Nine brilliant book worms with college degrees and nine versatile entrepreneurs armed with only a high school diploma will enter the boardroom on January 20 kicking off the third season of NBC's "The Apprentice." Who will succeed and who will fail? Gone is the battle of the sexes, front and center is "book smarts" against "street smarts," theory vs. practicality.

"For the third season of 'The Apprentice,' Mark Burnett (Creator & Executive Producer) and I have decided to take the series into a new realm," said Donald Trump, Executive Producer. "We wanted to see what would happen if we pitted college grads ("book smarts") against high school grads ("street smarts"). The result makes for fascinating television. Who will you root for? You'll also discover that we chose candidates who are more relatable--- along the lines of Sam, Troy and Amy."

Trump's trusted advisors, George Ross and Carolyn Kepcher will both return for a third season. Tasks will once again feature some of the biggest companies in the world and the weekly rewards will be better than ever. Expect plenty of new rules, new twists and boardroom shockers.

As the winner of the competition, the third "apprentice" will be granted the dream job of a lifetime with The Trump Organization and a hefty six-figure salary.

"The Apprentice" premiered Jan. 8, 2004 and immediately became a cultural phenomenon, scoring the highest ratings for any new series introduced throughout the 2003-04 season and outscoring every established series in the key adult 18-49 category except "American Idol." "The Apprentice" resumed its hot streak in the fall, delivering the strongest 18-49 ratings of any unscripted series through the first half of the 2004-05 television season and the #3 18-49 average among all series. "The Apprentice" also continues to deliver the strongest concentration on primetime network television of upscale viewers in such key categories as adults 18-49 living in homes with incomes of $75,000 and more.

"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.