9, Vanuatu 
Then: Worked as a heavy equipment operator in his home state.
Now: Married his girlfriend at this unlikely place and landed in hot water with his employer in connection with a "Survivor" event.

Tom Westman
When: Season 10, Palau, Brazil 
Then: The New York City native and father worked in a dangerous but revered profession for more than 20 years.
Now: Quit his job in 2005 to focus on being a motivational speaker and returned for "Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains." Is he considered a hero or villain?

Danni Boatwright
When: Season 11, Guatemala  
Then: Was a beauty queen, competed in a national pageant and finished as first runner-up to a famous actress.
Now: Married to a football player for the Kansas City Chiefs and works in sports broadcasting for this local channel

Aras Baskauskas
When: Season 12, Panama
Then: Played NCAA basketball for a California school and lived in South Africa to study a disciplinary exercise. 
Now: Founded and owns a winter hat company and is a yoga instructor in Santa Monica, Calif. 

Yul Kwon
When: Season 13, Cook Islands 
Then: He attended a prestigious California school, finished law school at another Ivy league school and was an aide for a prominent senator.
Now: In 2009 was appointed to a government post and married his girlfriend; the wedding aired on the TV Guide channel

Earl Cole
When: Season 14, Fiji 
Then: The former California advertising executive was on a first date when asked by a casting director if he and his date would like to appear on a reality show. Two days later, he was offered the opportunity to be a contestant on "Survivor."
Now: Was married in 2007; the wedding was featured on the Style Network

Todd Herzog
When: Season 15, China 
Then: The openly gay contestant had a high-flying job and grew up in this Utah-based religious group. 
Now: Stated in 2009 that he is dating another contestant and had to renounce his citizenship to collect his winnings 

Parvati Shallow
When: Season 16; Micronesia 
Then: Was a competitor in the female version of a male-dominated sport and competed in "Survivor: Cook Islands" before her winning season.
Now: Appeared in a surfing movie with a fellow contestant and competed on "Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains."

Robert Crowley
When: Season 17, Gabon 
Then: The father of two was a high school teacher and lived in "the Pine Tree State."
Now: As the oldest "Survivor" winner, he retired from teaching and has written his autobiography

James "J.T." Thomas Jr.
When: Season 18, Tocantins 
Then: This Southerner worked and operated a ranch and graduated from Troy University.
Now: He returned to ranching, appeared on "Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains" and was among those on a sexy list. 

Natalie White
When: Season 19, Samoa 
Then: Originally from "the Natural State," White worked in sales 
Now: She resides in her home state and maintains that she and the second-place finalist are "friends."

Jud Birza
When: Season 22, Nicaragua 
Then: The California native was using his good looks for work and did work for a preppy clothing company. He was the youngest winner of the show, at 21.
Now: He was arrested this year on a drug charge after illegally skateboarding in Santa Monica, Calif., and appeared in a straight-to-DVD homoerotic horror movie.

The Celebrity Apprentice: Richard Hatch Fired Weeks After Shoving David Cassidy While Meatloaf Fights With Gary Busey

I'd not watched a single second of any of the previous editions of The Celebrity Apprentice. The whole Donald Trump Apprentice thing had seemed to have worn out its welcome with me.

But then I read what an amusing trainwreck mess David Cassidy was on the premiere episode of latest season of The Celebrity Apprentice.

So, I watched it on-line. And then set my DVR to record the series.

David Cassidy did not disappoint as Trainwreck TV. He's such a teeny guy. Big, mean, ol' Richard Hatch of tax evasion Survivor fame shoved little David around. Or so David thought.

On the latest episode of The Celebrity Apprentice it was the aforementioned Richard Hatch who Trump fired. Due to Hatch's inability to raise much money at a charity gallery auction type challenge. He did not have the connections the other "celebrities" had.

Gary Busey is a walking nutcase. He can be funny. But a nutcase. Donald Trump thinks Gary Busey is a genius. This makes me question Donald Trump's judgement in personnel matters.

Meatloaf is another bit of a nutcase. This week Meatloaf could take not one minute more of Gary Busey. And so Meatloaf had a ranting temper tantrum because he thought Busey took his art materials. He hadn't. Meatloaf's bag of goodies was later found, after screaming at Gary.

On the female side, we learned Dionne Warwick is a piece of work. She got fired last week.

One of the reasons I thought Celebrity Apprentice might be amusing is because NeNe Leakes of Real Housewives of Atlanta fame in one of the Celebrity Apprentices.  In the last season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta Housewives, NeNe went from previously being a fan favorite to the show's villian, ala Jill Zarin's fall from favor on The Real Housewives of New York City.

So, who walks in to the women's gallery? Jill Zarin. I think she spent $5,000 on something NeNe made.

Jose Canseco left this week due to a supposed family emergency. Jose was really really lazy.

After the women beat the guy's in the amount of money raised, making almost a million bucks, Trump asked them to consider him not firing one of the men, due to Jose leaving, and due to the fact that both teams raised the most money in Apprentice history.

The women wanted a man fired. And so Hatch was.

So far, Mark McGrath seems like the most normal, sane, celebrity of the celebrity apprentices.

This show runs for 2 hours. This makes for, what seems to me, a lot of padding. Which causes me to use the FF button. Like in the Boardroom, Trump did a forensic exam of the fight between Meatloaf and Gary.

Donald Trump, J.R. seems to be a bit of an odd duck, to me. I don't quite know why.

I did not understand the part in the Boardroom, before it was announced who raised the most money, where Trump gave the teams the chance to decide that whoever was the losing team, got to keep the money they raised. So, what happened to the money they raised if both teams had not agreed to let the losing team keep what they raised?  Did the winning team then get the money? I was confused.

I don't know if I'll watch this show to its end. I'll keep watching as long as it amuses me.