With its season premiere quickly approaching and promotional commercials featuring the cast having already been airing for several weeks, NBC has finally officially revealed the identities and backgrounds of the eighteen new contestants that will be competing in The Apprentice 2.
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Ranging in age between 23 and 37 featuring four Harvard graduates and three folks with degrees from the Wharton School of Finance, this season's group of contestants will once again begin the game by being split into two equal groups of men and women.
In the premiere, after meeting Trump, George, Carolyn and each other for the first time the contestants will they move into their luxurious new suite and immediately begin to create team names.
The next day, after assembling at the Toys "R" Us in Times Square, Trump will disclose the teams' first tasks -- to create a new toy for the Mattel toy company... with one member of the losing team to be told "You're Fired." The Apprentice 2 will debut Thursday, September 9 at 8:30PM ET/PT with a special 90-minute premiere.
The eighteen contestants competing on the The Apprentice 2 are:
• Kevin Allen, 29-year-old law student from Chicago, IL. Kevin, grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland and then went on to attend the Wharton School of Business. He gave up his pursuit of a professional football career when his brother was diagnosed with leukemia. He later received an MBA in M&A and Finance from Emory. He is currently working toward earning his law degree at the University of Chicago. He and his brother have founded their own software company.
• Raj Bhakta, 28-year-old real estate developer from Vail, CO and Philadelphia, PA. Raj received his secondary education at The Hill School, a boarding school outside Philadelphia, and later earned degrees in both Economics and History from Boston College. Moving on from a successful stint in investment banking at the firm of Violy & Co. in New York, Raj founded Automovia Technology Partners at the age of 23. The company worked closely with some of the largest and most respected firms in the automotive industry to develop custom-built cutting-edge technology related to the valuation and distribution of pre-owned automobiles. After his time in the technology sector, Raj turned his focus to real estate and created Vanquish Enterprises. This led to the acquisition of a hotel, retail, and condominium project in Vail, CO. Through an extensive renovation and repositioning of the asset, the project is on track to increase revenue by three hundred percent.
• Maria Boren, a 31-year-old marketing executive from Virginia Beach, VA. Maria grew up in Tallahassee, Florida though her primary residence is in Virginia Beach, VA. Maria has a BS in Business and completed her MBA with a specialty track in Entrepreneurial Marketing. In 2002, Maria was named the youngest Vice President in the history of her publicly traded company. She is currently the Vice-President of Marketing for a Real Estate Investment Trust company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, and has 10 years of experience in the fields of Marketing/Branding, Sales, Business Management and Advertising.
• Bradford Cohen, a 33-year-old attorney from Fort Lauderdale, FL. Bradford hails from a small town in Massachusetts. He later settled in South Florida where he obtained his J.D. from Nova Southeastern Law School. In addition to being a successful lawyer and handling several high profile cases, he is also a real estate investor owning several pieces of commercial and residential property in South Florida. He can be seen daily commuting to the courthouse or inspecting his properties in his customized gas-powered golf cart complete with monster truck tires.
• Jennifer Crisafulli, a 31-year-old real estate agent from New York, NY. Jennifer graduated with honors and a BFA degree from Syracuse University, and immediately went on to become one of the youngest photo editors hired at a leading international entertainment magazine. Jennifer quickly rose through the ranks, working at many of the country's top selling publications producing shoots for some of the world's most famous celebrities. Jennifer soon made a lucrative career change into real estate and was offered a desk at one of the most prestigious firms in New York City, Prudential Douglas Elliman. Being told by her managers that it could take well over six months to close a deal and earn an income, Jennifer went into multiple contracts within her first six weeks in business, impressing even the most seasoned veterans. Jennifer is now successfully selling multi-million dollar, high-end residential real estate. As her competitive career mirrors, Jennifer also excels as an accomplished award-winning equestrian.
