NBC Slates New Version of The Apprentice

UNIVERSAL CITY: Donald Trump’s boardroom will be open for candidates who have been affected by the decline in the job market in a new version of The Apprentice for NBC.

In this fresh version of The Apprentice, Trump will bring in 14 candidates, ranging in age, who have all been hit by hard times due to the economic downturn. The original version of The Apprentice debuted in January 2004. The Celebrity Apprentice followed. The newest season of The Celebrity Apprentice premiered on NBC on Sunday with 8.3 million viewers overall. In the 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. slot, The Celebrity Apprentice was the number one show among the major networks in each key demographic. The show is produced by Mark Burnett Productions in association with Trump Productions.

"The Apprentice is a proven brand, and we believe its return is more relevant than ever since it will provide new hope for many Americans struggling in this difficult job market," said Paul Telegdy, the executive VP of alternative programming at NBC and Universal Media Studios. "Donald is going to be even more involved as he offers fantastic opportunities for the American worker, while the search for a quality job will resonate with contemporary viewers."

"I am very excited to return to the original premise of The Apprentice," added Trump. "We’ve got to do something about the economy and this is a terrific way to provide jobs as well as business lessons along the way. NBC, Mark Burnett and I hope this economic downturn can begin a turnaround, and we’ll do our best with The Apprentice to see that it starts happening. I’m proud to be putting people back to work, and to positively changing the psychology of America."

"The Celebrity Apprentice continues to be great TV while doing genuine good for charities. I am glad we are also bringing back the original Apprentice and hope we can use America’s most compelling televised business contest to continue to do good," said Burnett. "Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, millions of Americans have accepted jobs they don’t like and millions of Americans are about to leave school looking for a job. This year’s Apprentice will feature a cast selected from these three areas. And even though only one will win the prize, all other contestants will get Donald Trump’s personal advice to help them find their dream jobs."