Who hates whom? Donald Trump spills Celebrity Apprentice secrets

Celebrity Apprentice Season 14

Celebrity Apprentice Season 14

In the slick Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, famous from The Apprentice, Donald Trump works on a high floor, overlooking Central Park.

Golden shovels, framed magazine covers (featuring Trump through the ages), football helmets and plaques share space. Trump, in a white French cuff shirt and red silk tie, stays behind his huge desk. It’s a rare desk these days — no computer, just neat piles of paper.

On a recent frigid day, Trump, 68, discusses the seventh cycle of The Celebrity Apprentice, returning to NBC with a two-hour premiere Sunday, Jan. 4, at 9pm ET/PT, then airs Mondays beginning Jan. 5.

He reels off the latest participants before divulging behind-the-scenes news. For the record, the latest crop of celebrities are: Vivica A. Fox, Shawn Johnson, Terrell Owens, Lorenzo Lamas, Kenya Moore, Leeza Gibbons, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Geraldo Rivera, Johnny Damon, Gilbert Gottfried, Brandi Glanville, Kate Gosselin, Ian Ziering, Jamie Anderson, Sig Hansen and Kevin Jonas. So we begin …

What makes this season different?
Donald Trump: Of all of the ones we’ve done — this is the 14th The Apprentice — this is the one where they have hated each other the most.

Even more than Omarosa?
I loved Omarosa. She was naturally a nasty person. People used to say, “She’s acting.” No, she’s worse.

Who hates each other this season?
It’s a level of hatred I’ve never seen. Kenya Moore, Vivica Fox and Brandi Glanville. Those three. The women are more vicious.

How bad are we talking?
There was almost a fistfight with Vivica Fox and Kenya Moore.

Who else is challenging this season?
Kate Gosselin. Geraldo Rivera is very challenging. And Gilbert Gottfried because everything is a joke.

How do you keep the show fresh?
We don’t want to change too much. The formula changes with different people on the show. We have raised $14 million for charity already.

Who have you wanted on the show but couldn’t get?
Pete Rose. He didn’t want to be fired. He’s a friend of mine.

What sort of person wins?
Athletes are not as tough as Joan Rivers. We have her on two of the shows [this season], and we say in memoriam. She was a judge.

You’re dealing with celebrities, which means egos and publicists. What sorts of wild demands have been made?
A lot of people make demands. Joan Rivers insisted on having Melissa. The Melissa firing was one of the worst of all time. I love Gene Simmons but he was tough, very demanding. He could have lasted longer but he was telling the sponsor how to sell.

When celebrities do stupid things, do they try to get those cut?
We have had cases where they said wrong things or bad things. People beg us to leave that out. Listen, I am not looking to kill anyone.

Are you involved with devising challenges, and what are some for this year?
Yes. In Season 1, we were selling lemonade. Who knew it would be so successful? The challenges this season are all sponsor-oriented. The sponsors have to announce them.

How do you pick contestants?
We have four [possibles] for every one we pick. It is good for their brand. Even people who have done poorly, it is good for their brand. Someone comes in and sits where you are [a red velvet chair opposite him]. We pick stars based on their life. I don’t see everybody. I wouldn’t have the time because I run a big business.

Does your business sense tell you if a candidate is a good fit for the show?
Deals are about people, not about deals. A lot of times you think someone will be a star and they turn out to be a dud.

What makes someone fail?
A lack of enthusiasm, a lack of wanting to win. It’s hard and they lose enthusiasm and can’t handle it. It’s a mental thing, not physical, which is why Joan Rivers won.

What have you learned from The Apprentice?
You can never, ever quit or give up. The people who don’t, who have that stick-to-itiveness, do the best.

Photo: © 2014 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Credit: Art Streiber/NBC

8 Comments

  1. Trump has bankrupted 19 businesses and defaulted on nearly 4 billion dollars worth of debt that came out of other peoples pockets.

    Trump has used more welfare than a million families on food stamps for a year…

  2. I wanted to know if I could bare the responsibility of being an apprentice. Is success your main goal or are you looking for success in a particular field. I have ideas but I want to know if you have a certain focus to revolve around.

  3. Right.. Trump is so full of it. He says never ever quit. Ask the loser about helping crowdfunding. He quit. It was to much $ being handed out. He’s a jerk and a LOSER.

  4. I love this show and I’ve watched every season. It’s more than entertainment because you can actually learn a little about business and about celebrities watching this show.

  5. I ve hinted before… Donald Trumph and his boardroom could really make something happen by forming a “government apprentice ” theme, forcing people from various job sectors to actually work together to reform government. Tasks would involve healthcare reform, put a cap on drug costs, protect and support our military , education, automobile safety, improve FDA regulation, ban toxins from everyday products approved by FDA which causes chronic illness and cancer, say yes to alternative medicine and have it covered by healthcare, get a handle on banking and insurance fraud, protect our seniors retirement and improve Cps and abuse protection services. Wouldn’t you be interested seeing how these teams could come together to find solutions that could impact our country ? Bringing hi level Execs in from each industry to work on tasks to find resolution to our everyday problems that our govt chooses to ignore. Your audience will learn who really cares about these issues and will do what it takes to get them fixed. At the end of the series… Bring the findings to govt. Get your audience involved to vote in or make suggestions. I have been jotting in my journal about this for over 2 years. I don’t know anyone other than you and your board room that can do this the way it should be done and get the results we need for our country.

    • Do some research, Trump has bankrupted 19 businesses he has run,
      He brags about using bankruptcy laws to stick others including taxpayers with his bad debts.

  6. I have watched every season, but I will not watch this year. What where you thinking when you put a person like Keyna Moore on. Brandi Grandville was bad enough. These are not Celebrities, they are what we in the South “Want to be’s”.

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