‘Celebrity Apprentice’ Ties Ratings Low With New Host
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It was a bumpy ratings start for NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice with new host Arnold Schwarzenegger, which opened its eighth season — and first without original star Donald Trump — with a 1.3 rating in adults 18-49 and 4.9 million viewers. That is down a big 46% from the most recent Season 7 debut two years ago.
There are some mitigating factors — Schwarzenegger’s Celebrity Apprentice faced stiff sports competition from ESPN’s Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl coverage, and the NBC affiliates owned by Hearst stations are blacked out on DirecTV. Still, this is a pretty underwhelming start for the rebooted Celebrity Apprentice which, to drum up interest, kept Schwarzenegger’s catchphrase under wraps until the premiere broadcast.
Celebrity Apprentice was topped in the 8-10 PM slot by the season premiere of another unscripted veteran, ABC’s The Bachelor (2.1, 6.56 million)