Like a bad check, Donald Trump has returned for another season, when ``Celebrity Apprentice', premiers Thursday at 9 p.m ET/PT.
         Gone are the stunning wunderkinds of the corporate world (Bill Rancic, Apprentice 1) Kendra Todd (Apprentice 3); gone is the dreaded boardroom (replaced by the ``War Room’’), gone too is Trump's tough love assistant Carolyn Kepcher (axed after the 5th season), replaced by the Trump children: Ivanka and Donald Jr.        
        Viewers will now tune in to see which one of 14 celebrities has what it takes to impress ``The Donald'' with their entrepreneurship, at least enough to hear the magical words ``You’re Hired’’. Actually, the winner won’t work for Trump, only have the opportunity of delivering a $250,000 bonus check to a charity of their choosing.
Participants include, former KISS band member and ``Family Jewel’s’’ star Gene Simmons, Marilu Henner, Stephen Baldwin, boxer Lennox Lewis, and actress/model Carol Alt.
         The Apprentice’s luster has worn off with viewers long ago; its ratings have been in steady decline since the end of the second season, due in large part to its declining lead-ins and tougher time periods. The last ditch effort to save the reality show by moving it out of Manhattan to glitzy L.A., failed to win back a dwindling fan base. In fact, NBC and Trump were on the verge of splitsville before new NBC programming director Ben Silverman and Apprentice producer Mark Burnett worked out a deal.
         But the way ``Dancing With the Stars’’ has become such a astounding hit for ABC, and with a writer’s strike now almost two months old, you have to think viewers will be starved for some kind of entertainment, even if it is an aging reality show. 
         The biggest obstacle the Apprentice faces Thursday, however, is competing against the likes of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, and Mike Huckabee, as eyes turn toward the Iowa caucuses to see who gets a leg-up in the mother of all horse races, the U.S. presidency. Assuming they come out with a respectable showing after a heavy night of political analysis, ``Celebrity Apprentice'' has a chance of succeeding, and cashing in on the fashionable trend of celebrities appearing on reality shows.

Former Apprentice Stars: Where Are They Now?

Carolyn Kepcher, Co-founder of Carolyn & Co, a soon to be online community for career women; she wrote ``Carolyn 101'', and now writes a weekly column for the New York Daily News, offering tips and advice on how to survive in a competitive corporate environment.

Kwame Jackson (season 1) Along with delivering speeches to corporations, colleges, and civic groups around the globe, the season 1 runner-up has launched a neckwear collection and on-line boutique; and in December, 2008, he will come out with a new book: ``Icons of Success'', which includes his personal interviews with Lebron James, Donald Trump, and David Stern, among others.

Ereka Vetrini (season 1) Co-host of iVillage Live with Bill Rancic (season 1 Apprentice)

Brad Cohen (season 2) Successful lawyer and now co-owner of 1-800-muffins.com

Andy Litinski Went on to work for Trump Productions in LA, where he recently worked on MTV's "Pageant Place"

Kendra Todd (season 3 winner): Regular real estate commentator for Fox News Channel, Host of HGTV’s hit show, “My House is Worth What?” In 2006, she published a book ``Risk and Grow Rich: How to Make Millions in Real Estate''

Tana Goertz (season 3) Now a professional motivational speaker, advising corporations on what it takes to gain a competitive edge.

-Bill Lucey
billlucey@bellsouth.net