Donald Trump sure knows how to run a conference call. From the minute he and Poison frontman Bret Michaels logged in to do press for this Sunday’s return of The Celebrity Apprentice, he was shamelessly promoting it.

He gushed about the business reality show’s stellar ratings – the last year’s Season 2 finale between Annie Duke and Joan Rivers netted just under nine million viewers, a close No. 2 to Desperate Housewives.

He also crowed that everybody is talking about the new cast, which includes Michaels, Darryl Strawberry, Cyndi Lauper, Sharon Osbourne, Michael Johnson, Holly Robinson Peete, Bill Goldberg, Carol Leifer, Sinbad, Summer Sanders, Rod Blagojevich, Maria Kanellis, Curtis Stone and Selita Ebanks.

When Trump and Michaels weren’t complimenting each other, they dished on the new season and everyone’s can-do attitude. Trump even had some advice for new the NBC boss, Jeff Gaspin, on how he could fix the Peacock’s sorry ratings: more shows like The Apprentice, of course.


Tell us a little bit about the selection process.
Donald Trump: So many people want to be on the show now. After the first (season’s) success and then the Joan Rivers success, celebrities want to be on the show. I would say probably six or seven people per spot we were turning down. We wanted some athletes, we wanted some actors, actresses. We have models, we have wrestlers. We really have some good people that want to go on very badly and I guess we'll save them for the next show because it looks like that's going to happen.

Bret, what was that experience like for you?
Bret Michaels: The boardroom is exactly what I thought it would be like. It’s very intense in there.

How is this season going to be different than past seasons? Are you going to do anything to change it up a bit?
DT: Well we've had such a success, and frankly when you have a success you don't like to do too many changes. What we do have is there has been a different tone. But the cast has been very interesting. They've been very tough, very nasty, but there's also a lot of fun and funniness with respect to what happens, which I don't think we had in the last one with Joan as an example and with Piers.

It was really nasty people really hating each other. These people hate each other, but it's also funny; there's something funny about it that I didn't have in the first two, so I think that might be the biggest differentiation in terms of the three casts.

Bret, what was your strategy going into the game?
BM: I went in there with one intent, and that was to win. And when I went in there with that attitude, I know one thing that I felt was extremely important for me was to deliver myself to each task. I thought there was going to be some quitters. On this (season), there were no quitters and I think that's what made this coming season the most intense because no one was giving up the battle.

You don't get intimidated much, do you Mr. Trump?
DT: No I don't. I understand life and ‘Hey, we're here for a certain period of time and that's the end.’ What's to be intimidated about? But Goldberg is certainly a guy that can intimidate people. And I think, Bret, you would agree with that right?

BM: I would agree 1,000 per cent. Goldberg is an extremely, extremely intense guy and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I like him and respect him as a wrestler and enjoy watching him, but I'm also going up against him to win and that's what made it intense because he is big physically. I may not beat him in a fight, but I knew I could outrun him.

Bret, how do you think you stack up to these strong personalities?
BM: I know that they're strong physically, mentally, so when I go in there that makes me up my game. And I feel the reason I've survived 20 years in the music business is I just don't back down to a challenge and especially when it's that close to my heart.

And knowing that they're smart, knowing that you're up there in front of Mr. Trump, in front of Sharon, in front of Strawberry, in front of Goldberg, all these people … it really makes you up your game. And I think that what people forget about all this is when you go in there how intense and hard of work this is.
Bret upped his game 

Mr. Trump, even after all these years do you ever feel bad about firing someone or just part of the job?
DT: I always feel bad … no, not always, sometimes I don't like people. The hard ones are when you really like somebody, really respect somebody and they make a mistake. Like as an example, Scott Hamilton. How can you not like Scott Hamilton from the last season? And I had to let Scott go.

Bret, who's the most interesting person you worked with on this show?
BM: The most fascinating person is Mr. Trump. You know that he takes no crap. And you don't want to slip up. And so going in there knowing how extremely intelligent he is, marketing, all that stuff I knew I had to have my A-game on. And then second of all I would say on the cast I think the one I feared the most was going to be Sharon Osbourne.

Mr. Trump, what you think NBC has to do to kind of get back in the ratings game – produce more scripted shows or have these reality shows with lots of drama?
DT: Well, Jeff Gaspin, I know him, and as you know he's new to the role. And I think he's going to do a spectacular job at NBC. They need more shows like The Apprentice, not necessarily from a reality standpoint, but they need shows that hit – that capture the imagination.

And frankly, certain shows that are on should be changed because they get some pretty good reviews, but they don't get people watching. Ultimately you have to have people watch. I think that NBC is going to really do well. I understand their current leadership and I think they're winners, so I think they'll turn it around.

The Celebrity Apprentice returns Sunday, March 14, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Global/NBC.

Thoughts? greg@tvguide.ca or comment below.

Follow Greg on Twitter

Video: a promo for this week’s première

Follow TV Guide Canada on Facebook