Donald Trump on Celebrity Apprentice Season 12: "This Was a Very, Very Smart Cast"

Donald Trump said it plainly: "I view this as Arsenio's coming out party. He sort of became almost reclusive, and people wanted him for different thing…" — and Premier Guide Miami was in the room when it happened.

On February 9, 2012, NBC held a press call for Celebrity Apprentice Season 12, premiering Sunday, February 19th at 9 p.m. on NBC. Executive producer and host Donald Trump joined contestants Debbie Gibson and Arsenio Hall to preview the new season. Premier Guide Miami was among the outlets on the call.

I view this as Arsenio's coming out party. He sort of became almost reclusive, and people wanted him for different things and he wouldn't do it. I think that Arsenio will have a very major show after Celebrity Apprentice, because he's smart. He's tough.

What experience teaches you

Asked what he knows now in business that he didn't know starting out, Trump reflected on the limits of prediction: "I think that experience is a great thing. You learn so much through experience, and it's trial and error, but ultimately it becomes really trial because you see what goes on and you learn things. One thing I learned is that you never really know who's going to be great and who's not. Sometimes you're so amazed and so disappointed in some people — they look great, they're dressed sharp, everything's great, and you say, 'Oh, wow, they're going to be fantastic.' And they turn out to be a total dud. And then you'll have some that you don't really predict will do that well, and they turn out to be superstars. That's the thing I learned the most about the show itself — it's very hard to predict who's going to be the star, early on."

Arsenio's return — and why Trump sees it as a coming-out party

Trump was effusive about Arsenio Hall's decision to join the season: "Arsenio I knew for a long time, but I really knew him through the show. His show was the hottest show. He was the best at what he did, and he was sort of killing everybody, and it became the buzz show, and then all of a sudden, Arsenio was gone, and nobody quite understood it. He sort of went into hiding, and I can tell you a lot of people, when they heard Arsenio was on our show, they said, 'Wow. That's a great get.' I view this as Arsenio's coming out party, and I think that Arsenio will have a very major show after Celebrity Apprentice, because he's smart. He's tough." On Debbie Gibson, Trump noted he had seen her on Broadway: "I watched her in Les Mis, and she was fantastic. I was actually there at opening night when she opened in Les Mis, and she was great. I still remember it, the way she sang."

The season's most brutal rivalry

Trump identified the season's defining conflict without hesitation: "There was one rivalry that was very interesting — Lisa Lampanelli versus Miss Universe, Dayana Mendoza. That was an unbelievable rivalry. I don't know what it is that Lisa had against Dayana, but it was brutal. Lisa's tough and smart, but it was a brutal rivalry." He added that Mendoza ultimately proved herself: "She ended up being very smart. In a very understated way, she turned out to be very smart. But Lisa just went after her. It was brutal." On the season's emotional register: "Lisa surprised me, because she's much more emotional than I thought she'd be. And Lou Ferrigno — Lou was another one. Very emotional person." His overall verdict on the cast: "This was a very, very smart cast, and I think people are going to learn a lot from Celebrity Apprentice. I've had emotional casts, and this was one of them — but this was a very, very smart group of people as a whole."

How he picks the cast — and who he'd still like to get

On the casting process for a record 18 contestants: "Essentially it's celebrity, it's smarts, it's the level of enthusiasm. It's actually a great question — it's very hard. All you can do is pick what you think are the best 18 people. You pick the people that you think will be really good together, and I think that's why we have a great cast this time." He noted that almost everyone wants to be on the show: "We've turned down many, many people, for every one we take. I have a list of 1,000 celebrities and I'm amazed at how many celebrities there are, and every one of the thousand people, you've heard of." One holdout: "Pete Rose is somebody I'd love to have on the show, but he hates the concept of being fired, even though I think it would be great for him. He really wants to be on this show, but he does have a little problem with that." On what the show has proven: "I was told a business show has never made it in prime time. This is 12 seasons later. It continues to be one of the great shows." Celebrity Apprentice Season 12 premiered Sunday, February 19, 2012, on NBC.

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