Now that filming has begun, the full cast list of Celebrity Apprentice season 5 has been pretty fully confirmed, and the list tells us one thing for sure: This season may not have a Gary Busey, but it definitely will not lack for its own entertaining personalities.
A race car driver, a real housewife, a magician, plus multiple comedians, singers, models and actors have signed on to duke it out, corporate-style, for charity cash. And the newest hires at Trump Enterprises are…
- Clay Aiken, 32: American Idol Singer, Actor, Activist
- Marco Andretti, 24: Race Car Driver, Son of Another Famous Race Car Driver
- Adam Carolla, 47: Comedian, Ever-Popular Podcast Host
- Tia Carrere, 44: Actress, Model, Wayne Campbell’s Dream Girl
- Lou Ferrigno, 59: Actor, Bodybuilder, Hulk
- Debbie Gibson, 41: Singer, Actress, Everlasting Teen Dream
- Teresa Giudice, 39: Real Housewife of New Jersey, Aspiring Chef, Accomplished Sh*t-Stirrer
- Victoria Gotti, 48: Author, Reality TV Star, Daughter of Famous Mobster
- Arsenio Hall, 55: Actor, Comedian, Iconic Barker
- Penn Jillette, 56: Magician, TV Star, Author, Las Vegas Institution
- Lisa Lampanelli, 50: Comedienne, Celebrity Roast Mainstay
- Dayana Mendoza, 25: Miss Universe 2008 from Venezuela
- Aubrey O’Day, 27: Famously Not-shy Former Danity Kane Singer
- Dee Snider, 56: Twisted Sister Singer (who also appeared last season to help John Rich sell vintage 7Up!)
- George Takei, 74: Star Trek Actor (among many other roles), Gay Rights Activist, Badass
- Paul Teutul, Sr., 62: Motorcycle Designer, American Chopper Star, Mustache Maven
- Cheryl Tiegs, 64: Model, Actress
- Patricia Velasquez, 40: Model, Actress, Marta on Arrested Development (“Oh, Hermano!”)
The rumors of a Teresa Giudice/Victoria Gotti “strong Italian lady” showdown have already begun. Meanwhile, One lucky EW writer, Lanford Beard, was on hand for one of the season’s first challenges: A lunchtime sandwich fundrasier much like last season’s pizza challenge, with the gender-segregated teams competing to see which could raise more money by selling their sandwich creations. He saw Miss New York USA 2011 Amber Collins and Nyasha Zimucha from LOGO’s The A-List: New York on the scene, but I’m guessing that they were there because Ms. Mendoza solicited help from her fellow beauty queens. Sex sells … even sandwiches, apparently.
Check out the menu from the Women’s Team (Name TBD) below, which includes items like “Cheryl Tiegs’ Lean Supreme” and “Teresa Giudice‘s Hot-Blooded Italian Hoagie,” selling for a cool $100 each. (Hey, it is for charity.) The ladies apparently decided to embrace their celebrity status on their menu and in their restaurant, where patrons entered on a red carpet and could get their photo taken by a photographer. There was even on-scene entertainment: “As I headed out, Gibson kicked off an impromptu concert of “Only in My Dreams,”” Beard wrote.
Well, now I’m hungry. For a sandwich, and for Celebrity Apprentice drama. Who’s destined for boardroom greatness, and who’s going to get fired first? Start placing your bets now!
(Images: WENN, EW)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
Meghan hails from Walla Walla, WA, the proud home of the world’s best sweet onions and Adam West, the original Batman. An avid grammarian and over-analyzer, you can usually find her thinking too hard about plot devices in favorites like The Office, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and How I Met Your Mother. In her spare time, Meghan enjoys drawing, shopping, trying to be funny (and often failing), and not understanding the whole Twilight thing. She’s got a BA in English and Studio Art from Whitman College, which makes her a professional arguer, daydreamer, and doodler.
