'Celebrity Apprentice' stars Donald Trump, Bret Michaels and La Toya Jackson talk tonight's premiere

Tonight is the season premiere of All-Star Celebrity Apprentice, and stars Donald Trump, Bret Michaels and La Toya Jackson took the opportunity to discuss the drama-packed season, the returning all-stars and the charities for which they're playing.

Credit: Douglas Gorenstein/NBC

Will this be the final season of Celebrity Apprentice?

Donald Trump: Well it has been doing very, very well in the ratings as you know. It’s the number one show at 10:00 on Sundays. And, you know, we’ll see. You never know what’s going to happen. But certainly it has been doing, you know, very, very well in the ratings as you know and so I would anticipate that it would continue onward.

We have had 15 copies of Celebrity Apprentice or The Apprentice, as I say. I guess there was another one last week, it was called The Job and that was just terminated, I understand. But 15 copies and this is our 10th year, it’s our 13th season. So it has been a great success and it continues to do very well in the ratings, as you know.

Is this the most dramatic season yet, and what are some of the most outrageous moments?

Donald Trump: Well I’ll speak first. I think it’s certainly one of the most dramatic seasons. We have tremendous interest in the season and we have brought back - including Bret and La Toya we have brought back some of the people that everybody really likes because it’s an All Star season. And I think yes, it’s a very dramatic season, amazing things happen. La Toya and Bret, go ahead.

La Toya Jackson: It’s a very - you have no idea, it’s very dramatic, it’s very exciting. There is so much going on. And you will see a lot of confrontations. It’s just - it’s going to be a blast, you’ll love it. You will simply love it, everyone will.

Bret Michaels: I have found that as being there the first time it was something I really wanted to do. I had an absolutely great time and coming back obviously it is extremely dramatic and you’ll just have to watch because it will keep you riveted.

Bret, after winning Celebrity Apprentice, did you feel like you had an advantage going into this season? What was your approach?

Bret Michaels: The truth is -- here is the absolute truth -- I actually felt like I had, probably, a major disadvantage because I feel like it’s like ... you want to call it the "Super Bowl Syndrome" -- when a team comes back that has won it, everyone is gunning for them.

But I loved everyone who was on it. And listen, as a lifelong diabetic, it’s a great opportunity for charity. I wanted to do it. But no doubt when you’re coming back they’re going to firing for you and you’ve just got to be strong and do the best you can.

Mr. Trump, what do you find so appealing about still doing the show?

Donald Trump: Well more than anything - yes I think more than anything else it’s the success of the show. It has just been amazing, you know, how well it has done. And it took people by storm. As you know, it became the number one show in many evenings over the years and it has been just a great success and it continues to be a phenomenal success for NBC and for me and for us.

So I think, you know, more than anything... it has been an amazing success and I think maybe that’s why I keep doing it. It’s just that old thing. You know, it’s like when I talked about The Job or I could talk about many, many other shows that have tried to copy The Apprentice and they failed. They failed very quickly and miserably. And, you know, 15 of them now and I think more than anything else Earl it’s really the success of the show. I enjoy doing it. As long as it continues to be successful I enjoy it.

Credit: Adam Olszewski/NBC

What was the greatest lesson learned from doing the show?

La Toya Jackson: Well first of all it’s so - it’s such a fascinating show and I love the fact that he has given us this opportunity to promote our networks and what we’re doing as far as our charities are concerned. But I think I learned that personalities are individuals, and you have to really be strong and steadfast -- no matter what happens, what you go through, stand by what you truly believe in...

Bret Michaels: You know what, the first time for me, and again, I go back to this being a lifelong diabetic and my Life Rocks charity. It was an amazing opportunity. And, you know, when you go in there you’ve got to remember, we all - everybody in there, it’s a strange bittersweet moment because you’re all very much friends and at the same time you’re all competing to win, and win big money for your charity. And when you get into the board room you hope that you don’t get too badly thrown under the bus.

And I learned from the first year I did it, it was an amazing opportunity. And, you know, everyone talks about brand but honestly just for the charity itself and as a diabetic to raise hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars and open up other opportunities outside of it, it was amazing.

Donald Trump: They both do great, they both do great. I mean, it’s exciting stuff and, you know, these two people are special people. And Bret already won it. And to be honest I was a little surprised that Bret - because the others are sitting next to me as my advisers, the other winners. And Bret really wanted to go on the show and really make a lot of money for his charity and that took a lot of courage.

As somebody that won the show, I was surprised. I don’t think I would have done it. But as somebody that had won the show and then to go back for a second I think took a lot of courage. And he did that because of his, you know, you raise a lot of money for your charity. And I think it’s going to end up being very good for him too. We’ll see how that all turns out.

Mr. Trump, were you expecting more out of the contestants since they have been through the show before? Were you a bit tougher on them?

Donald Trump: No I think they became a lot smarter, they understand the system better. We have a couple that did very, very well that frankly I wasn’t expecting as much from and I think they have learned the system a little bit. So it wasn’t that I was expecting more, I think they have become much smarter.

And I actually think that it made for an exciting show, very exciting show. I think it’s - I think almost every one of them really have learned so much and it has become very, very exciting. It’s really a strong show, amazing show.

Credit: Adam Olszewski/NBC

Were there any moves that surprised you? Did any of the contestants do anything shocking that we may have not seen before?

Donald Trump: Well I think what surprises me more than anything else is the fact that, you know, these are name people, these are people that are successful and in some cases very, very successful like Bret and like La Toya. But they’re very successful people.

And it is a tough go. They devote so much effort, so much time, so much energy and I’m just amazed. You know, I don’t know, there aren’t very many people that could do it and I give a lot of credit to the people that go on the show.

And certainly it’s good for them but it’s also good for charities because they raise, you know, we have raised literally probably over $10 million to charity on the various shows. And it’s great, I love it, I love it. We actually had a couple of nights where we raised $1 million in one night, over $1 million in one night. So it has been a great thing for charities.

Bret and La Toya, did you have any hesitation about going back on the show or did you immediately think "yes, I want to do this again"?

La Toya Jackson: Well, you know, I wanted to do it in the very beginning but the second time around I was a bit hesitant because I knew what I was faced with the first time. And I said you know what, you never give up, you always have to keep believing, you have to believe that you’re going to be the winner, you’re going to come through this really straightforward and strong.

And I went for it, I went for it. Because if I have learned anything I have learned what Trump has taught us all that we need to put our best foot forward and don’t let anybody, anybody block us from anything that we wish to do or want to do.

And I felt it was very, very important to bring awareness as well to my charity which was National Network to End Domestic Violence. Because this show is so big and so wonderful, he has given us this opportunity to bring this awareness to our charities where everybody sees it and that interest goes there and then they start giving to the charity which is incredible. And it’s wonderful all the people who need it.

And Bret?

Bret Michaels: No hesitation on my part at all. I was excited to do it, I wanted to do it the first time I did it and again I wasn’t - when I actually did it the first time I wasn’t at the peak of my best health. So this time getting the opportunity with All Stars and with La Toya and everyone that was there and Trace and Penn. I mean, these guys are all of them successful at what they do.

There is a reason Mr. Trump and his show is a success. He’s a success in real life, in life life. And to be able to learn from that, I went in with no hesitation and realizing that the competition was going to be fierce. We all know each other, we all know the way each other plays, and for me I just went in headstrong and had a great time going there, zero hesitation. I would do it again.

Mr. Trump, why do you think the time was right to do the current All Stars edition?

Donald Trump: Well it just seemed good. You know, we’ve had so many people that have done so well on the show. They didn’t win but they did really well and they were really liked by the audience because ultimately it is about them being liked by the audience. And, you know, we have Trace Adkins coming back, we have so many people that did so well and just really were liked.

And, you know, I have such respect for Bret, you know, going on the show and because he could have sat to my side and it wouldn’t have been the same risk. But I really - I think you’ll see that Bret comes out amazingly, he comes out amazingly.

