The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), today announced that reality television series, “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition,” will premiere in India on Republic TV on 20 March 2021 with new episodes airing every Saturday.
A multi-skilled entrepreneur originally from Pune, Niraj Puran Rao, joins the show as one of 16 candidates all vying for the right to be called “The Apprentice.”
Coming from a humble navy background, Niraj spent his childhood mostly traveling in the first few years of his life. In 2017, he won India’s “Asli Champion,” a reality TV competition for the physically and mentally fittest men and women in India.
Niraj joined “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” so he could give back to his country and ignite millennial entrepreneurship in India. He is now looking to conquer the boardroom and earn a spot alongside ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong as his protege.
“It is nothing short of surreal to be chosen among the top 16 candidates from across the world for ‘The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition.’ The show was just a play of chance in what I call a game of choice. It came at a time when I was rethinking a lot of my decisions and wanted to expand my horizon of skills and learning. I feel honored to be associated with a brand that is synonymous with the now-MMA sensation Ritu Phogat in India. I hope I do justice to it and give a stellar performance through the entire season considering this is going to be the toughest ‘Apprentice’ in the history of the franchise,” Niraj said about his participation on the show.
This brand new edition of “The Apprentice” invites 16 candidates handpicked from around the world to compete in a high-stakes competition involving business and physical challenges. The winner will receive a US$250,000 job offer to work directly under ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong for a year as his protege in Singapore.
Fans in India will also be happy to witness a series of special guests on the show, including Indian Wrestling Champion Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat, Zilingo CEO Ankiti Bose, Everise CEO Sudhir Agarwal, and Zoom CEO Eric Yuan, among others. Also playing the role of Advisor is India’s Niharika Singh, who currently serves as ONE’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy.
While Niraj represents India on the show, the international cast of candidates represent Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and New Zealand.
Below is the complete list of “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” candidates:
- Lara Pearl Alvarez, Philippines
- Alvin Ang, Singapore
- Irina Chadsey, Russia
- Eugene Chung, United States
- Teirra Kamolvattanavith, Thailand
- Joy Koh, Singapore
- Monica Millington, United States
- Paulina Purnomowati, Indonesia
- Jessica Ramella, Venezuela
- Niraj Puran Rao, India
- Nazee Sajedi, United States
- Louie Sangalang, Philippines
- Sho Takei, Japan
- Clinton Tudor, New Zealand
- Roman Wilson, United States
- Kexin Ye, Germany
“The Apprentice” is one of the biggest non-scripted reality television programs in history, judging the business skills of candidates who are competing for a job offer under a high-profile CEO. It has aired in more than 120 countries. The first season of “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” consists of 13 episodes.
Catch the “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” on Republic TV every Saturday at 10 p.m.