['The Celebrity Apprentice' - 'Raising the Steaks']

Last week, two players went into 'The Celebrity Apprentice' boardroom and only one came out -- the wrong one.

Donald Trump's firing of Mark McGrath over Gary Busey left the men's team reeling over the fact they'd have to work with the wild card actor once again.

When Gary emerged victorious from the boardroom, his teammates looked defeated. The women, on the other hand, were ecstatic because they saw the strife creating an easy win for them. And they were right ...

The men indeed lost and Gary was tossed, answering the season-long question about whether there was a shrewd saboteur hiding underneath all those layers of crazy. (Psst, there wasn't.)

In week seven, the teams were tasked with writing, producing and starring in a live cooking demonstration using Omaha Steaks products. The presentation needed to include at least one special meal, and the introduction of a unique variety pack using the company's items. The teams were judged on brand messaging, the originality of the variety pack and the overall presentation. The project manager of the winning team would nab $20,000 for his or her charity.

Stepping up to lead were Gary and Hope Dworaczyk, who had seemed like a rather useless wallflower up until this point. Unlike last week, when it upset me that two of my favorites (Mark and La Toya Jackson) went head-to-head, I felt a sense of relief this time around that either Gary or Hope would most likely wind up on the chopping block. Neither would be a great loss to the competition, although there's a strong argument to be made that Gary at least adds some zest.

Despite NeNe Leakes' blatant dislike of La Toya, whom she called nasty names last week, the women dove head first into the project with a can-do spirit and winning attitude. The men? Not so much. Meat Loaf, John Rich and Lil Jon made it clear their strategy was to watch Gary go down.

It wasn't a complete cakewalk on the women's side, though, as NeNe continued aiming low blows at La Toya and loudly complaining every chance she got. Plus, as usual, Star Jones seized control of the task, telling Hope and everyone else what to do on more than one occasion. Still, their issues were nothing compared to the utter chaos ruling the men's team.

Gary proved to be an unfocused, unorganized leader, and most of his teammates were happy to sit back and let him spin out. While Meat Loaf seemed to be giving it his all, Lil Jon and John pretty much sat back, cracked jokes and only did what they were told to do, which was very little or nothing. It was all too much for Meat Loaf, who was often left to debate Gary about the menu and variety pack with his head in his hands while Lil Jon and John giggled in the background.

While Gary seemed well aware there was an alliance against him, he nonetheless spun wild yarns and wandered off, leaving his teammates clueless as to how to manage their time. John was convinced that Gary was acting that way on purpose, so if the team lost he could point the finger at anyone but himself.

The men finally chose their three meals, including a special Father's Day dinner, and came up with an overstuffed "Ultimate Celebration" variety pack with an overwhelming amount of meat and spice canisters. Meanwhile, the women focused on including a heart-healthy meal and an impressive "Poker Night" variety pack.

When it was time for each team to get a cooking lesson from a master chef and pre-cook the meals, all five women showed up while Meat Loaf was the only man who set foot in the kitchen. With no support, he bordered on a meltdown as the clock ticked down. The women's group effort gave them time to rehearse their presentation, but the men were left high and dry.

When showtime arrived, the well-prepared women concisely discussed their dishes, showed off their unique variety pack and handed out Omaha Steaks aprons to the audience.

The men went in completely unprepared, but Meat Loaf did a good job of improvising as he showed off how to best cook each cut of meat. Then, Gary derailed everything with his long-winded stories, including one about a family flying a kite after finishing Father's Day dinner. He then chose three audience members, including one of the execs, to sit in front of everyone and eat the food that was just prepared. Awkward!

When all was said and done, the women easily prevailed because the execs found the men's presentation unorganized, pointing to Gary's random, meandering storytelling as the main turnoff.

In the boardroom, Meat Loaf, Lil Jon and John couldn't contain their frustration with Gary. John blamed the loss on a "catastrophic collapse of time management," while Lil Jon chalked it up to the fact Gary was "orbiting in outer space" the whole time. All Meat Loaf could do was stutter in exasperation any time the Donald asked him a question, covering his face with his hands as if he were going to cry.



Despite John's assumption that Gary would try to deflect blame, the project manager gentlemanly called his teammates "excellent" and refused to throw anyone under the bus. With that, Donald cut to the chase and fired Gary on the spot. The tension was so thick that the remaining men lingered in the boardroom until Gary had left the building. (I actually felt bad for the guy, as he's clearly not all there but seems to have a good heart.)

But just because Gary's gone doesn't mean the season's drama is over. NeNe has been gearing up for weeks to become the show's loosest cannon. When the women won, she refused to celebrate with them. Instead, she stewed in a corner by herself. Sounds like there's a potential meltdown waiting for us next week ...

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

Watch the full episode here: