On January 2, NBC's "The Celebrity Apprentice" made it's way back on to a prime time slot for a new season. This time around, former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger would be the host, replacing former host Donald Trump.
Low ratings for season 15
NBC had high hopes for "The New Celebrity Apprentice." With a fresh host, a new Los Angeles location, and 16 eager Celebrities, the network was ready to roll. The celebrities who would be competing in the reality game show included athletes, actors, musicians, comedians, and reality stars. Some of the more well known names on the latest season were Boy George, Laila Ali, Kyle Richards, Jon Lovitz, and Carnie Wilson.
Although Trump was no longer the host, he was still involved with the show as the executive producer. In the past, "The Celebrity Apprentice" would bring in a good number of viewers and ratings. This season, there were under 5 million viewers per episode. Trump made sure that people were aware of the ratings drop, as he took to his Twitter account to "share" the news.
Schwarzenegger places blame
The season came to an end on February 13 and Matt Iseman was named the winner. Before "The Celebrity Apprentice," Iseman was best known as the host of "American Ninja Warrior." His charity was the Arthritis Foundation and he raised almost $600,00 in the final episode. Iseman was up against singer Boy George in the finale, and the two competed in a tight competition where many thought Boy George would reign the champ.
Once the season concluded, things were quiet on the "Apprentice" front. It wasn't until March 3 when it was announced that Schwarzenegger wouldn't come back to host another season. The former governor said the ratings were low because once viewers saw that Trump was a producer, they turned the channel.
In a news statement about not coming back for another season, Schwarzenegger said:
“I loved every second of working with NBC and Mark Burnett,” Mr.
Schwarzenegger said, referring to the creator of “The Apprentice,” the show that turned Mr. Trump into a reality-TV star. “Everyone — from the celebrities to the crew to the marketing department — was a straight 10, and I would absolutely work with all of them again on a show that doesn’t have this baggage.”
It's up to you to figure out what the "baggage" is that he is referring to.