But there was so much like and love for some of these contestants that we wanted to do an All Star version and bring back some of the, you know, whether it’s Gary Busey or Dennis Rodman, we have some - just some great people coming back.

Are you harder on Bret this season because he is a returning winner?

Donald Trump: Well that you’ll have to see, but I respect Bret at least as much and in many ways more. Because what he did took guts. I told him actually during the show, I can say the one thing I can say, I said I don’t know why you’re doing this.

Because, you know, it’s like a heavyweight champion. You win the fight and then you want to - and then you sort of retire and then you want to come back and win it again. And it took a lot of courage and I respect that. I fully get it and I totally respect it. But I did say to Bret, you know, that was a courageous thing to do. And I think he did it for his charity which is pretty noble.

What about this cast makes for such a good mix of drama this season?

Donald Trump: Well it’s a strong cast. It’s a very smart group of people. They’re people that have done well in life and also in the show, for the most part in the show and in life in all cases. It’s a very nasty show.

I mean, there are some deals, Omarosa is extremely nasty I can tell you. She - I’m a big fan of Omarosa by the way, I love Omarosa. But she was brutal wouldn’t you say La Toya? And La Toya handled it very well I will say but it was not easy. Do you agree with that La Toya?

La Toya Jackson: Absolutely brutal is right. And, you know, I was told over and over she’s very conniving and cunning and I just - you’re faced with it. It’s right there. And she was brutal, absolutely.

Credit: Douglas Gorenstein/NBC

What is Joan Rivers’ role on the show? She’s a judge now?

Donald Trump: Yes she will be a judge. And, you know, Don and Ivanka and Eric are judges. But what we’ll do is put Piers on in a little bit and we’ll put - and the conflict between Omarosa and Piers which is just a continuation of what happened previously on the show as you know, the conflict is as good, as smart, as tough, as mean as anything that we’ve ever had on the show.

But Piers is a judge with me and he sits by my side replacing Ivanka a couple of times and likewise with Joan. And we have some amazing evenings. I mean, it’s really amazing. So in other words I have taken some of the past winners and made them judges to replace my children for a couple of shows.

What does Gary Busey bring to the show? And was consideration given to bringing Meat Loaf back to duplicate that past dynamic as well?

Donald Trump: Well we were thinking but we didn’t want to duplicate the show. So we may have Meat Loaf back at a later time. He was fabulous, he was just great on the show, he was great.

And Gary is very interesting because he’s somewhat different. He has been solidified. He’s a piece of work. You know, in his own way he’s a genius. I guess we could say that Bret and La Toya, right? He has got, you know, some - he really is, he’s amazing.

La Toya Jackson: He really is.

Donald Trump: Go ahead La Toya.

La Toya Jackson: No he’s the smartest guy ever. As a matter of fact I just saw him last week and he is Gary. He hasn’t changed a bit and he loves you Mr. Trump. That’s all he talks about.

Donald Trump: Oh that’s nice.

La Toya Jackson: You never know what’s going to come out of his mouth. That’s the strangest part about it all isn’t it guys?

Donald Trump: Well he really did good. Bret knows him very well. And I think he really did well and he showed some of his smarts. Go ahead Bret.

Bret Michaels: Yes Gary is a tremendous, you know, he is a tremendously smart human being and a character all mixed into one, you know what I mean? And the best part about it is it’s real, it’s sincere. He’s not going out of his way to be it, it’s just what he is. And he’s also very intelligent in his own way.

Donald Trump: ... I mean, there’s no acting, it’s just the way he is. He is a very unique guy. He is a strange kind of a guy but he’s a very unique guy. He’s very smart. It takes you a while to realize that and then he even borders on brilliance probably. But he’s great entertainment and great show business and people really wanted him to come back. Along with the two people you’re talking about - to and others. I mean, we really have an amazing cast. But people really wanted Gary back.

Mr. Trump, why this group of celebrity All Stars? Like why not Holly Robinson Peete or Melissa Rivers or so on?

