In a Celebrity Apprentice shocker on Sunday April 11, 2010, Michael Johnson sat down with Donald Trump near the end of the segment and announced that he was heading back to the west coast to be with his son Sebastian Johnson.
Trump asked the Olympic track champion for more information but there was none forthcoming. Michael alluded that he would know more about the situation after he arrived back in San Rafael, California where he lives with his 10-year-old son.
Johnson admitted that he hated to quit but felt compelled to be near his child. Trump wished him well.
In an interview last year, the 41-year-old, who splits his time between Plano, Texas and a home near his son said that he knows Sebastian will always be watched closely to see if he shows the swiftness of his father. “He’s going to be whatever it is that he wants. It’s my job as a parent to expose him to as many different things in sports and art and music and education as I possibly can.”
Ironically, throughout the entire segment, contestant Bret Michaels looked like he might have to bail because his daughter Raine, 10, had symptoms indicating she had inherited juvenile diabetes – a condition that also struck the singer when he was a child. He injects himself with insulin four times a day and was very emotional over the prospect of his child having to go through life with the condition. He vowed that if he needed to, he would quit the show to be with her. Stay tuned…he could be the next celeb to walk.
Supermodel Selita Ebanks got the boot after her team, Tenacity, lost a challenge that involved writing, producing and directing a 30-second and 10-second commercial, starring NBA stars for Right Guard deodorant. Trump and his daughter Ivanka both felt that she was not as fierce a competitor as this week’s project manager Holly Robinson Peete or the other women on the team.
Sharon Osbourne did not appear in this week’s segment because of illness. She has had a respiratory ailment for the past several weeks. Trump tried to bait her team, indicating he would fire Osbourne if they felt she was faking her illness. They said they had spoken to her on the phone and believed that she was genuinely ill. Trump said he was watching the situation closely and might have to cut her loose in order to be fair to the rest of the celebrity contestants.
During week three Darryl Strawberry threw himself on the sword and volunteered to go home and Trump reluctantly honored his wishes.
It looks like the Celebrity Apprentice cast from Season 3 is on the verge of imploding. The two-hour season finale will air on Sunday, May 23, 2010, from 9-11 p.m., ET/PT.
Bret Michaels underwent an emergency appendectomy yesterday and remains hospitalized – details here.
View photos, Johnson’s promo video and his ‘quit announcement’ video from last night below: