The Apprentice

The Apprentice is the ultimate job interview, where sixteen Americans (eighteen in seasons two through six, fourteen in seasons seven and nine) compete in a series of rigorous business tasks, many of which include prominent Fortune 500 companies and require street smarts and intelligence to conquer, in order to show Donald Trump, the boss, that they are the best candidate for his companies. In each episode, the losing team is sent to the boardroom, where Trump and his associates, Carolyn Kepcher and George Ross, and later, his children, Donald Trump, Jr., and Ivanka Trump, judge the job applicants on their performance in the task. One person is fired and sent home. Who will succeed? Who will fail? And who will be The Apprentice?
The eleventh season of The Apprentice will be the fourth celebrity candidate format, with the cast set to be announced by January.
The tenth season of The Apprentice returned to having real people compete to become the Apprentice. The theme of this season was candidates who'd been badly affected by the country's recent economic recession, and all sixteen candidates competed to try and get a second chance and ultimately change their lives. The teams were divided into men vs. women once more, and again, the drama between team members was plentiful, and the boardroom battles were epic. The tasks were a bit predictable, as most were simple marketing tasks or fundraising tasks, but at least Trump returned to making understandable, actually fairly rational firing decisions in the boardroom. The season also contained the first-ever firing by disqualification when a candidate illegally sent text messages to friends outside of the game and was caught for it. In the end, Brandy Kuentzel faced off with Clint Robertson in the first-ever pre-taped final boardroom, with Kuentzel walking away as the seventh (regular) Apprentice (and the third female Apprentice).
The ninth season of The Apprentice was the third celebrity edition. Fourteen celebrities competed for the title of the third Celebrity Apprentice and the grand prize of $250,000 for the charity of the choice. The season was already rife with big personalities and lots of drama, and many tough competitors emerged early on. However, like the prior season, Trump made firings that weren't very credible, and the drama was almost nonexistent. In the end, rock star Bret Michaels faced off with actress and author Holly Robinson Peete in the final two, and quite possibly due to a sympathy factor from him getting sick weeks before the live finale, Trump crowned Michaels as the third Celebrity Apprentice, though Robinson Peete got a large cash donation to her charity, anyway.
The eighth season of The Apprentice was yet another celebrity edition. Sixteen celebrities competed for the title of the second Celebrity Apprentice and the grand prize of $250,000 for the charity of their choice. The cast was more interesting than the previous batch of celebrities, and the drama was a lot more intense. However, Trump started making less credible decisions in his firings, and the episodes were soon more about the drama among the celebrities than it was about the actual tasks. In the end, comedienne Joan Rivers faced off against professional poker player Annie Duke in the show's second all-female final two, and despite the majority opinion that Duke's performance throughout the season had been better overall, Trump ended the season on a sour note with the controversial decision to name Rivers as the second Celebrity Apprentice.
The seventh season of The Apprentice saw the show returning to New York City. And this time, instead of real people being the candidates, celebrities were. Fourteen celebrities vied for the title of the first-ever Celebrity Apprentice, including a returning Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth from the first season. Among the changes were both teams facing the boardroom following the task to hear what each team did right and wrong, in case that team ended up in the boardroom. The season certainly wasn't without its share of drama, and it showed some pretty smart celebrity candidates. In the end, America's Got Talent judge Piers Morgan and country singer Trace Adkins faced off in the final two, and Morgan took the title of first-ever Celebrity Apprentice, taking $250,000 for the charity of his choice along with him.
The sixth season of The Apprentice saw the show leave New York City and move to an all-new location: Los Angeles, California! Here, Carolyn Kepcher and George Ross were gone and replaced as viceroys by Donald Trump's children, Donald, Jr., and Ivanka. While the candidates, among whom were the show's first Asian-American man, the first Jamaican woman, a cervical cancer survivor, and not one, but two openly gay men, were interesting, the season pulled the show's lowest ratings ever, with too much focus on Trump and his brands, as well as Los Angeles pop culture, and not enough on the candidates and the tasks. Also, Trump's logic behind his firing decisions made less and less sense. In the end, Stefani Schaeffer, James Sun, Nicole D'Ambrosio, and Frank Lombardi all faced off in the show's first-ever final four finale that saw Stefani and James ending up as the final two, and Stefani walking away as the sixth Apprentice (and the second female Apprentice, to boot).
The fifth season of The Apprentice started with something new: the first Project Managers were chosen by Trump, and they got to pick their own teams. Also, exemptions were wiped clean from the rules. The season started out with promise, with four international candidates from Canada, Cuba, Great Britain, and Russia, but lost steam as the more interesting, colorful candidates, including three of the four international ones, quickly bit the dust and were fired earlier than the blander, less interesting ones. The show ended up with what's been considered to be its worst final two ever, and in the end, the final international candidate, Sean Yazbeck, claimed victory over Lee Bienstock, the youngest candidate to ever make it to the final two, and won the title of the fifth Apprentice, as well as the honor of being the first winner to not be a native-born American.
The fourth season of The Apprentice returned to the basics -- the same men vs. women format and winning Project Managers winning exemption -- but this time, with a twist. The winning Project Managers would only receive exemption from Trump if the team cast a majority vote to okay it. The season, which featured the first-ever openly gay contestant and first-ever Russian immigrant, easily shaped up to be one of the best seasons of the show, with an interesting cast, exciting tasks, and even the show's first-ever quadruple-firing! In the end, Dr. Randal Pinkett faced off with Rebecca Jarvis in the final two and won his rightful title as the fourth Apprentice and the first African-American winner. However, the finale was marred by his refusing Trump's offer to hire Rebecca, as well, in what would've been the show's first double-hiring.
The third season of The Apprentice included a new twist: there are already two preset teams, "Book Smarts" and "Street Smarts" (Magna Corporation and Net Worth Corporation, respectively). They went head-to-head to see which team was smarter. In the end, the question was answered in the showdown of the century -- Kendra Todd, a college graduate, faced off against Tana Goertz, a high school graduate, in the show's first all-female final two. While in the end, the Book Smarts won the battle, as Kendra was given the grand prize and the title of the third Apprentice (and the first female Apprentice, to boot), the experiment of season three showed that both groups of people can be very successful.
The second season of The Apprentice pitted men and women against each other again, but with several changes. The winning Project Manager, or team leader, received an exemption the next week should his or her team lose the task. The tasks became tougher, the judging became harder, and the contestants became fiercer. By the end of the season, Kelly Perdew, though met with tough competition by Jennifer Massey, took his place with Trump on the other side of the boardroom table as the second Apprentice.
The first, and now classic, season of The Apprentice asked the age-old question: which gender is smarter? Packed with memorable contestants and mesmerizing moments, the first season was an enormous hit, garnering some of NBC's best ratings in years. By season's end, Bill Rancic was told, "You're hired!" and named the first and original Apprentice over Kwame Jackson, and all of the cast members became instant celebrities, with Donald Trump, as always, at the head of the pack.
NBC Broadcast History
January 8 & 15, 2004-- Thursday 8:30pm
January 14 & 28, 2004 through April 14, 2004 -- Wednesday 8:00pm (Repeats)
January 21, 2004 -- Wednesday 8:00pm (First Run Episode)
January 29, 2004 - Present Day -- Thursday 9:00pm
September 11, 2004 - September 25, 2004 -- Saturday 8:00pm
October 2, 2004 - October 23, 2004 -- Saturday 9:00pm (Repeats)
Special Presentations February 5 & 12, 2004 -- Thursday 8:42pm (Special Supersized Episodes)
April 17, 2004 -- Saturday 9:00pm (2 Hour Rebroadcast Season 1 Final

The Apprentice - Season 11 Episode 12

One finalist realizes that Mr. Trump's golf team is missing a player for the tournament; the other finalist must feed 450 people before the Liza Minnelli concert; one candidate is declared the winner.

The Apprentice - Season 11 Episode 11

One finalist realizes that Mr. Trump's golf team is missing a player for the tournament; the other finalist must feed 450 people before the Liza Minnelli concert; one candidate is declared the winner.

The Apprentice - Season 11 Episode 9

One finalist realizes that Mr. Trump's golf team is missing a player for the tournament; the other finalist must feed 450 people before the Liza Minnelli concert; one candidate is declared the winner.

The Apprentice - Season 11 Episode 8

One finalist realizes that Mr. Trump's golf team is missing a player for the tournament; the other finalist must feed 450 people before the Liza Minnelli concert; one candidate is declared the winner.

The Apprentice - Season 11 Episode 7

One finalist realizes that Mr. Trump's golf team is missing a player for the tournament; the other finalist must feed 450 people before the Liza Minnelli concert; one candidate is declared the winner.

The Apprentice - Season 11 Episode 6

One finalist realizes that Mr. Trump's golf team is missing a player for the tournament; the other finalist must feed 450 people before the Liza Minnelli concert; one candidate is declared the winner.

The Apprentice - Season 11 Episode 5

One finalist realizes that Mr. Trump's golf team is missing a player for the tournament; the other finalist must feed 450 people before the Liza Minnelli concert; one candidate is declared the winner.

The Apprentice - Season 11 Episode 4

One finalist realizes that Mr. Trump's golf team is missing a player for the tournament; the other finalist must feed 450 people before the Liza Minnelli concert; one candidate is declared the winner.

The Apprentice - Season 11 Episode 3

One finalist realizes that Mr. Trump's golf team is missing a player for the tournament; the other finalist must feed 450 people before the Liza Minnelli concert; one candidate is declared the winner.

The Apprentice - Season 11 Episode 2

One finalist realizes that Mr. Trump's golf team is missing a player for the tournament; the other finalist must feed 450 people before the Liza Minnelli concert; one candidate is declared the winner.

The Apprentice - Season 11 Episode 1

One finalist realizes that Mr. Trump's golf team is missing a player for the tournament; the other finalist must feed 450 people before the Liza Minnelli concert; one candidate is declared the winner.

The Apprentice - Season 10 Episode 13

One finalist realizes that Mr. Trump's golf team is missing a player for the tournament; the other finalist must feed 450 people before the Liza Minnelli concert; one candidate is declared the winner.

The Apprentice - Season 10 Episode 12

The two finalists are chosen; one finalist must run a VIP golf tournament featuring Kathy Griffin, while the other manages a Liza Minnelli concert and tournament dinner; former contestants return to help, but a finalist ...

The Apprentice - Season 10 Episode 11

Each team must write, direct, produce and star in a live sales segment while fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi and Mr. Trump observe.

The Apprentice - Season 10 Episode 10

Each team scrambles to produce a 30-second commercial; a serious flaw sends one team to the boardroom.

The Apprentice - Season 10 Episode 8

Each team must create a four-page fashion ``advertorial''; while one project manager becomes enamored with a model, another strips down to pose in a bedroom scene.

The Apprentice - Season 10 Episode 7

Each team produces a backer's audition for potential investors for a new musical; actress Kristin Chenoweth helps judge their presentations.

The Apprentice - Season 10 Episode 6

Each team must design, sell and operate pedicab tours; one candidate begs Mr. Trump to fire a teammate.

The Apprentice - Season 10 Episode 5

Trump has each team create a video with the intention of it becoming popular on the Internet; one team loses a member to a dental emergency; another contestant goes home.

The Apprentice - Season 10 Episode 4

Trump has each team create a video with the intention of it becoming popular on the Internet; one team loses a member to a dental emergency; another contestant goes home.

The Apprentice - Season 1 Episode 13

This week's task is to rent out a luxurious penthouse for one evening. The catch is it must be rented for at least $20,000.

The Apprentice - Season 1 Episode 12

This week's task is to lure gamblers to Trump's Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City by creating a new and unique game of chance for customers to play.

The Apprentice - Season 1 Episode 11

Nobody gets fired on this episode, in which Mr. Trump recaps the first 10 shows and explains his termination decisions. The episode also includes outtakes from past episodes.

The Apprentice - Season 1 Episode 10

This weeks task is operating a rickshaw pedicab service.

The Apprentice - Season 1 Episode 9

This week's task is to pick one artist from an array of controversial and strange painters, sculptors, and other kinds of artists, and then sell the art at a gallery.

The Apprentice - Season 1 Episode 8

This week's task is marketing a new product.

The Apprentice - Season 1 Episode 7

This week's task is renovating and leasing apartments in New York City.

The Apprentice - Season 1 Episode 6

This week's task is to raise money for charity at a Sotheby's celebrity auction.

The Apprentice - Season 1 Episode 5

After a corporate restructuring, where Project Managers Nick and Kristi choose their own team, the new co-ed teams are given their fifth task: hold a flee market.

The Apprentice - Season 1 Episode 4

This weeks task is to manage a Planet Hollywood restaurant in Times Square. The object is to make more money in one night than the same night last year.

The Apprentice - Season 1 Episode 3

The challenge this week is a lesson in negotiation. The task is a scavenger hunt of sorts - the teams are given a list of items to buy from vendors from all over New York City.

The Apprentice - Season 1 Episode 1

The contestants are split into two teams, one team of 8 men and another team of 8 women. The two teams are then given their first challenge - sell lemonade on the streets of New York with a budget of $250. The team tha...