‘Celebrity Apprentice’ recap: Jingles st...

‘Celebrity Apprentice’ recap: Jingles st...

NBC

Audrey O’Day has some high and low notes for her team’s jingle on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’.

Drama, drama, drama.

The lesson to be learned from this week's "Celebrity Apprentice" is two-fold. First, don't let Aubrey O'Day out of your sight if you value your position as project manager, and second, don't let Dayana Mendoza get in your way if you value your position as project manager.

Both are risks that come hand in hand with having either player on your team, but luckily for Team Forte, the latter will no longer be a problem.

After last week's tough boardroom, in which magician Penn Jillette was made to disappear, Team Forte is left with loud Lisa Lampanelli, demure Dayana and kooky Clay Aiken.

Yes, kooky.

The former "American Idol" contestant is sad to see his buddy Penn out of the picture, but can now clearly see the pot of gold, er, oversized check, at the end of the tunnel. Ironic, though, that he and Arsenio are the two last men standing, he notes, even though the men's team had hit the ground running at the start of the competition.

But here's a chance for Clay to really shine: the challenge for this week involves creating a 90-second jingle for Good Sam's Roadside Assistance, something that's right up obnoxious-and-catchy Clay's alley.

Dayana, however, steps forward as project manager, boasting that it's her turn to prove her management skills. Arsenio steps up for Team Unanimous - though he knows full well that Aubrey will try to take the reins.

Sure enough, the redhead starts spewing out ideas left and right, most of which Arsenio shoots down. No cheerleaders, and hell no to the tap dancing!

Eventually, however, the talk show host gets worn down and relents after the exec kind of agrees with Aubrey on the concept, and Teresa Giudice mildly endorses it too.

If only Team Forte were so, well, unanimous.

Dayana confuses jingle with "Jingle Bells" and assumes their team is supposed to write a Christmas carol. Or at the very least, rhyme words. Or maybe call up ex-contestant Debbie Gibson?

Silence.

Clay and Lisa try their best to be diplomatic with Miss Universe, but it's clear that their patience is wearing thin with the Venezuelan beauty. Her string of bad suggestions just never ends.

She peers over Lisa's shoulder as she's trying to write the script and even goes so far as to tell Clay how to sing the jingle. And don't nobody do that to Clay Aiken, "American Idol" superstar!

The usually bubbly singer is noticeably irked, flaring nostrils and all. Clay is now 100 percent on Lisa's side.

Meanwhile, over at Team Unanimous' camp, Aubrey is being a team player the only way she knows how - by not being a team player. Instead, she takes charge of the whole project.

When Don Jr. pops by to observe, Aubrey leaps at the chance to throw Arsenio under the bus, calling him "weak."

But is that better or worse than Dayana, who calls Lisa - wait for it - loud? Because when you call Lisa loud, Lisa doesn't like it. And Lisa will explode and rage and yell and stomp. Which, she did.

"She better hope we don't lose," Lisa gripes.

Unfortunately for Dayana, Team Forte does lose. At the presentations, the execs loved Team Unanimous' message and jingle (not so much, however, Aubrey's over-the-top cheerleader outfit), and award Arsenio and crew with the win.

Team Forte is left in the boardroom to duke it out. Among the highlights: Lisa sniping at Dayana to "write her a memo" on how to be a huge failure just like her, and Arsenio admitting that he would prefer to be "kicked around" by Aubrey than work with Dayana.

Well, that about sums it up. When both Lisa and Clay admit that they have no respect for Miss Universe, The Donald has no choice but to send his favorite beautiful - nay, stunning - contestant home.

Now who's Lisa going to cage-fight?

jchen@nydailynews.com