The New Celebrity Apprentice has been making bad “termination” calls all season. Why am I surprised that they fired Brooke Burke-Charvet? It was just one more lousy decision.

They must think that because Boy George is so much more famous than Brooke, he will garner more viewers. But I doubt it.  Brook and Matt Iseman, however, would have been a great match. A game we’d watch breathlessly. And I don’t make this claim simply because I’ve had the honor of working with them. It’s because they were clearly the top two players. Brooke and Matt would have made it a real contest.

Perhaps if The New Celebrity Apprentice based their selections in reality — like choosing those who honestly did the best job at the tasks — their ratings would have been higher from the get-go. Instead, they broke my trust time and time again. They fired capable, entertaining contestants like Carnie Wilson without provocation and kept others, I imagine, because they thought their audience found them entertaining. But this is The Celebrity Apprentice. Not Who Has The Funniest Relationship With Their Dog. They simply didn’t tell stories I could buy.

This particular episode advertised Jessica Alba’s Honest Company. How ironic, in that the producers of the show apparently don’t value honesty at all. #TheGovernator illustrated that a few episodes ago when he said, “I will not tolerate cheaters in my boardroom.” This from the guy who admits to cheating on his wife, among others, for at least a decade.

Brooke? You won. You may not get more money for your charity, but you won in other ways. Matt? If you didn’t win (don’t tell me; I haven’t finished it yet), don’t worry. You too have already won. You both won the hearts of everyone who watched you on the show. You won our trust. You showed us how to compete while concurrently taking care of your relationship, Brooke; Matt, you showed us how to be on a team. You both illustrated how to be strong and compassionate at the same time. You taught us how to lead while being kind. Neither of you need their title.

While my fingers are crossed for my clients who are up for Academy Awards tonight, I hope, if they don’t win, they remember the one great thing The Governator said before he “terminated” Brooke: “You are not a loser.”

Octavia? Trevante? Glenn? And all the rest of you amazing, hardworking, talented, brilliant, sensitive, actors who have given up everything in order to get to help tell stories that might possibly change lives? Those at tonight’s awards and those watching at home? Please remember that tonight’s show is just that – a show. Just like The Celebrity Apprentice is a show.  It is not real.  It is not The Truth of Anyone’s Worth. It is not The Measure of How Much Anyone Matters. You are ALREADY WORTHY. YOU ALREADY MATTER. You have ALREADY WON! You are following your dreams, you are fighting the good fight, you have day jobs, night jobs and you cater all weekend. (Probaby at The Governor’s Ball tonight!) You are in the game. You did NOT stay home and hide. You are a PLAY-UH. You cannot let The Celebrity Apprentice or The Academy Awards or booking that pilot, that recur, that guest star or getting that callback measure your worth.  Your worth exists no matter what The Governator, The Academy, casting directors, producers, studios, networks – or I – say.

Can you get there? Can you know your worth WITHOUT the award to commemorate it? Can you recognize your greatness even if someone else wins? Can you see that winning on the world-stage involves many factors, most of which are totally out of your control? And can you know that you are a winner anyway? And can you focus on what is in your control instead of everything else?  Because I think that will save you.

If you watch the show tonight, enjoy the dresses, the hair and the make-up. Enjoy the music and the gossip and have a good time.  But remember that everyone up there is already a winner.  And so are you. With or without a statue.

Besides, what IS winning?  Is it a gold statue?  Or is it being a great parent? A great spouse? A great friend? A great co-worker. I think Matt & Brooke should win because I know them to reallllllly be those things. Brooke is a phenomenal mom.  And no one is more supportive of everyone in the world than Matt.  Really winning is being a really great person. Are you one of those? Then you are already a winner.

Sure, it’s also great to win awards, to garner the respect and power that comes with fame and notoriety and the acclaim of the Academy, but as both Brooke Burke and Matt Iseman have said repeatedly on the show, it’s really just about working hard. If you work hard — and if your heart is in the right place — you’ve already won. You’ve won your own esteem. And in the end – that’s what has to matter above everything else. Because it’s the only thing you control.

It’s great to have the love of the world.  We all want it. But we also have to be able to look within and see the “honest” truth. Not everyone gets to win on the world stage. Some of us get to win privately. Every day.

So please. Before tonight’s show commences, look inside of yourself and see that you have already won. Somebody handing you a statue or giving you an award or a role doesn’t make that any truer.  Then get up tomorrow morning and start fighting all over again.

All my love,
Lester

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