Annie Duke Responds to Celebrity Apprentice Critics

On Sunday night, the second season of NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” debuted. The show featured eight men against eight women in a race to see who could raise the most money for charity by selling cupcakes in New York City. In the end, the all-female team emerged victorious. However, poker player Annie Duke, a contestant on the show, received staunch criticism from Project Manager and talk show host Joan Rivers, “Deal or No Deal” model Claudia Jordan, reality star Khloe Kardashian, and Playboy Playmate of the Year Brande Roderick. Duke revealed her reaction to Poker News Daily.

Poker News Daily: Give us your feedback on how your character was portrayed on the season premiere of “Celebrity Apprentice.”

Duke: Is very hard to sit there and have people say shit about you. I understand that this is a business and it’s not about having people like you. Donald Trump votes you off, not your own team. The Celebrity Apprentice is not about making friends.

We had six hours to bake 1,000 cupcakes. You have to get it done and Joan Rivers, our Project Manager, put me in charge of the kitchen. I was clear about what needed to be done. I had it organized and knew how it needed to go. I wanted to get on the show and make sure that Trump knew me. The bigger the celebrity, the more you are in his eyes. I’m not a big mainstream celebrity, so I needed to make noise right away.

It’s just like poker. You don’t raise because you want to raise. There has to be a reason for what you’re doing. I needed to get noticed, but also needed to do it with a purpose. In that sense, I’m playing a game. I’m intense when I’m at the poker table, but who I am at in that setting is not who I am in real life. Away from the game, I’m very smiley.

PND: React to some of the comments given by Jordan, Rivers, Kardashian, and Roderick.

Duke: It’s very difficult on the national stage to see people say nasty things about me. Obviously I’m a strong woman, I’m very direct. I’m used to dealing with that on a personal level and I’ve learned not to care about it. It’s hard to watch it on the national stage.

Then, I think about it logically. Here’s Claudia criticizing me, but what did she do? She didn’t decorate the truck. That was Melissa Rivers. She didn’t bake the cupcakes. What did she do that she felt the need to criticize me?

Then they showed Brande criticizing me and Khloe criticizing me. Did they not understand you had to raise money and get these cupcakes made? I didn’t care what anyone said about me. For me, it was about winning the task. Right after Brande and I fought, we immediately made up, but it wasn’t televised. In general, I appreciate someone telling me to my face if they have constructive criticism. I said to her, “We’re both really tired. I was on my feet baking cupcakes and I’m sorry I allowed that to show.” We were friendly after that. Brande was the rock star on that task. She worked hard. They don’t have any private interviews with her talking shit about me.

Similarly, they don’t have any clips of me talking shit about anyone because I didn’t. There’s no guessing with me. There’s no wondering if I’m saying one thing to your face and another thing behind your back. People aren’t used to that. People prefer other people not to be direct. That’s what I appreciate about Brande.

PND: Talk about the argument with Roderick, who wanted to sell a flat of cupcakes to a donor. You were worried about the inventory running out.

Duke: We did run out of cupcakes and it was right after selling a whole flat. I knew the donor was going to hand her the $9,000 check for just one cupcake. Brande realized where I was coming from in the end. I can’t say that they edited me badly. I thought they gave an accurate portrayal of me. They showed me working hard, raising money, and being direct.

PND: Talk about your reaction to Joan Rivers’ comment about your leadership style, “Mussolini made the trains run on time, but no Italian smiled at him when they got on and off.”

Duke: It’s painful. Joan was Project Manager. I didn’t see her doing a lot of leading except that she suggested our team name should be “Ball-Busters.” If our team loses, she’s on the hot seat. Two people made sure that her ass wasn’t on the line, Brande and I. We raised enough money to beat the guys by ourselves. I made sure as manager of the kitchen that it all got done. If I were Joan, I wouldn’t be criticizing me. The Mussolini comment didn’t acknowledge the work I put in and comparing anyone on Celebrity Apprentice to the person who committed one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century is offensive. It trivializes that man’s actions.

PND: Describe the purpose of Refugees International, your chosen charity. How does it relate to Ante Up for Africa, which you founded?

Duke: Refugees International is a long-standing charity. Ante Up for Africa raises money, but doesn’t give it directly to people. Instead, we partner with charities that we know are doing amazing things. Refugees International is one of those. It’s an advocacy group for refugees around the world. There are over 40 million refugees who are displaced, living in tents and camps with no water.

It’s hard for people to care about that because what is happening here [in the United States] is awful. However, we have very high-class problems in comparison to someone in a refugee camp. From a political standpoint, there is no doubt that the more refugees there are, the more political instability there is in the world. That’s what Refugees International is about. Only 7% of the money raised goes towards administrative fees. They do not take any government money, which is important because an organization like that has to be neutral. They don’t have any political pressure to ignore people.

PND: How have poker players perceived the show?

Duke: We don’t take anything personally. When a friend of ours check-raises us all-in and makes us fold, you go have dinner with them. Poker players are good at compartmentalizing. What happens in the business setting is never personal. I’ve had to play that way against my brother [Howard Lederer]. I’m guessing that poker players bought what I did better than others. They understood I was playing a game.