''The Celebrity Apprentice'' is an American television

reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of all that is real or existent within a system, as opposed to that which is only imaginary. The term is also used to refer to the ontological status of things, indicating their existence. In physical terms, re ...

competition series. It was a variation of ''

The Apprentice ''The Apprentice'' is a reality talent game show franchise originally aired in 2004 in the United States. Created by U.S.-based British producer Mark Burnett, the show depicts contestants from around the country with various professional backg ...

'' series, hosted by then real estate developer (later 45th

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

)

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

from 2008 to 2015, and actor and former California Governor

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

from January to August 2017, when it was canceled. Like its precursor, the show's opening theme song is " For the Love of Money" by

The O'Jays The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the minor ...

. Unlike its precursor, ''Celebrity Apprentice'' consists of celebrities as competing apprentices rather than unknowns. Some of the celebrities featured are contemporary while others have been out of the public eye for some time. They compete to win money for a

charitable organization A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ...

of their choice, and come from various mass media fields, including radio and television and professional sport. ''The Celebrity Apprentice'' was linked in seasons to its precursor TV show, ''The Apprentice'', which consisted of seasons one to six and season ten. ''The Celebrity Apprentice'' consists of seasons seven to nine and eleven to fifteen.

Format

The format of ''The Celebrity Apprentice'' followed that of the original ''The Apprentice'', outside of housing arrangements; there was no communal living space, and celebrities were not required to live in the city during filming, allowing them to maintain their own appearance schedule which may have caused them to miss out on tasks at times. The two teams were given separate suites near the boardroom which they can use for planning and other activities related to the tasks. Additionally, the celebrities as contestants were not vying for a job, but instead each had selected a charity for which they were playing. The winner of each season got a large donation made to that charity by the host, but in addition, winning project managers may also have received additional charity money by winning a task, either as a fixed amount set by the host and/or a participating business, or by the total charitable take they made on the task. The host also had discretion to provide charity funds to eliminated celebrities as a consolation prize.

History

On July 6, 2007, it was announced that ''The Apprentice'' had been renewed for a seventh season, with a possibility of an eighth. In an effort to revitalize interest in the series, season seven featured celebrities playing the game to raise money for charities, going under the name ''The Celebrity Apprentice'' as opposed to continuing under ''The Apprentice'' format. British tabloid editor Piers Morgan was declared the winner of that season. On January 28, 2008, NBC confirmed that season eight would feature celebrities playing the game to raise money for charity. That season premiered in March 2009, and resulted in a win for comedian

Joan Rivers Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona—heavi ...

Season three of ''The Celebrity Apprentice'' aired in the spring of 2010, and was won by musician

Bret Michaels Bret Michael Sychak (born March 15, 1963), known professionally as Bret Michaels, is an American singer and musician. He gained fame as the frontman of rock band Poison who has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and 15 million records in the ...

. On March 17, 2010, NBC officially stated that a new season of the original ''Apprentice'' would be brought back, with the explanation that regular working people would again attract audiences in light of the damaged U.S. economy. That season premiered September 16, 2010. This time the ratings were low, and both Trump and Producer

Mark Burnett Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960) is a television producer who is the former Chairman of MGM Worldwide Television Group. He is best known for creating and producing the reality shows ''The Apprentice'', '' Survivor'', ''The Voice'', and ''Sh ...

returned to the 'Celebrity' format, which saw

John Rich John Rich (born January 7, 1974) is an American country music singer-songwriter. From 1992 to 1998, he was a member of the country music band Lonestar, in which he played bass guitar and alternated with Richie McDonald as lead vocalist. After ...

win in season four. In season five, late night host Arsenio Hall won. In season six, the first all-star season took place, bringing back 14 of the most memorable celebrities to compete for the first title of the All-Star Celebrity Apprentice, which country singer

Trace Adkins Trace may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Trace'' (Son Volt album), 1995 * ''Trace'' (Died Pretty album), 1993 * Trace (band), a Dutch progressive rock band * ''The Trace'' (album) Other uses in arts and entertainment * ''Trace'' ...

won. In season seven, Donald Trump returned the show to the regular ''Celebrity Apprentice'' format; TV anchor and talk show host Leeza Gibbons won the season. After Trump announced his intentions to run for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

in the 2016 election in 2015, NBC began to re-evaluate their business relationship with Trump and whether he could still be host of ''The Apprentice'' series. NBC stated that they opted to sever their business ties with Trump following "derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants" in June 2015, and began seeking a new host for the show. However, Trump stated that it was his decision to end the relationship with NBC "out of respect", even though he had been approached by Burnett and NBC to host two more seasons of the show just prior to his presidential bid. In an April 2016 interview, Trump revealed he earned about $213 million from the show over its 14 seasons. In September 2015, NBC announced that actor and politician

would become the new host of ''The Celebrity Apprentice'' to premiere during the 2016–17 television season. The rebooted series, ''

The New Celebrity Apprentice ''The New Celebrity Apprentice'' (also known simply as ''The Apprentice'') was the eighth and final installment of the reality game show ''The Celebrity Apprentice'', thus making it the fifteenth and final installment of ''The Apprentice'' as a w ...

'' first broadcast on January 2, 2017. Trump will remain credited as an Executive Producer to the show, including what is estimated as a five-figure per-show fee as well as ongoing profits from the franchise through MGM, the production entity for the show. On March 3, 2017, NBC announced that Arnold Schwarzenegger stepped down as host of ''The Celebrity Apprentice'', leaving the show's future up in the air. Schwarzenegger cited poor ratings as well as his feud with President Trump as factors in his decision.

Statistics by season

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of The Celebrity Apprentice on NBC. ''Note'': Given that the show is a sequel television series, the below "statistics by season" chart is a continuation from its precursor's (The Apprentice) "statistics by season" chart. Note as well that season 10 is omitted from the chart below as the show reverted to The Apprentice for that season.

Candidates by season

''Note'': Winners are indicated in Bold; second-place finishers are indicated in ''Italics''.

''Celebrity Apprentice 1'' (season 7)

* ''

'' * Carol Alt * Stephen Baldwin *

Nadia Comaneci Nadia is a female name. Variations include Nadja, Nadya, Nadine, Nadiya, and Nadiia. Most variations of the name are derived from Arabic, Slavic languages, or both. In Slavic, names similar to ''Nadia'' mean "hope" in many Slavic languages: Uk ...

* Tiffany Fallon *

Jennie Finch Jennie Lynn Finch Daigle (born September 3, 1980) is an American former softball player. She played for the Arizona Wildcats softball team from 1999 to 2002, where she won the 2001 Women's College World Series and was named collegiate All-Amer ...

Nely Galán Nely Galán (born 1963 in Santa Clara, Cuba) is an independent producer and a former President of Entertainment for Telemundo. She created and executively produced the FOX reality series '' The Swan''. Nely Galán was born Arnely Alvarez in S ...

Marilu Henner Mary Lucy Denise Henner is an American actress. She began her career appearing in the original production of the musical '' Grease'' in 1971, before making her screen debut in the 1977 comedy-drama film '' Between the Lines''. In 1977, Henner wa ...

Lennox Lewis Lennox Claudius Lewis (born 2 September 1965) is a former professional boxer and boxing commentator who competed from 1989 to 2003. He is a three-time world heavyweight champion, a two-time lineal champion, and the last heavyweight to hol ...

* Piers Morgan * Tito Ortiz *

Omarosa Omarosa Onee Manigault Newman () ( Manigault; born 1974), often known as Omarosa, is an American reality television show participant, writer, and former political aide to former US President Donald Trump. She became widely known as a contestan ...

Vincent Pastore Vincent Pastore (; born July 14, 1946) is an American actor. Often cast as a mafioso, he is best known for his portrayal of Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''. Early life Pastore was born to an Italian-Ameri ...

Gene Simmons Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; he, חיים ויץ, ; born August 25, 1949) is an Israeli-American musician. Also known by his stage persona The Demon, he is the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the hard rock band he co-founded with Paul ...

''Celebrity Apprentice 2'' (season 8)

Clint Black Clint Patrick Black (born February 4, 1962) is an American country music singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Signed to RCA Nashville in 1989, Black's debut album '' Killin' Time'' produced four straight number one singles on th ...

Andrew Dice Clay Andrew Dice Clay (born Andrew Clay Silverstein; September 29, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He rose to prominence in the late 1980s with a brash, deliberately offensive persona known as "The Diceman". In 1990, he became the fi ...

* '' Annie Duke'' * Tom Green *

Natalie Gulbis Natalie Anne Gulbis (born January 7, 1983) is an American professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. Golf career Gulbis was born and raised in the Sacramento, California, area. She has Latvian ancestry. Gulbis started finding in ...

* Scott Hamilton *

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained st ...

* Claudia Jordan *

Khloé Kardashian Khloé Alexandra Kardashian (; born June 27, 1984) is an American media personality and socialite. Since 2007, she has starred with her family in the reality television series '' Keeping Up with the Kardashians''. Its success has led to the c ...

* Brian McKnight *

Melissa Rivers Melissa Warburg Rosenberg (previously Endicott; born January 20, 1968), known professionally as Melissa Rivers, is an American actress and television host. She is the only child of comedian Joan Rivers and producer Edgar Rosenberg. Early life Me ...

* Brande Roderick * Dennis Rodman *

Herschel Walker Herschel Junior Walker (born March 3, 1962) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He was also the Republican nominee in the 2022 United States Senate election in Georgia. ...

* Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins

''Celebrity Apprentice 3'' (season 9)

Rod Blagojevich Rod Blagojevich ( , born December 10, 1956), often referred to by his nicknames "Blago" or "B-Rod", is an American former politician, political commentator, and convicted felon who served as the 40th governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009, when ...

* Selita Ebanks *

Bill Goldberg William Scott Goldberg (born December 27, 1966), often known mononymously as Goldberg, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and former professional football player. He is best known for his tenures in WCW and WWE. One of the most po ...

* Michael Johnson * Maria Kanellis *

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

Carol Leifer Carol Leifer ( ; born July 27, 1956) is an American comedian, writer, producer, and actress whose career as a stand-up comedian started in the 1970s when she was in college. She has written many television scripts including ''The Larry Sanders ...

Sharon Osbourne Sharon Rachel Osbourne (née Levy, later Arden; born 9 October 1952) is a British-American television personality, music manager and author. She is married to heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne and came to prominence while appearing ...

* ''

Holly Robinson Peete Holly Elizabeth Robinson Peete (born September 18, 1964) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Judy Hoffs on the Fox police drama ''21 Jump Street'', Vanessa Russell on the ABC sitcom '' Hangin' with Mr. Cooper'', and Dr ...

'' *

Summer Sanders Summer Elisabeth Sanders (born October 13, 1972) is an American sports commentator, reporter, television personality, actress, former competition swimmer and Olympic champion from 1992. Early life Sanders was born in Roseville, California ...

* Sinbad * Curtis Stone *

Darryl Strawberry Darryl Eugene Strawberry (born March 12, 1962) is an American former professional baseball right fielder and author who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Throughout his career, Strawberry was one of the most feared sluggers in th ...

''Celebrity Apprentice 4'' (season 11)

* Gary Busey *

Jose Canseco José Canseco Capas Jr. (born July 2, 1964), nicknamed Parkway Jose, Mr. 40-40 and El Cañonero Cubano (The Cuban Cannon), is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and designated hitter. During his time with the Oakla ...

* David Cassidy *

Hope Dworaczyk Hope Dworaczyk Smith ( ; born November 21, 1984) is an American entrepreneur, model, and reality television personality. She is the founder and CEO of MUTHA, a skincare company, and was the host of Inside Fashion. Smith was ''Playboy'' magazine's ...