• Pamela Day, a 32-year-old investment firm partner from San Francisco, CA. Pamela is an accomplished and well-trained business executive who has founded two successful companies from the ground up. She holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. During the 1990s, she worked as an investment banker on Wall Street, underwriting IPOs and doing M&A advisory work for two top-tier investment banks. In 2000, Pamela founded Blazent, Inc. from her loft in San Francisco. Blazent has grown to become a successful enterprise software company, now with offices all across the country. After two years as the company's CEO, Pamela left Blazent to form Crimson Holdings, a private investment firm focused on real estate investments and equity hedge strategies. The Crimson Funds, including Crimson Advisors and Crimson BridgePoint Funds, have performed exceptionally well, and the Crimson family of funds is quickly becoming a leader in the management of alternative investments.
• Sandy Ferreira, a 28-year-old bridal shop owner from Rockville, MD. Sandy was born and raised in a Portuguese home in the Washington, D.C. area. By the age of 21, she was the youngest bridal storeowner in the country. Since, Sandy has evolved to become an exclusive wedding and event planner in the Metropolitan D.C. area. Her clientele has included heirs to the Tiffany & Co. family and elite politicians. Sandy's entrepreneurial enthusiasm has also led her into real estate ventures and investments. Presently Sandy keeps busy growing her award winning bridal business and wedding and event planning company.
• Rob Flanagan, a 32-year-old corporate branding salesman from Frisco, TX. Rob grew up in Plano, Texas, and later earned a football scholarship to Northeast Missouri State University where he started four years at the linebacker position. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Texas, he and his wife founded Flanagan Enterprises, Inc. and grew it into a multi-million dollar business selling corporate-branded items and custom solution packaging products worldwide. In November 2003, Rob partnered with HotLink, Inc., an industry leader utilizing marketing automation based in Austin, Texas, where he is VP of Dallas Sales. Along with raising his two young children, Rob enjoys golf, SCUBA diving, playing his guitar, and fishing.
• Elizabeth Jarosz, a 31-year-old consulting firm owner from Marina Del Ray, CA. Elizabeth has more than 30 Fortune 500 companies and over 40 multi-million dollar brands relying on her to help them develop creative ideas to build their businesses. Elizabeth currently owns and runs Pulse40, a successful consulting firm where she pioneered a unique interviewing process. With products ranging from laundry detergent to movies, you might recognize much of her work on TV today. Elizabeth graduated with a 4.0 from The University of Michigan Business School where she was recognized as an Angell Scholar, received the Branstorm Prize, and was ranked in the top 1% of the nation for academic excellence and leadership. Elizabeth's professional foundation began when she was hired by Procter & Gamble Brand Management, and very quickly became a highly successful Brand Manager. Fun facts most people don't know about Elizabeth are: she's a published poet, state champion basketball player, avid Salsa dancer, motivational speaker, and an award-winning short film director.
• Stacie Jones Upchurch, a 35-year-old restaurateur from New York, NY. Stacie grew up in Colorado. She has a BA from Emory University and an MBA from Mercer University, both of which are located in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a professional model with Ford Model Management based in New York City and Elite Model Management with offices in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Miami, and Chicago. She currently owns a successful Subway Sandwich Shop Franchise in Harlem, New York
• Andy Litinsky, a 23-year-old recent Harvard graduate from Boca Raton, FL. Andy was born and raised in South Florida where he recognized early on what it would take to succeed in business. At the age of 13, Andy co-founded a concert package company that focused on both corporate and individual clients. As the youngest of four boys, Andy learned to use his speaking skills to defend himself at an early age. In 1999, he utilized those verbal skills to win the U.S. National Debate Championship in Commentary Speaking. Andy is a recent graduate of Harvard University, where he was a founding member of an organization dedicated to fighting infectious diseases in developing countries. A competitive tennis player, Andy is looking forward to continued success both in and out of the Boardroom.