Donald Trump: Well they were all great. I’ve had very few that I could truly say - and I have had some that I did not think were good and we wouldn’t have them back. But Holly Robinson Peete was great, Melissa had one of the great scenes in the history when she went, you know, she went crazy over something. And, you know, it was great television.

But this was the group we wanted. Everybody that we asked to be on the show we were able to get. You know, I mean, you look at what has gone on with Trace and with Gary Busey and some of the people we have talked about and it’s just amazing. You have a list of the people on the show.

And it has just been a chemistry thing. We wanted the right chemistry. You never know if it’s going to work but we picked people and the chemistry really did work.

Credit: Adam Olszewski/NBC

Bret, with all the health issues that you had the last time you were on, were you a little bit nervous to be back on the show this year?

Bret Michaels: No, to be honest with you. I’ve said this before. I didn’t hesitate for a minute. I had such an amazing time the first time I did it. And let me tell you what no one wants to say. This is the real truth. It is a very, very tough show and I’m talking schedule. When you go in, it’s a tough schedule. You want to get there, you want to win, you’re going up against all very competitive A type personalities.

And no I didn’t hesitate for a second. I feel much - I laugh, I say they worked on the brain, the heart, the appendix. Most of the parts are fixed or gone. I said at this point I went back and I thought I’d feel a lot better. You know, the first time I did it I was pretty sick but this time I felt great. And I really wanted to be there and do it.

And it was, you know, La Toya is fantastic. She is a fighter and she’s kind. It’s a great juxtaposition. But everyone on there wanted to win and it really - you get a lot of drama. It’s going to be great TV.

Who do you guys think is your biggest competitor on the show and who surprised you the most?

La Toya Jackson: I think that - in the beginning of the show I thought the biggest competitor, I knew it would be probably Penn. I just felt that. I don’t know why but I did of course and Trace of course.

However, I felt that I would have a lot of problems with Omarosa and that was just a feeling. Because you can tell in the beginning when you see the people sort of sizing you out and saying little things to you but you’re still polite to them at the same time you’re going oh my God, it’s going to be war at some point. And you know it’s going to happen, you know it’s going to come. And yes of course it’s going to be an interesting season, let’s put it that way.

Bret Michaels: Yes it’s - and I can add to this. There are - I look at everybody as massive competition on that show because everyone wants to win. They didn’t go there to lose. And, you know, you’ve got to just bring what is your game and pray that it works and bring your A game and pray that it works.

And no doubt, La Toya said it best, everybody is competitive. And some of them are -- I won’t mention any names -- are pretty good TV professional villains. And as much as I think I’ve got nerves of steel they can rattle you, they can rattle you no doubt.

La Toya Jackson: And Bret you were a threat because Bret, you know, as we all know Bret has already won so at this point you’re thinking oh no, Bret’s here, what are we going to do. So yes, it’s very competitive. And that’s one thing that you have to really, really mentally get yourself prepared for because people will do anything, and I do mean anything as Bret knows to win.

Donald Trump: And I’ll speak for Bret. He is very tough and he’s very, very smart.

La Toya Jackson: Very.

Donald Trump: So it’s just going to be amazing.

Mr. Trump, since this is an all-star version of the show and everybody has been on it before, in your estimation did everybody perform better than they did the first time? And if you had to award a prize or a ribbon for most improved celebrity from the first time to this time who would it be?

Donald Trump: Well I would say, I can’t give names obviously ... because it would be inappropriate, but a number of people really were different and performed better. Some didn’t perform as well, I would say, but a number of people really performed better than they did in the first show. And some are just smart people that, you know, they do well including the two people that you’re talking to. I mean, they’re very smart people and they do well.

You know, I said - just said great things about Bret. I will tell you La Toya, and I always say she is totally under - people don’t get La Toya. She is sharp and tough as can be. She dealt with Omarosa so incredibly, I mean, what she had to go through, and that was not easy. And I have great respect for La Toya Jackson. So yes I think all of them, I think everybody really performed very well to be honest with you.

La Toya Jackson: Thank you Mr. Trump.

Mr. Trump, how is this season divided? Was it male celebrities versus female celebrities or is it a mix?

Donald Trump: Generally we find that male versus female is the best and that’s generally what we do. And we do a lot of that here. It just seems to work the best. I mean, there’s no great secret. We could come up with 15 different formulas but generally speaking we find that’s the best way of going about it. People like it. We don’t want to change a formula that works too much.

To Bret and La Toya, what is the name of the charity you're playing for this season, what does it do, and why is that charity important to you personally?

La Toya Jackson: Well my charity that I was playing for was National Network to End Domestic Violence and that basically is a charity, as you all know domestic violence occurs all over the world and as we’re speaking now there are women and of course men that are just going through abuse at this very single moment. And they have no shelter, they feel that they have no lobby, they have nowhere to go.

So I’m here to let them know that we are doing something about it and there are shelters, there is an 800 number that’s right there for you to call and get help.

But this year - this charity that I’m playing for, National Network to End Domestic Violence was actually formed by the people themselves. So they went out and they got together and said we need a charity, we need a place to stay, something to do and have people come and donate for us.

So I thought that was very commendable of these little kids and women who were basically really suffering to get together and do something and say this is what our charity is going to be about and this is what it is.

And it needs awareness. And people are just watching and just donating and I’m so happy. You can never, ever, ever have enough. And I truly believe that no one charity is better than the other but just bringing awareness to it is what I’m here for and I am very proud and pleased to be happy working with Mr. Trump to bring that awareness to it.

And Bret?

Bret Michaels: Yes my charity is simply called Life Rocks Foundation and I’ve had it for a really long time and it is - being a lifelong diabetic myself obviously a big part of it goes to diabetes. A big huge part of it which works also with ETF is St. Jude’s and childhood cancer and in Wounded Warriors and pet adoption. It’s got a variety of different things that we work.

But it’s called Life Rocks Foundation Faces and Places and you just go to bretmichaels.com and you see the thousands of faces and the money every penny has been donated over the years.

Credit: Douglas Gorenstein/NBC

What made you choose different charities this time?

La Toya Jackson: Well - okay I chose a different charity because I like helping different charities that I work with and I felt that this is one that needed that awareness brought to it. And that’s why I wanted to slightly go in a different direction because I believe that all charities need and they will always need so I figured why not give to this one.

Because a lot of kids, a lot of parents are suffering right now, needy mothers who have no place to go. And I said this will be the perfect vehicle for this. What about you Bret?

Bret Michaels: Yes, the Life Rocks Foundation, very simple. It was also part of what I did last time with the ADA. And again I go back to this, I’ve been Type 1 diabetic since I’ve been six and I fight hard for that. But there’s a lot of causes and the Life Rocks Foundation was part of what we won for last time with the ADA, the American Diabetes Association.

And again I would come back and if they asked me again to do this again I’d come back and fight again. It’s one of those things I love. I love the show. I love watching it aside from doing it but the opportunities it gave me to help me to learn how to raise money for charity and also do what I do by giving money to charity, it’s both. And Life Rocks is part of what ADA is, a big portion of it goes to the ADA.

Mr. Trump, if you were to compete on the show what charity would you play for and why?

Donald Trump: Well I support many, many charities and a lot of good ones. But I would do something probably with either AIDS research, cancer research, or Police Athletic League in New York City. They do a fantastic job. Dana-Farber is fantastic up in Boston.

I have many, many charities. And that would be very, very hard for me, I’d have to pick one. But, you know, any one of those would be good as far as I’m concerned.

Do you think people tune in for the [Trump] family dynamic?

Donald Trump: Well I think some people do, they like my children, they like Ivanka very much. That has been proven and tested and they like my children. And I think yes, I think they do, I think some do. I think some turn in for the conflict and the fighting and some turn in to learn. A lot of reasons to watch Apprentice.

And, you know, it started out as a very educational thing and it continues to be that but the entertainment value certainly has to be there, otherwise you wouldn’t have too many viewers. It wouldn’t be on for, you know, ten years now.

All-Star Celebrity Apprentice premieres tonight at 9/8c on NBC.

http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=n31188