Celebrity Apprentice Australia Winner

Winner Julia Morris and Mr Bouris

Instead of quietly basking in the glory of winning Celebrity Apprentice, Comedian Julia Morris put her foot in her mouth. She said that Deni Hines was persecuted for the colour of her skin, describing viewers backlash as that of a racist "lynch mob." But the "viewer backlash" she mentioned had nothing to do with her colour and everything to do with her personality.

We got to see the real Deni, an angry, nasty woman who has spent a lot of time in the company of people who support her belief that she is a true celebrity and talented singer. After her appearance in the show, it's obvious to everyone that she is neither.





When Shane Crawford made the mistake of inviting Deni onto the stage in the last challenge, she snatched the microphone from him and told the audience that it was she who sang the jingle, as if anyone could care less. "I actually managed to sing the 1800 number" she said and everyone in the audience was embarrassed and cringed.

She later suggested that if Mr Bouris played is cards right, for the right price she would consider putting her name to the jingle that would undoubtedly enhance his company's image. Deni didn't seem to understand that she had made an embarrassing faux pas and one wonders why she doesn't get it - if she was brought up in Australia, she should.

But I think the star of the show was Jesinta Campbell, Miss Universe Australia 2010. You might expect a 20 year old beauty queen to be an air head with very few brain cells but you'd be wrong. This young woman is smart and showed maturity way beyond her years and conducted herself in a manner that must have made her parents proud.

As an A-Grade high school student, she was offered a journalism scholarship from Bond University when she was 17. Instead, she came to Sydney to pursue a modelling career with $500 in her pocket. "I literally rocked up to Sydney agencies with my suitcase and my pillow under my arm" she said. "The first one said no, the second said yes."

Born and bred on the Gold Coast, Jesinta is managed by Sharon Finnigan. Lauren Miller, CEO of Harry M Miller says Campbell's fearless and honest run on the show has exposed a depth of character that has television executives circling. "A reality show takes guts for a celebrity" Miller says "I wouldn't want to let her go."

Jesinta says her mother is smart, strong and entrepreneurial. When she couldn't find a primary school she was happy with, she started her own in 1997 with 2 students. Silkwood Primary School now has 330 pupils. When Jesinta joined Miss Universe, her mother wasn't pleased and said "We are not a beauty pageant family" but when it was explained to her that it involved raising money for charity and would give Jesinta the opportunity to speak in public, she agreed.

Campbell believes it's important to move outside our comfort zones and tries to live by a favourite quote from Nelson Mandela: Your playing small doesn't help the world. "That's my thing, don't play small, get on a plane, take risks" she said.