Trace Adkins
Is it too early to set the DVR?
Today, it was announced by NBC that music stars Trace Adkins and Gene Simmons will be among an all-star celebrity lineup of candidates when NBC and Donald Trump return to New York City with "The Celebrity Apprentice."
Now in its seventh season, this installment of "The Apprentice" changes the game when it begins its new season at 8 p.m. Jan. 3 on NBC.
There are 14 contestants:
- country singer Trace Adkins
- model Carol Alt
- actor Stephen Baldwin
- former Olympic gymnastics medalist (a Romanian-turned-Okie) Nadia Comaneci
- Playboy playmate Tiffany Fallon
- athlete Jennie Finch
- Nely Galan (remember extreme makeover show "The Swan"? I don't.)
- actress Marilu Henner
- boxer Lennox Lewis
- former tabloid editor Piers Morgan
- former contestant Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth
- boxer Tito Ortiz
- actor Vincent Pastore
- and KISS bassist Gene Simmons
Now, why would eccentric and ambitious Simmons agree to do it? Have you seen his hit reality show "Gene Simmons Family Jewels"?
"I'm in the Gene Simmons business," he said, so doing "The Apprentice" can only help promote his many other ventures. "Everything helps everything," he told the Associated Press.
Adkins is a member of the Grand Ole Opry and a multi-platinum selling country artist. He has been a consistent hit maker and chart mainstay for the country music genre for more than a decade.
As usual, contestants will not be vying for a job with Donald Trump, but the business-savvy celebrity contestants will be working towards a greater goal -- as they raise over a million dollars for their various charities.
Not only will the final winner be crowned the first "Celebrity Apprentice," but he or she will also have the honor of delivering a two-hundred and fifty thousand dollar bonus check to their designated charity.
All 14 celebrities will be competing in business driven tasks around New York City, using their fame along with their proven business acumen to win challenges, while ultimately raising money and awareness for their respective causes.
Certain tasks encourage the contestants to reach out to their network of celebrity contacts for assistance or donations -- making for entertaining surprise visits by some of the world's biggest stars along the way.
"This will be the most exciting season of 'The Apprentice' yet -- maybe even better than Season One," promised Trump.
