NBC has announced its The Apprentice non-celebrity revival will air in the Thursdays at 10PM ET/PT timeslot this fall.
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The network had originally slated its new Love Bites romantic comedy to air in the time period this fall, however actress Becki Newton -- who was tapped to play a virgin in the scripted show -- recently revealed she's pregnant, contributing to a production delay, The New York Times reported Thursday.
"Everyone at the network loves Love Bites, but for a number of reasons, it now makes sense to showcase the comedic anthology series a little later in the new season," said NBC programming executive Mitch Metcalf.
"We're extremely fortunate to have a potent show such as the new and contemporary version of Donald Trump's The Apprentice ready to step into the slot and keep our Thursday lineup moving forward from a position of strength."
NBC ordered a new edition of The Apprentice's original version in March. While the show wasn't part of the Fall 2010 programming schedule NBC announced in early May, Trump had subsequently announced it would air this fall during The Celebrity Apprentice's live third-season finale later that month.
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"We'll be back in the fall with the regular Apprentice [and] back in the spring with The Celebrity Apprentice," he said in the finale's closing seconds.
The Apprentice finished filming this week in New York City according to NBC.
The revival -- the first non-celebrity The Apprentice edition in three years -- will follow 16 new candidates as they enter the boardroom for the opportunity to land a job within The Trump Organization with a six-figure salary.
In addition to Trump, The Apprentice's judging panel will consist of his two children -- Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka -- as well as longtime advisor George Ross.
The revival will also reflect the country's recent economic downturn -- as the cast will include people who have lost their jobs and recent college graduates struggling to find work, while winning project managers will be rewarded with one-on-one meetings with some of America's best-known business leaders and CEOs instead of lavish gifts.
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The Apprentice: Los Angeles -- the most-recent non-celebrity installment -- averaged only 7.49 million viewers, which didn't rank it among the 2006-2007 season's Top 100 shows among total viewers.
Bret Michaels was crowned The Celebrity Apprentice's third-season finale during its May finale, and a fourth edition of the series is currently slated to debut in March, according The Times.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio