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When the Celebrity Apprentice franchise returns to NBC on Jan. 2, it will have a new host (Arnold Schwarzenegger, stepping in for President-elect Donald Trump), a new name (The New Celebrity Apprentice) and now several new sponsors.
NBC has announced the 12 brands that will be featured on the upcoming season of the show: Tyra Beauty, Trident, Welch's, King's Hawaiian, Kawasaki USA, See's Candies, Lorissa's Kitchen, Universal Studios Hollywood, the L.A. Clippers, QVC, The Honest Company and Carnival Corporation.
From that group, only King's Hawaiian, Universal Studios Hollywood and QVC are returning sponsors from the Trump era of Celebrity Apprentice.
Three of the new brand sponsors are connected to Schwarzenegger's Celebrity Apprentice boardroom advisors: Steve Ballmer owns the Clippers, Tyra Banks created Tyra Beauty, and Jessica Alba is founder and CEO of The Honest Company.
Carnival will sponsor the show's season finale, while Tyra Beauty will figure into the Jan. 2 season premiere.
Contestants tackle a Tyra Beauty-related challenge in The New Celebrity Apprentice's debut episode.
"We are so excited to have this incredible line-up of sponsors on board and can't wait to bring their products to life through fun, engaging tasks that will help boost consumer awareness and expand outreach for these high-profile companies," said Schwarzenegger in a statement.
NBC said that many brands see sales bumps after they are featured on Celebrity Apprentice. Last year, a marketing plan that included the show helped drive sales growth for King's Hawaiian by 30 percent within a month of the episode.
"There is such excitement building around the new season of Celebrity Apprentice and to have these brands come on board with Arnold at the helm only adds to what we can do this time around," said executive producer Mark Burnett in a statement.
The show was filmed in L.A. earlier this year. The 16 celebrities competing for a $250,000 donation to their favorite charity include singer Carnie Wilson, boxing champion Laila Ali, Jersey Shore star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, singer Boy George, actor Jon Lovitz, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Kyle Richards, Real Housewives of Atlanta's Porsha Williams, Motley Crue lead singer Vince Neil and NFL stars Ricky Williams and Eric Dickerson.
New host Schwarzenegger, who was named Adweek's 2016 Brand Visionary in October, told Adweek he was looking forward to spreading his gospel of "turning one dollar into two" on the show. His new catchphrase for dismissing contestants each week, replacing Trump's "You're fired," won't be revealed until the premiere.
Having the Schwarzenegger on board has brought worldwide interest in the show, Paul Telegdy, president of NBC's alternative and reality group, told Adweek last month. "He is incredibly famous and represents action, adventure, athletics, culture, business, politics and family, as well as struggle and triumph," said Telegdy, adding that Schwarzenegger has a "well-rounded and extremely well-known brand with many touch points, which makes him accessible and relatable to the masses."
NBCUniversal said that upfront and scatter interest in Celebrity Apprentice is as strong as ever, and buyers don't expect any Trump-related blowback from audiences or advertisers this season as a result of Trump's frequently controversial behavior during and after the presidential election.
