Celebrity Apprentice 2022: Meet the Cast

Season 5 of Celebrity Apprentice begins tonight on Nine.

Lord Alan Sugar returns as boardroom boss, joined by Janine Ellis and new advisor Nick Bell.

The winner takes home $100,000 for their chosen charity.

Lord Alan Sugar CEO & Self Made Billionaire
We welcome Lord Alan Sugar. Ex-Chairman & part-owner of Tottenham Hotspur, founder of Amstrad which he sold to
BSkyB for £125m, British business magnate, media personality, politician & political advisor. Loved by young and old, the 74 year old has the ultimate underdog story. A boy who came from nothing to a self made billionaire and straight talking CEO. Lord Sugar has filmed over 200 episodes of The Apprentice in the UK and now he is branching into Australia. He’s fresh, he’s unexpected, he’s a publicity machine. It’s his ultimate decision who will be fired!

Janine Ellis – Advisor
Janine Allis is founder of the Australian iconic brand, Boost Juice Bars, which after opening its first store in 2000, has more outlets in more countries than any other juice bar in the world Janine is among Australia’s most respected businesswomen, having been presented numerous domestic and international awards in digital marketing, retail, franchise, and business. In 2015, business magazine BRW named her one of fifteen people that changed the way Australia does business in the last 35 years Janine launched Retail Zoo in 2007 to grow young up and coming brands and now has Betty’s Burger, Cibo Espresso and Salsas under its banner. Retail Zoo has over 650 stores over four brands in 13 countries. Other achievements Janine has under her belt include being the best-selling author of ‘The Accidental Entrepreneur’, she is a Shark on Shark Tank, and survived Survivor by the skin of her teeth in 2019. Janine is a Board Member for Sea Shepherd and an Ambassador for Australia for the UNHCR focusing on challenges that women and children face as one of the 70 million refugees in the world and balances all of these titles while being a mother of four – not so young – children.

Nick Bell – Advisor
Nick Bell is an Australian smart-tech CEO who has founded more than 12 companies such as First Page, Appscore and Removify. The Financial Review published in their 2020 Rich List that he’s worth an estimated $274 million. At the age of 24, Bell launched his first business selling skincare products; it didn’t achieve the success he had planned. With only $400 in his pocket, Nick launched his first search marketing firm in 2008, from his home. He later went on to sell it to Melbourne IT for $39 million in 2017. Nick’s companies now employ more than 1000 people and his group expands across Asia, North & South America, the Middle East and Australia.

Jean Kittson – Comedy Queen
Chosen charity: Taldumande Youth Services
Jean Kittson is a Queen of Australian comedy and trailblazer of the art-form. From Australian TV’s first female-lead sketch comedy show, to using her trade-mark humour to broach serious issues in her books, she is one of the country’s veteran comedic voices. Jean garnered national attention on the sketch comedy and music variety show The Big Gig, followed by comedy series Let the Blood Run Free. Since then, the comedy queen co-starred in the first female-only sketch comedy program Kittson Fahey, which changed the attitudes towards women in stand-up comedy and became an important female voice in the Australian comedy scene. Since then, Jean has become a humorous and central voice on women’s health and youth issues and has enjoyed an extensive TV career on shows like Bleak and Get Crack!n’ with Kate McLennan and Kate McCartney, Good News Week, The Glasshouse and Flat Chat, and the feature films Hating Alison Ashley, The Nugget, and the upcoming film to be released in 2022 Seriously Red.

Gamble Breaux – Real Housewife
Chosen charity: Animal Welfare League NSW
Gamble Breaux is a Sydney-born musician-turned-Melbourne Housewife. She is a jack-of-all-trades and aspiring entrepreneur, having started a wide array of creative projects and business ideas over the years. Gamble is a self-published singer/songwriter, having released an EP and eight singles since relaunching her music career in 2018 on The Real Housewives Of Melbourne. Gamble also produces her own music videos with Fashion Photographer Peter Coulson. The song Barrenjoey Road debuted #1 on ‘The Australian Top 20’ on December 3rd 2021. She is also involved in art curation, with the Charles Billich Gallery, as well as curating and cataloguing her father’s, Barry Donohoo’s, artwork from her family’s privately held collection. Gamble is also a handbag designer, her first collection was the Gambol, a ‘No-Hands’ holster bag in 2007. Nine years later, she followed up with her second range as part of the Seaside Collection. Her 2016 Seaside Collection also featured a range of candles, jewellery, clothing, homewares products and ‘Stick-It-Glue’ which sticks dresses to skin.

