Updated

It all began with 17 contestants. Almost all of them celebrities in the world of politics. Only one had no chance to win --  according to the experts. He was thought of as a clown, politically incorrect, offensive, and had zero political experience at any level. Ninety-nine percent of the experts predicted he’d never even file his financials with the FEC.

Surprise. Meet the winner of "Celebrity Apprentice Special Political Edition": Donald J. Trump.

As of Tuesday night Trump added Mississippi, Michigan and Hawaii to his trophy case. It wasn’t even close. Trump dominated. And he’s leading by a mile in the two remaining jewels needed to put this race away.

Trump leads Florida by a landslide over Florida Senator Marco Rubio. He has a commanding lead in Ohio over Ohio Governor Kasich.

How could the national media, political experts and commentators get it so wrong? The guy who never ran for office, let alone served in office, just beat out a mob of Washington insiders who’ve played the political game their entire lives.

It’s almost as if Trump was toying with the entire political process. It’s almost like it was a big game to him. It was almost as if he thought he was smarter than everyone else and he could play the game at a higher level. Almost.

Trump was the guy who supposedly only knew how to win a national television reality competition called “Celebrity Apprentice.” Heck, he designed the game. He produced the game. He sat in the boardroom and analyzed the tactics of the participants of the game. He crowned the winner among a mob of candidates each time.

Is it possible that “Celebrity Apprentice” was the perfect preparation for a presidential run? Is it possible Trump is smarter than all of us? Did he figure out that politics is exactly like a TV reality show competition? Did he design the perfect winning strategy based on “Celebrity Apprentice?”

Think about it. This political reality competition started with 17 contestants, a veritable “Who’s Who” of national politics:

* 9 governors or former governors, including the Chairman of the Republican Governors Association: Chris Christie of New Jersey, John Kasich of Ohio, Jeb Bush of Florida, Jim Gilmore of Virginia, Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, George Pataki of New York, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Rick Perry of Texas.

* 5 Washington, D.C. U.S. Senate celebrities:  United States Senators: Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Rick Santorum and Lindsey Graham.

*And three miscellaneous celebrities --  billionaire businessman Donald Trump; world-renowned brain surgeon and best-selling author Dr. Ben Carson; and businesswoman and CEO Carly Fiorina, a former CEO of Hewlett Packard and U.S. Senate candidate in California.

Today 16 contestants have gone dark. There is only one man left standing. There is no serious path to victory for anyone but Donald J. Trump -- the man who had never before played the Washington political game. The man who had never before run for office. The man who had never served a day in office. The man who ran his campaign without pollsters, strategists or consultants.

Experts called him crazy and extreme and unelectable.

Former GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney called him a “fraud” and “conman.”

Polls found he had the highest negatives of any candidate  in modern political history.

Through it all he spent almost nothing. He ran the entire campaign on free media and his skills as the world's greatest branding expert.

And he’s the one left standing. He’s the victor. Not by an inch. By a mile. Trump dominated. 

Maybe it’s time to admit Trump is no dummy. Maybe Trump knew exactly what he was doing from day one. Maybe he’s smarter than all the political experts in the media. Maybe he’s smarter than all the political strategists and consultants in Washington D.C. Maybe he’s smarter than all the politicians. Maybe he's just playing at a higher level than the rest of us.

Maybe he devised the perfect plan to win the ultimate grueling reality show competition- the race for President of the United States.

It’s time to face the fact: Donald Trump will be the 2016 GOP presidential nominee. I hope Hillary Clinton is ready to play “Celebrity Apprentice.”

My prediction: Hillary doesn’t have the skills to compete in this game.