* Richard Hatch * La Toya Jackson *

Star Jones Starlet Marie Jones (born March 24, 1962), better known as Star Jones, is an American lawyer, journalist, television personality, fashion designer, author, and women's and diversity advocate. She is best known as one of the first co-hosts on the ...

* NeNe Leakes *

Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971) better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, producer and former frontman of the rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. He was instrumental in the emergence of the hip hop subgenre cr ...

* ''

Marlee Matlin Marlee Beth Matlin (born August 24, 1965) is an American actress, author, and activist. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for a ...

'' *

Mark McGrath Mark Sayers McGrath (born March 15, 1968) is an American singer who is the lead vocalist of the rock band Sugar Ray. McGrath is also known for his work as a co-host of '' Extra'', and he was the host of '' Don't Forget the Lyrics!'' in 2010. ...

* Lisa Rinna * Niki Taylor *

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles ch ...

* Meat Loaf

''Celebrity Apprentice 5'' (season 12)

* '' Clay Aiken'' * Michael Andretti *

Adam Carolla Adam Carolla (born May 27, 1964) is an American radio personality, comedian, actor and podcaster. He hosts '' The Adam Carolla Show'', a talk show distributed as a podcast which set the record as the "most downloaded podcast" as judged by ''Guin ...

Tia Carrere Althea Rae Duhinio Janairo (born January 2, 1967), known professionally as Tia Carrere (), is an American actress, singer and former model who got her first big break as a regular on the daytime soap opera '' General Hospital''. Carrere played C ...

* Lou Ferrigno *

Debbie Gibson Deborah Ann Gibson (born August 31, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Gibson released her debut album '' Out of the Blue'' in 1987, which spawned several international hits, later being certified triple plati ...

Teresa Giudice Teresa Giudice ( , ; ; born May 18, 1972) is an American television personality best known for starring in '' The Real Housewives of New Jersey''. Besides appearing on the show, Giudice wrote multiple ''New York Times'' bestseller cookbooks and ...

Victoria Gotti Victoria Gotti (born November 27, 1962) is an American writer and television personality. She is best known for being the daughter of Gambino crime family Mafia boss John Gotti. Early life Victoria Gotti was born November 27, 1962, in Brooklyn, ...

* Arsenio Hall *

Penn Jillette Penn Fraser Jillette (born March 5, 1955) is an American magician, actor, musician, inventor, television presenter, and author, best known for his work with fellow magician Teller as half of the team Penn & Teller. The duo has been featured i ...

* Lisa Lampanelli * Dayana Mendoza *

Aubrey O'Day Aubrey Morgan O'Day (born February 11, 1984) is an American singer and reality television personality, best known for being a member of the girl group Danity Kane. Following discord among Danity Kane and with her mentor at the time, P. Diddy, O'D ...

Dee Snider Daniel "Dee" Snider (born March 15, 1955)Tayler, LettaTwisted Sister's Dee Snider remembers his challenging Long Island upbringing "Newsday", March 15, 2016Archived here/ref> is an American singer, songwriter, radio personality, and actor. He w ...

* George Takei *

Paul Teutul Sr. Paul John Teutul (born May 1, 1949) is the founder of Orange County Choppers, a manufacturer of custom motorcycles and the focus of the reality television series ''American Chopper''. Teutul first appeared on the show with his sons Paul Teutul ...

* Cheryl Tiegs * Patricia Velásquez

''Celebrity Apprentice 6'' (season 13)

* Stephen Baldwin * Gary Busey *

* La Toya Jackson * ''

'' * Claudia Jordan *

* Lisa Rinna * Brande Roderick * Dennis Rodman *

''Celebrity Apprentice 7'' (season 14)

* Jamie Anderson * Johnny Damon * Vivica A. Fox * Leeza Gibbons *

Brandi Glanville Brandi Lynn Glanville (formerly Cibrian, born November 16, 1972) is an American television personality. She is best known for appearing on the reality television series ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'' (2011–2016) and seasons two and ...

* Kate Gosselin * Gilbert Gottfried * Sig Hansen * Shawn Johnson * Kevin Jonas * Lorenzo Lamas *

Kenya Moore Kenya Summer Moore (born January 24, 1971) is an American actress, model, producer, author, television personality, and entrepreneur. She is best known for winning the Miss USA pageant in 1993 and being a main cast member on Bravo's reality ser ...

* Terrell Owens * Keshia Knight Pulliam * ''

Geraldo Rivera Geraldo Rivera (born Gerald Riviera; July 4, 1943) is an American journalist, attorney, author, political commentator, and former television host. He hosted the tabloid talk show '' Geraldo'' from 1987 to 1998. He gained publicity with the liv ...

'' *

Ian Ziering Ian Andrew Ziering (; born March 30, 1964) is an American actor best known for his role as Steve Sanders on the television series '' Beverly Hills, 90210'', which he played from 1990 to 2000. He is also the voice of Vinnie on '' Biker Mice from ...

''The New Celebrity Apprentice'' (season 15)

* Laila Ali * Brooke Burke-Charvet * Eric Dickerson * ''

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer, songwriter, DJ, author and mixed media artist. Best known for his soulful voice and his androgynous appearance, Boy George has been the lead singe ...

'' *

Matt Iseman Matt Iseman (born January 22, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, and television host, who began his career as a physician. He is best known for his role as play-by-play announcer and host of ''American Ninja Warrior''. He was the winner of '' ...

* Carrie Keagan * Carson Kressley *

Lisa Leslie Lisa Deshaun Leslie (born July 7, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player. She is currently the head coach for Triplets in the BIG3 professional basketball league, as well as a studio analyst for Orlando Magic broadcasts on ...

* Jon Lovitz *

Vince Neil Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961), best known by the stage name Vince Neil, is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, which he fronted from their 1981 format ...

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi Nicole Elizabeth LaValle (née Polizzi; born November 23, 1987), best known by her nickname Snooki, is an American reality television personality. She is best known for being a cast member of the MTV reality show '' Jersey Shore'' and starri ...

* Kyle Richards * Chael Sonnen *

Porsha Williams Porsha Dyanne Guobadia (née Williams, formerly Stewart, born June 22, 1981) is an American television personality, actress, and author. She starred on the television series ''The Real Housewives of Atlanta'' from 2012 until 2021, when she depar ...

Ricky Williams Errick Miron (born Errick Lynne Williams Jr.; May 21, 1977) is an American former football running back who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and one season in the Canadian Football League (CFL). After playing baseball ...

* Carnie Wilson

Similar shows in other nations

* ''

The Celebrity Apprentice Australia ''The Celebrity Apprentice Australia'' is an Australian reality television series which aired on the Nine Network. Based on NBC's ''The Apprentice'', it first aired on 24 October 2011 and originally featured Mark Bouris, the founder and chair ...

'' * ''

Celebrity Apprentice Ireland ''Celebrity Apprentice Ireland'' is an Irish reality television series, in which a group of Irish celebrities compete for the chance to win €25,000 for their chosen charity. Caroline Downey, the managing director of MCD is the head judge in t ...

'' * '' Comic Relief Does The Apprentice'' (UK) * ''

Sport Relief Does The Apprentice ''Comic Relief Does The Apprentice'' (also known as ''The Celebrity Apprentice for Comic Relief'') is a special celebrity version of British reality television series ''The Apprentice (British TV series), The Apprentice'', initially produced to ...

'' (UK) * '' Kandidaten'' (Norwegian)

References

External links

*
Full episodes
(available in the U.S. and Canada) {{DEFAULTSORT:Celebrity Apprentice 2008 American television series debuts 2017 American television series endings 2000s American reality television series 2010s American reality television series The Apprentice (American TV series) Television series by Trump Productions Celebrity reality television series Television series by MGM Television