Celebrity Apprentice begins tonight! As a preview, I’ve looked up a little information about the male half of the competition.
Donald Trump always divides the contestants into a male team and a female team at the beginning of the season. So, these nine players will inevitably become a team called “Cerebral” or “Star Power” or something equally inane.
Clay Aiken: Clay is well-known here as the runner-up from American Idol, Season 2. He’s smart, well-known, and his fans have traditionally had deep pockets. Where he might be at a disadvantage is being able to tap very rich celebrity friends for money. He’ll be raising money for the National Inclusion Project, a foundation for special education that he created.
Michael Andretti: He’s a race car driver from a family of race car drivers. His father was Mario Andretti, and his son is Marco. He’s used to leading a team, and he’s probably got a good dozen corporate sponsors he can tap. The question is whether he’ll stand out among the big personalities on the show.
Adam Carolla: Comedian and Radio/TV personality. He was on Dancing With the Stars for four weeks. He seems to pride himself on making provocatively bigoted jokes (for example, calling Hawaiians “dumb” and “in-bred”). He’s got a big personality, so Donald Trump might keep him around awhile for the sake of drama.
Lou Ferrigno: Bodybuilder, fitness trainer, and actor best known for playing the title character in The Incredible Hulk, back in the 1970s. He’s hearing-impaired, from an infant ear-infection. He’ll probably be a sentimental favorite, and possibly a dark horse. He’s playing for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Arsenio Hall: Best known for hosting The Arsenio Hall Show, which makes him the only African-American late-night talk show host… ever. He’s well-connected in the celebrity world, smart, and funny. I see him going deep into the competition.
Penn Jillette: Half of the famous magician team, Penn and Teller, Jillette is big, loud, and maybe not as smart as he thinks. He lasted one week on DWTS. However, he does think out of the box, and that’s a quality that can pull out surprising wins on this show. It’ll be very fun to see how he does.
Dee Snider: From the 1980s hair band, Twisted Sister. Snider appeared on the show last season, doing a favor for eventual winner, John Rich, by appearing in full TS make-up for a commercial. Out of four celebrity winners, two have been musicians. So he’s got the odds on his side.
George Takei: He played Sulu on the original Star Trek series, which maybe makes him the biggest celebrity of all. He’ll be the oldest celebrity on the show at age 74. Interestingly, he came in third on the UK TV show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! He was noted for being polite and calm. I predict an early departure for him.
Paul Teutul, Sr.: Motorcycle designer and builder, from the reality series American Choppers. He seems to be following the model of Jesse James, who earned Top 4 status onCelebrity Apprentice 2. As a celebrity with a real day job, he does have an advantage in the business setting.