Beck Zemek – MAFS Bride
Chosen charity: Royal Hospital for Women
Beck Zemek is a reality star who became a household name from Married at First Sight 2021. She stole the show with her ‘tell it like it is’ approach and won audiences over after the show aired by speaking her truth on the experience, the editing and the real series of events that led to the Finale. Before her stint on the show, she had just come out of a decade long relationship and sought a partner who matched her extroverted and adventurous personality. Born and raised in Perth, the reality star is also a lucrative business woman. She has held management level positions in operations that involved everything from opening large scale facilities, to leading teams of staff and hiring. She is a highly skilled promoter and these very skills have made her an asset to the brands she has worked for across her career. Beck has extensive business experience, having worked her way up from her first retail job at 16 years old, through training and development to where she is now. She has worked across the clothing retail sector, corporate management and visual merchandising. Beck is supporting Royal Hospital for Women, which is a specialist hospital for women and babies located in the suburb of Randwick in Sydney. This charity is particularly special to a newly-pregnant Beck, as her own journey has helped her connect closely and learn more about the organisation.

Turia Pitt – Motivational speaker
Chosen charity: Interplast,
Turia Pitt is a motivational speaker, athlete, best-selling author and fundraiser. In 2011 at 24 years old, she was caught in a grassfire while competing in a 100km ultramarathon in the Australian outback and suffered burns to 65 percent of her body. Spending two gruelling years in recovery and after 200 medical procedures, Turia survived against all odds and has rebuilt her life despite the expectations placed on her. Turia’s story of resilience has touched the hearts of people all over the world. She’s written three best-selling books, coached over 40,000 people in her digital courses, shared a stage with author and speaker Tony Robbins, competed in the Ironman World Championships, sailed a boat around French Polynesia, walked the Kokoda Trek, and has grown a team and a business that she is proud of. In 2014, Turia was named the New South Wales Premier’s Award for Woman of the Year. In 2016 she was a finalist in the NSW Telstra Business Woman of the Year award and in the same year, was a finalist in the Australian of the Year award. She has amassed over a million followers on her social media platforms which she uses to share her motivational messages. In 2021 Turia began her podcast ‘Turia Pitt is Hard Work’. Turia enjoys surfing, running, bushwalking, geology and writing, all hobbies she enjoyed as a child. She describes herself as funny, fierce, intelligent and flawed and her resilience and competitive nature will help her on Celebrity Apprentice.

Jodi Gordon – Soapstar
Chosen charity: Starlight Foundation
Jodi Gordon is an Actor, Soap Star and Model, originally from Queensland, Australia. She has become one of the most well-recognised, fashion-forward actors in Australia starring as Martha Mackenzie in Home and Away, and Elly Conway in Neighbours. Jodi began modelling from the age of 13 and travelled the world for her work. She first graced our tv screens in 2004 and not long after in 2006, Jodi won the Logie Award for ‘Most Popular New Female Talent’. In 2009, she was nominated for ‘Most Popular Actress’. Jodi has over 238, 000 Instagram followers, and though she doesn’t consider herself an ‘influencer’ by any means, she is utilising her platform to work with brands. She has dreams to one day own her own business so she takes these opportunities to learn as much as she can. Jodi’s performance and popularity on-screen has attracted many major designers, brands and publications to feature her across multiple campaigns and editorials. Most notably, she represented department store giant, Myer, in advertising, at events and PR activities during a five-year ambassadorship. Along with Myer, Jodi has been an ambassador for global active wear brand Puma and more recently designer to a bespoke collection for Mimco and is currently Ambassador for Australian beauty company esmi Skin Minerals.

