'Celebrity Apprentice' latest news, update: Arnold Schwarzenegger reveals his firing catchphrase as new host
"The New Celebrity Apprentice" returned on Monday, Jan. 2, with action superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger taking over as the reality TV show's host from President-elect Donald Trump.
Considering the President-elect's catchphrase during his stint as the show's host has since become so iconic, many were wondering what Schwarzenegger's choice of catchphrase would be. As it turns out, instead of saying, "You're fired," Schwarzenegger's send-off line to a losing contestant is inspired by his iconic role in "The Terminator."
The catchphrase of "The New Celebrity Apprentice" host was revealed during the season premiere of the NBC reality competition. In this episode, Schwarzenegger ended up eliminating the first contestant of the season, Carrie Keagan.
"Carrie, you're terminated," Schwarzenegger told Keagan. "Now, get to the chopper," he went on to say.
For the second elimination of the night, he slightly variated the line by saying, "You're terminated. Hasta la vista, baby."
"The first one wasn't easy. But you know the line now, and the celebs know my expectations. Take risks, give everything," Schwarzenegger tweeted after the first episode was aired.
According to Digital Spy, this season of "Celebrity Apprentice" is taking place in Los Angeles rather than New York. It also includes Tyra Banks, Jessica Alba, Warren Buffet, Steve Ballmer, and the host's own nephew, Patrick Knapp Schwarzenegger, as the show's five new advisers.
After the eliminations in the first episode, the celebrities still in the competition include Laila Ali, Brooke Burke-Charvet, Eric Dickerson, Boy George, Matt Iseman, Carson Kressley, Lisa Leslie, Jon Lovitz, Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi, Chael Sonnen, Kyle Richards, Ricky Williams, and Porsha Williams.
Despite the supposed star power of Schwarzenegger, "The New Celebrity Apprentice" still opened poorly, with a 1.3 rating in the 18 to 49 demographic and just 4.93 million viewers based on Nielsen's preliminary ratings, according to Variety. This season's premiere was 43 percent lower than the previous season's debut in 2015.
"The New Celebrity Apprentice" is scheduled to air every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.