Apprentice TV Show to feature Olympic athlete

NBC announced today that viewers will have the chance to pick an Olympic athlete to join the sixth season's cast of The Apprentice, the Donald Trump reality show where teams compete in the cutthroat world of business.
NBC Olympics and Mark Burnett Productions have joined forces for this ambitious exercise in corporate synergy. Voters will choose from 2006 US Olympic athletes Allison Baver, Travis Cabral, Casey FitzRandolph, Todd Hays, Chad Hedrick, Danny Kass, Joe Pack, Speedy Peterson, Angela Ruggiero, Katie Uhlaender, Seth Wescott, and Chris Witty. The winner of the online vote will appear as a contestant on season six of the series. Voting begins Friday, February 10 and concludes Sunday, February 26, at NBCOlympics.com.
"One does not reach the Olympic Games without enormous drive, perseverance, ambition, and a willingness to take a risk; [these are] traits required of business leaders," said Gary Zenkel, President of NBC Olympics, in a statement.
In the past, The Apprentice candidates have had to sell lemonade on New York city streets, pose for fashion shoots with models, envision and cook new pizza flavors, and design exciting new soda bottle concepts for major soft drink companies. The winner is hired for a job in the Donald Trump organization.
The Apprentice has popularized the previously loathed phrase "you're fired!" The show suffered a precipitous decline in the ratings last season, and when it returns this month, it is being moved from Thursdays to Mondays. The new season will also be filmed in Los Angeles rather than New York.
"We're thrilled to have an Olympian in our midst," said Trump. "And while we've let the viewers do a hiring...I'm still doing the firing. So we'll let the games begin this fall."
The Apprentice season six premieres February 27, on NBC.