NEW YORK (AP) – Move over, Mosaic. Out of the way, Apex. Here comes Magna and Networth, the latest squads to do Donald Trump’s bidding on the third go-round of NBC’s “The Apprentice.”

This time, it’s about education and experience. With only high school diplomas in hand, street smarts team Networth will battle book smarts team Magna in various tasks involving companies such as Burger King, Home Depot, Domino’s and Nescafé.

“For the third season of “The Apprentice,’ Mark Burnett and I have decided to take the series into a new realm,” Trump said in a statement Thursday. “We wanted to see what would happen if we pitted college grads against high school grads.”

The third season of “The Apprentice” premieres Jan. 20.

There are some striking distinctions in the 18 cast members compared with the previous Apprentices. There are more older candidates (the oldest is 41), more candidates with children (at least three are parents), more candidates with real estate experience (at least six) and no Ivy League graduates.

“You’ll also discover that we chose candidates who are more relatable – along the lines of Sam, Troy and Amy,” said Trump of three popular first-season players.

Although NBC won’t reveal last names, details have started to emerge about some of the new candidates. Erin Elmore, 26, is a model-lawyer who will work on the Magna team. According to the Des Moines Register, sales manager and entrepreneur Tana Gertz, 37, from the street smarts team is married to a local weather forecaster. And shaggy-haired Magna member Danny Kastner, 39, is the chairman and chief executive officer of new media company POPstick.

The Magna team members are: Erin, 26, a lawyer from Philadelphia; Todd, 34, a sales manager from Carlsbad, Calif.; Verna, 31, a business manager from Seattle; Danny, 39, a marketing technology firm owner from Boston; Stephanie, 29, a supply chain consultant from San Diego; Bren, 32, a prosecutor from Memphis, Tenn.; Michael, 25, a real estate developer from Boston; Alex, 29, a prosecutor from Seattle; and Kendra, 26, a real estate broker from Boynton Beach, Fla.

The Networth team members are: Tara, 28, senior government manager from New York City; Audrey, 22, a real estate agent from Salt Lake City; John, 32, a technology firm owner from Tampa, Fla.; Tana, 37, a sales executive from Des Moines, Iowa; Kristen, 31, a real estate financier from Los Angeles; Brian, 29, a real estate broker from Wildwood, N.J.; Angie, 41, a gym franchise owner from Lake Balboa, Calif.; Chris, 22, a real estate investor from Las Vegas; and Craig, 37, a shoeshine business owner from Conley, Ga.

—

On the Net:

http://www.nbc.com/nbc/The-Apprentice-3/

AP-ES-12-23-04 1548EST

Copy the Story Link