New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS): Ritu Phogat is one of 12 guest athletes to join The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition -- ONE's unique take on the hit reality television franchise.
"When I heard about The Apprentice and how ONE Championship was making its own unique version of it a few months back, I was genuinely excited. I have seen snippets of the original show on television, so I know what it's about. But now it would really be interesting to get to experience it in person," said Ritu.
ONE athlete is expected to guest star per episode and will participate in physical challenges, unique to this version of The Apprentice. The show is one of the world's biggest non-scripted reality TV programs in history that judges the business skills of a group of contestants competing for a job offer with a high-profile CEO. It has aired in over 120 countries.
The first season of The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition, projected for release and distribution in early 2021, will consist of a total of 13 episodes.
"As a world champion athlete, it is my job to tackle physical challenges on a daily basis. But that being said, staying healthy and paying attention to our personal health and fitness should be a priority for everyone. I'm excited to participate in the physical challenges at The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition alongside the contestants. It's going to be fun," said Ritu.
Her co-stars include ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon "The Truth" Vera, ONE Women's Atomweight World Champion "Unstoppable" Angela Lee, ONE Flyweight Grand Prix World Champion Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson, Karate World Champion "Super" Sage Northcutt and ONE Women's Strawweight World Champion "The Panda" Xiong Jing Nan.
Aside from the physical challenges, there is a possibility that athletes will get to dabble in the world of business as well. At the very least, they can witness from the sidelines as the 16 contestants all vie for a chance to be called, 'The Apprentice', and earn the opportunity to receive a $250,000 job offer to work directly under Sityodtong for a year as his protege in Singapore.
"The similarity between sports and business, I believe, is closer than we think. Both share similar themes like teamwork, personal growth, honesty and hard work, discipline, and of course, lots of fun," said Ritu.