['The Celebrity Apprentice' - 'Australian Gold']

Things are heating up on Donald Trump's 'The Celebrity Apprentice,' especially since the women's team has mostly dropped its dead weight. This week, the men's and women's teams each had five players, making it the most level playing field in weeks.

In the last task, the men were completely blindsided when the women bulldozed right over them by raising $1 million selling artwork, crushing their seemingly impressive half-million-dollar payday -- and they lost not one but two players when baseballer José Canseco dropped out and reality star Richard Hatch was fired.

This week, the men took another blow to their egos -- and charities -- when they lost the assigned task, leading to the surprising firing of one of their strongest players, singer Mark McGrath. So, what went wrong?

Both teams have suffered from internal strife. Actor Gary Busey has been driving the men so bonkers that the usually mild-mannered singer Meat Loaf had an epic meltdown last week. Meanwhile, the women have been gunning to get rid of entertainer La Toya Jackson.

Wild card Gary is clearly the weakest link for the men. He goes from unhinged crazy man to philosophical Zen master in the blink of an eye. He gets easily distracted, has wacky ideas and pushes everyone's buttons without even trying. Yet, sometimes he drops truth nuggets that make me think he's not as totally out-there as he seems. Still, it's obvious he's bringing down the team rather than lifting it up.

In week six, the celebrity contestants were tasked with creating a visual promo for Australian Gold tanning products using a giant outdoor glass box. They were judged on creativity/originality, brand messaging and how well they pulled their overall message outside the box and onto the streets of NYC. The project manager of the winning team would earn $40,000 for his or her charity.

The leaders were Mark and La Toya for their respective teams, which made me agitated. I hate when two stars I like go head-to-head! Considering the project manager is the most likely to get fired when a team fails, this didn't bode well for either of them. But let's get back to the task at hand ...

When the teams met with the company execs, Mark latched onto the fact that they used the word "treasure" when discussing their brand. That one word led the men to go with a very specific pirate-themed presentation, complete with treasure chests, half-naked "wenches" and a little person (whom country singer John Rich uncomfortably carried around).

On the other hand, the women picked up on the execs' use of "living the gold life" and emphasis on the brand mascot, a koala bear. Because of this, they came up with a beach-themed scene featuring palm trees, a gold-painted couple and reality star NeNe Leakes greeting fans dressed in a koala costume. At the last minute, because the team was concerned their idea was too boring and predictable, La Toya shook things up just enough for the win by adding a winter wonderland as a reminder that sunscreen is needed while skiing, too.

Although Mark and his team came across as very focused while the women were portrayed as being highly unorganized, the men ultimately lost the challenge. Yes, their concept was "cooler" and "more creative," but they missed the main goal: promoting the Australian Gold brand. When was the last time you saw a pirate put on sunscreen anyway?

They also went over the top, filling their giant glass box with pirate's booty, busty blondes and people in elaborate costumes as the stars spilled out onto the sidewalk singing songs and starting sword fights with passersby. When the execs showed up, Gary turned out to be a major liability, pulling them over to spew non-sequiturs and ask them about future employment.

On the flip side, the women's "safe" selection of bronzed bodies, sandy beaches and cottony snow won the judges over with its simplicity and directness. Their win was mainly because they better incorporated the brand and beloved mascot into their theme.

Once in the boardroom, before the results were announced, Mark set himself on the path to elimination by saying that if his team lost there was no one to blame but himself. Apparently he didn't think they had fumbled, because when the Donald announced the women had won, a stunned Mark started changing his tune.

Even though Mark still didn't want to "throw anyone under the bus," he had no qualms letting his teammates gang up on Gary in the boardroom. John, Meat Loaf and rapper Lil' Jon all came to Mark's defense and aired their grievances about Gary. They blamed him for turning the execs against them with his weird and wordy antics.



In the end, though, Mark had dug himself a hole too deep to escape. The Donald hates when contestants seemingly "give up" and admit they should be fired. So, while he didn't think Gary was necessarily a stronger player, he wound up firing Mark. But Gary didn't get off easy, as Donald told him to "shape up" and get his act together ASAP.

Personally, I'm sad Mark was the one who walked the plank, and even sadder that his charity, Save the Music, walked away empty-handed ... especially since my suspicion is that Donald chose to keep Gary over Mark because he's more of a ratings draw.

What do you think? Did Donald make the right call?

'The Celebrity Apprentice' airs Sundays at 9PM ET on NBC.

Watch the full episode here: