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There's no shortage of drama on "Celebrity Apprentice 5" according to Lou Ferrigno, Adam Carolla, Debbie Gibson and Aubrey O'Day, who are among the 18 celebrities competing to win money for the charities of their choice.
Lou Ferrigno (photo: NBC/Mitchell Haaseth)"Hulk" star Lou Ferrigno said he took the reality show very seriously, especially when it was time to face Donald Trump. "You have some people with a superior attitude. Some people can be abrasive, so I was fighting for my charity in the boardroom," he said. "I didn't take any crap from anybody. So I kinda put them in their places, and I also made some good friends from the show.
"Ferrigno didn't use his towering physical stature to bully other contestants. "You got to remember the show is a tough mental show," he said. "Because of myself being so honest, I was quite intimidating."
Debbie Gibson (photo: NBC/Mitchell Haaseth)Eighties pop star Debbie Gibson said this season has a group of women who just may rival "Celebrity Apprentice 4"'s cat fighting among Star Jones, NeNe Leakes, Dionne Warwick and La Toya Jackson.
WATCH Video for Debbie Gibson's 1988 No. 1 hit "Lost In Your Eyes"
"This year is like the Italian New York broads, I tell ya, because you've got Lisa Lampanelli, you've got Teresa from the 'Housewives,' you've got Victoria Gotti. A lot of people don't know, I'm Italian," Gibson said. "So, I'm nice until pushed, and my Italian temper can flare up a little bit."
Aubrey O'Day (photo: NBC/Mitchell Haaseth)Gibson said she made some friends on the show but was disappointed by others. "You start to see colors in people that aren't so pretty," she said. "I respected anyone on the show who didn't abandon their moral code just to win."
PHOTOS "Celebrity Apprentice 5" gallery
Aubrey O'Day, former member of Sean Diddy Combs's "Making The Band" girl group Danity Kane, said her reality television experiences prepared her for "Celebrity Apprentice." "Diddy expects perfection and just when you think you've gotten to a great place, he pushes you to go above and beyond," she said. "So I'm used to never having a lazy moment and always pushing until the final second."
O'Day said all of the contestants didn't share her hard work ethic. "I noticed with a lot of the celebrities, they go to about 80 percent, and they'd be done with the task. 'Oh, it's good enough. Turn it in. It'll be fine,'" she said. "And I was constantly struggling with battling these big celebrities because I don't believe in 80 percent. I think you need to go all the way. When we finished a project, I'd go, 'Wait. We can do a pamphlet. We have an extra budget in this area.'"
Possibly the biggest surprise of the season will be seemingly soft-spoken and reserved "American Idol" runner-up Clay Aiken. "He's got a little something called grit and you wouldn't think of it coming from Clay," said comedian Adam Carolla. "He's super competitive."
Season 5 also stars Cheryl Tiegs, Dee Snider, Penn Jillette, and Tia Carrere, among others. "Celebrity Apprentice 5" airs on Sundays at 9/8 c on NBC.
(Interviews courtesy of Dial Global's "Backstage at the Grammys" brought to you by Turbo Tax and Mastercard.)
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