• Ivana Ma, a 28-year-old venture capitalist from Boston, MA. Ivana earned her B.S. from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia with a concentration in Finance. She has spent the past 5 years in the venture capital industry investing in technology companies. Ivana enjoys running and cycling, and recently raised $5,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by completing a 100-mile ride around Lake Tahoe. She lives in Boston with her fiance, Brian, who attends Harvard Business School.
• Jennifer Massey, a 30-year-old attorney from San Francisco, CA. Jennifer received her undergraduate degree from Princeton in English and her law degree from Harvard. She graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton, and was nominated for the Pyne Prize, Princeton's highest honor. She is currently a securities litigator for a law firm in San Francisco, and has worked with management teams from startups to Fortune 500 companies. Jennifer lives in San Francisco with her husband, Aron.
• Wes Moss, a 28-year-old private wealth manager from Atlanta, GA. Wes grew up as the son of a veterinarian, and the oldest of four rambunctious siblings, learning responsibility and leadership at a very young age. Wes hails from Atlanta, Georgia, where he lives with his wife Lynne. He holds an Economics degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Post-graduation he moved to Atlanta, and within 5 years he became a Vice President with one of the world's largest global investment firms. Wes leads a large team specializing in investment management for wealthy individuals, families, and large corporations. He is in his sixth year as a Financial Advisor and one of the nation's youngest Certified Financial Planner Practitioners. He also serves as an instructor at Emory University's prestigious High Net Worth Institute in Atlanta, Georgia.
• Kelly Perdew, a 37-year-old software executive from Carlsbad, CA. Kelly earned a BS degree in National Security and Public Affairs from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He earned an MBA from The Anderson School at UCLA and a JD from the UCLA School of Law simultaneously. After graduating from West Point, Kelly completed Ranger School and served two years as a Military Intelligence Officer in the US Army. Kelly raised over $5M in equity financing for three start-up companies, and as the acting President led the sale of one of those start-ups (eteamz.com: the largest amateur sports portal on the web at the time) for eight figures to a company that has since filed for an IPO. He is the Co-Founder and Chairman of a motor enthusiast community website called MotorPride.com, and is currently the President of CoreObjects, an outsourced software development company based in Los Angeles.
• Stacy Rotne, a 26-year-old attorney from New York, NY. Stacy is a native New Yorker who received her B.A. in Art History from Columbia University, where she graduated with honors. Stacy received her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, and she currently practices corporate law at a top law firm in New York. Stacy has worked in the legal departments of both Sotheby's Auction House and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Stacy loves to travel; she studied abroad in Paris and she speaks French. Stacy is an active member of various bar associations and charitable organizations in New York.
• Chris Russo, a 30-year-old stockbroker from Long Island, NY. Chris was raised in New York, and was an entrepreneur since he was 11. He started with a candy business, which followed with a landscaping business by 14. He sold flowers every holiday and Christmas trees in the winter. After being a stockbroker for 7 years, he opened his own firm. In less then 5 months he was ranked 13th out of a field of over a thousand brokers, and his branch was 8th out of 171. Perhaps most impressively, Chris has achieved all this with only a high school degree.
• John Willenborg, a 24-year-old marketing director from San Francisco, CA. John has lived the majority of his life in the San Francisco Bay area. He attended University of California at Berkeley, where he graduated in 2003. While at Cal, John won three division one national titles in the sport of Rugby. After graduation, John submitted a business plan to an Automotive Magazine, The Rodder's Journal, where he was then hired as Marketing Director. John also co-founded a real-estate development company in San Francisco, and is currently in the midst of a number of projects. When not at the office, John spends the majority of his free time with his other passion, auto racing.
During its first season, The Apprentice was the #1 new show of the television season among total viewers and among the Adults 18-49 demographic. An average of 20.7 million people watched each week and 40.1 million watched all or some of the finale.
The Apprentice is produced by Mark Burnett Productions in association with Trump Productions LLC. Mark Burnett, Donald Trump and Jay Bienstock are executive producers. Conrad Riggs and Kevin Harris are co-executive producers.