Samantha Jade – Singer/Songwriter
Chosen charity: Cancer Council Australia
Samantha Jade is a singer/songwriter who shot to stardom in 2012 after winning The X Factor. The Perth-born artist’s debut single ‘What You’ve Done To Me’ was an ARIA chart-topper and achieved a quadruple platinum title. Samantha has gone on to become Australia’s pop sweetheart, releasing several more ARIA-award winning singles and four albums. She was the supporting act for One Direction during their 2015 Australian tour. Samantha further captured Australia’s attention starring as Kylie Minogue in the mini-series INXS: Never Tear Us Apart, for which she scored a Logie nomination. In 2016, Samantha joined the cast of Home & Away, in a guest starring role for one of Australia’s longest-running soaps. Samantha also has a keen interest in beauty, launching a cosmetic line with Models Prefer through Priceline, as well as her own jewellery line with Diva accessories making her familiar with business and marketing. As a multihyphenate with many talents and experiences, she has extensive knowledge of the entertainment and beauty industries. Knowing the ins and outs of how to market and sell herself as a brand, as well as her own products will lend her a hand on Celebrity Apprentice. Samantha prizes empathy, believes in honesty and fighting fair; she believes showing kindness rather than being cut-throat will ultimately win out in the boardroom.

Carla from Bankstown / Ben James
Chosen charity: Twenty10,
Benjahmin James is a 28-year-old retail worker from Sydney’s Western Suburbs who created a comedic drag queen character ‘Carla from Bankstown’. Carla’s fame escalated when she created a series of videos where she acted as the “over it” secretary to former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian. She’s outspoken, opinionated and knows she’s the hottest and smartest person in the room. Her appeal is broad as her high-profile celebrity fans include Kyle Sandilands, Julia Morris and Tracey Grimshaw. Her 60,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok combined have garnered over 250,000 views of her hilarious videos. While Carla’s most popular sketch is being a secretary to Gladys Berejiklian, her sketches see her in multiple roles. She’s been a Shopping Channel Host, Flight Attendant and Hospital Worker; Carla believes she’s very multifaceted and talented. She has multiple celebrities on speed dial who she can call on during Celebrity Apprentice including Alex Perry, Julia Morris, Anthony Callea, and Abbie Chatfield. Carla is a team player but if anyone throws her under the bus – she’ll unveil her ‘sass hole’ side. Ben uses all his earnings from his alter ego ‘Carla from Bankstown’ to support his family. He is a sweet, talented guy who wears his heart on his sleeve and values loyalty. His experience in retail will help him in all public facing tasks and contribute to being a good team player during Celebrity Apprentice. After a rough time in high school where he was subject to relentless bullying, Carla from Bankstown was the outlet that embodies the strength and resilience he wishes he had at the time. He hopes to inspire others that have been through similar experiences to embrace their authentic self.

Bronte Campbell – Olympic Swimmer
Chosen charity: Carers Australia
Bronte Campbell is a world-record breaking Olympic swimmer. Representing Australia at the past three Olympic Games, winning three Olympic gold medals and eight Commonwealth Games medals, Bronte was part of the team who broke the world-record for the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay both at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics. Bronte has always been determined. Deciding to become an Olympic swimmer at the young age of 7, Bronte worked tirelessly to achieve her goal. She thrives on competition, and loves to win. The 27-year-old considers her strength “getting in and getting it done” and is willing to do the work to achieve her dreams. It’s this drive and persistence that will make her a strong player on the Apprentice. Bronte also has the business backing to lead her team. She is studying a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, majoring in public relations, and it’s that business strategy that she hopes could lead her team to victory. As a veteran member of the Dolphins Australian swimming team, she leads the positive team spirit and takes active steps to mentor younger swimmers and create positive team culture. Although she’s not loud or attention-seeking, she naturally commands an audience. She is also very comfortable in public speaking. Once she attended a corporate event believing she was taking part in a Q+A. Only minutes before the start time she was informed she had to deliver a 45-minute keynote address, and successfully ad-libbed the entire presentation.

Darren McMullen – TV host
Chosen charity: Feel the Magic
Darren McMullen is a renowned television presenter who has spent nearly two decades working across prime-time networks in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Darren spent the first half of his life in Scotland and immigrated to Australia at age 12. Always having a propensity for acting, he would quite often fake illnesses to avoid school, however one class he would never miss was Drama. From a young age, Darren developed an entrepreneurial spirit. At 14 years old he started selling sweets door to door in his local neighbourhood. He eventually opted to leave school and pursue a full-time career in sales. At just 17 years old he was already earning $1,500.00 a week. Darren joined MTV Australia in the late 2000’s and became one of the network’s most memorable television hosts. His role gave him access to the most exclusive red-carpet events in the country, where he would interview international stars like 50 Cent, Carmen Electra and Pink. Since his time at MTV, Darren has become most prominently known for hosting the hit Channel 9 singing competition, ‘The Voice Australia’ which was watched by nearly 3 million Aussie homes. In addition to his hosting abilities, Darren has built up his acting resume by starring in three Logie Award winning series’, ‘House Husbands’, ‘Doctor Doctor’ and ‘Sea Change’ where he played scene stealing hunk Findlay Knox. He is also the lead actor in the new Stan Original film ‘Christmas on the Farm’.

Vince Colosimo – Award-winning actor
Chosen charity: Dementia Australia
Vince Colosimo is one of Australia’s most recognisable actors with an extensive list of credits in film, television, and theatre. He’s starred in internationally acclaimed films such as Chopper and The Great Gatsby, the major television series Underbelly, and the film and theatre show The Wog Boy. His career started at just 14-years-old with his lead role in the Australian movie Moving Out and received his first nomination for best Actor. Since then, Vince has featured in countless iconic Aussie TV shows such as Blue Heelers, We Can Be Heroes, Offspring, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and Kath & Kim. In 2001 Vince won Best Supporting Actor in a Feature Film at the Australian Film Institute Awards for the highly successful film Lantana. Vince has also had guest starring roles in top rating American series Without A Trace and Australian series The Secret Life of Us. In addition, Vince has also earned countless awards and nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor at the Logies, Australian Film Institute Awards, Sydney Film Critics and countless national and international film festivals. In 2001 Vince was placed on the Queens New Year’s Honours List for his services to Australian Society and Film Production.

Ronnie Caceres – Reality TV Star
Chosen charity: Habitat for Humanity,
Ronnie Caceres is undeniably recognised for being one of the fiercest competitors in Australia’s number one rated home renovation series, The Block. So talented and competitive, that he and his wife Georgia are the most awarded couple in Block history for their challenges and room reveals. Ronnie has since capitalised on his fame from The Block and went on to co-host with Georgia, their own eight-part web renovation series “Quick Room Flips”. Ronnie is not afraid to be the hardest worker in the room to get ahead. Ronnie believes his biggest strength is his imagination and his ability to “polish a turd”; his competitive nature and outspoken personality has been well documented during his appearances on The Block. Ronnie can certainly ‘talk the talk’, but he can also back it up with non-stop hard work. He believes he has a strong moral compass and during the 2021 “Fans vs. Faves” season of The Block, he wasn’t afraid to confront the contestants who had cheated, exposing two other teams. The situation became one of the ‘biggest cheating scandals in Australian television history’.

Will & Woody – National Radio Duo
Chosen charity: Gotcha4Life Foundation
Nice guys Will McMahon and Woody Whitelaw host one of the most popular national drive radio shows in the country on KIIS FM. The KIIS FM Drive comedic duo Will & Woody combine brains and beauty, style and substance, high and low brow, into a glorious, pop culture package. These fun-loving best mates have banter and chemistry in endless supply which comes naturally to them having been friends since high school. They have an exceptional ability to navigate any situation as a pair. Will and Woody started broadcasting in 2012 and were heard nationally on 2Day FM weekend breakfast. Their big break came in 2013 when they hosted the Today Network breakfast radio program Hit 92.9 in Perth, one of the most competitive radio time slots in the country. In October 2017, it was announced that Will and Woody would be returning to Melbourne to host KIIS FM’s national Drive Show, a highly sought-after position. In addition to their success in commercial radio, the pair are known for their comedic sketches and have performed sell out shows at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Perth Fringe Festival.

Jarrod Scott – International model
Chosen charity: Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef
From gracing the cover of GQ to being the face of luxury French fashion house Givenchy, Jarrod Scott has become one of Australia’s most successful male models. Coming from humble beginnings, Jarrod has been self-sufficient from the age of 15 he moved out of home and decided to leave school, determined to stand on his own two feet. His first job was in the hospitality industry where he ended up working his way to a co-manager position, in a restaurant that could seat 500 people. Jarrod’s arrival in the fashion industry came unexpectedly after he was scouted by a photographer whilst on holiday in the Philippines. Within a year of being discovered, Jarrod was making his way down the runway in Paris and has since worked with the world’s biggest fashion houses like Armani, Calvin Klein, Chanel, and Tom Ford. He was also the face of Jean Paul Gaultier fragrance. 2014, Jarrod landed the cover of Vogue Hommes; he is one of the only Australians to have ever achieved this feat as it is generally reserved for Hollywood actors like James Franco and Keanu Reeves.

Eloni Vunakece – Ninja Warrior hero
Chosen charity: Headache Australia
Eloni is a former international NRL football star, having played for the Sydney Roosters, Toulouse Olympique in the French Elite One Championship and represented Fiji in the Rugby League World Cup. In 2016 and 2017 he was selected for the NSW South Wales Cup Team of the Year, an honour reserved for only the best players in the state. It’s more than just his sporting prowess that has made him stand out from the crowd. He quickly became a cult figure for his trademark big hair, charm and attacking moves. It’s this star-power and charismatic personality which will make him a strong team-leader in the Apprentice. In 2018, under doctor’s recommendations, Eloni chose to resign from professional football. After an especially bad concussion, he was told he would be putting himself at serious risk to continue playing the game, prompting him to retire early. He estimated that he suffered 15 concussions over his career, with 10 just within his final 12 months of playing. This made Eloni an advocate for players welfare specifically when it comes to head injuries within the sport.

Benji Marshall – NRL Champion
Chosen charity: Souths Cares.
Benji Marshall is a household name; he is regarded amongst many, as one of the greatest Rugby League players of all time. Born in Whakatane, NZ, Benji is the eldest of three brothers, one of which plays for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the NRL. At 16 years old, he was offered a scholarship to play rugby league for a high school in QLD on the Gold Coast. He made his first-grade debut in 2003 whilst studying for the Australian equivalent of A Levels. The halfback player shot to fame at the Sydney Club, Wests Tigers, for his flick pass to Pat Richards in the 2005 decider – one of the most famous grand final moments. Since then, Benji has been noted for his flamboyant attack, including side steps, no-look and his game-changing flick-passes. In 2010 he won the Golden Boot Award for the best international player. During his lengthy career, Benji played for 19 seasons and played a total of 346 games. On the 6th of October 2021, he officially announced his retirement from professional rugby league, finishing his career with the South Sydney Rabbitohs and is currently signed to Fox Sports to work as an analyst/pundit.

Amy Shark – ARIA Award Winning Musician
Chosen charity: Support Act
Amy Shark is a multi-platinum award winning Australian pop singer songwriter from the Gold Coast. Shark shot to fame, bursting onto the global music scene in 2016 with her 6 x Platinum single ‘Adore’ putting her on the map as one of Australia’s most formidable emerging songwriters. This was followed by APRA award winning (Song Of The Year) 6 x Platinum and number one Australian airplay chart hit ‘I Said Hi’. Shark’s debut/breakthrough #1 ARIA album and Platinum-certified Love Monster was recognised in 2018 with four ARIA awards – Album of the Year, Best Female Artist, Best Pop Release, Best Producer [Dann Hume] – and was nominated for another five. Love Monster went on to become the highest selling album by an Australian artist for 2018 and peaked at #2 on the US Billboard Heatseekers album chart. Amy was the first Australian artist to be crowned as the Apple Up Next Artist and as such, covered billboards in the US and performed on black shiny floors for Jimmy Fallon, James Corden and Colbert, touring the US multiple times and winning fans across the country.

Sunday – Wednesday on Nine.