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Trump’s reviving ‘Apprentice’ with regular folks

Donald Trump isn't firing "The Celebrity Apprentice," but he's bringing back the regular edition of the show with 14 ordinary candidates plagued by the sour job market.
/ Source: The Associated Press

Donald Trump isn't firing "The Celebrity Apprentice," but he's bringing back the regular edition of the show with 14 ordinary job-hunters plagued by the economic crisis.

NBC and Trump said Wednesday they want to put America back to work with the show, which is expected to air this fall.

The original civilian version of "The Apprentice" premiered in 2004, then two years ago was replaced by the "Celebrity Apprentice" format.

"But since the economy went down the tubes, people have been saying, 'Would it be possible to bring back the original?" Trump said. "In a way, it's more important now than when we first did it."

Trump's revived "Apprentice" will recruit candidates who have lost their jobs, are stuck with jobs they don't like just to get by or have finished college with no offers in sight.

The only common denominator: "Everybody has to be smart," Trump said. "They all have to have brain power."

Taping begins this summer.

The winner will land a position with one of Trump's companies, as in the original. But there will be an added twist each week for every candidate who hears Trump's dreaded words "You're fired" in the board room.

"Instead of just sending them off in a cab, I'm going to sit and talk to them about their future — give them a little advice," Trump said.

The current season of "The Celebrity Apprentice" premiered Sunday and is expected back for another run in spring 2011.