Everyone gets a third or fourth chance

Once you’ve had a taste of stardom you want more, more, more. Fortunately for us “regular” people, we are willing to give a celebrity three or four chances.

Fame is addicting. When you’re at the top of your game, we love you. When your game is over, we briefly forget about you until you have a scandal or some opportunity to be on a reality show. Usually it’s because you are in rehab, have a crazy family or just that you want to be followed around by a camera to prove you are still relevant.

There is no better show to launch a comeback than Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice. The season wrapped up on Sunday and this is the first time in a few years I wasn’t in New York City for the finale (I was terribly sick at home) but it is fascinating to see has-beens walking the red carpet and I feel like I am in a time warp.

Every year Trump brings on people you loved back in the day but, well, forgot about until today. And the exposure on the show suddenly catapults the one-time celeb back into the spotlight and usually reignites their career.

This season was no different. Days before the finale I chatted with (former) pop stars Debbie Gibson, and runner-up on both American Idol and Celebrity Apprentice Clay Aiken. In recent years both singers had been noticeably absent from the stage so a reality show seemed easiest to be seen again, I suppose.

I asked Gibson her thoughts about TV editing and if the nastiness of competitive D-list celebrities was worth going on the show, and she said it gave her a venue to put herself out there and raise awareness about upcoming music and touring.

So no matter how shameful and hurtful or embarrassing the experience might have been it will help be famous again… at least for the next few months.

With the emphasis put on raising money for charity is that actually the reason for going on the show? Really? You are really devoting this much of your out-of-work time to helping others and not yourself? Come on. Are you really that much of a saint?

You can hear my chats with Clay and Debbie at www.speakfreecelebwatch.com.