Why 'The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition' captivates audiences

MANILA, Philippines – During its inception, ONE Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong described "The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition" in a sentence: "This is not your grandfather's apprentice."

And barely a week after the show's global premiere on streaming service Netflix, it has lived up to its billing.

The 13-episode show has been making rounds on Top 10 and trending lists in various countries, including the Philippines.

And with two Filipino participants in the show, there's much incentive for Filipino The Apprentice and ONE Championship fans to tune in.

But in case there was still any doubt, here are five reasons why The Apprentice: ONE Championship should be next on your watch list.

Physically, mentally tested

Unlike most versions of The Apprentice, The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition was both physically and mentally challenging for the 16 global candidates of the show.

From climbing up a rope ladder from 11-feet up to racing in a dragon boat on top of the traditional business challenges of The Apprentice, the show had everything to offer to keep the audience hooked on every episode.

The challenges also made sure that only the most deserving came out on top of the competition.

Star-studded cast

Any top-drawer television show usually has prominent guest stars to boost its star power.

And The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition is no different.

MMA legends Georges St-Pierre and Renzo Gracie top-billed the list of those who made guest appearances.

Also included were former ONE welterweight world Champion Ben Askren, reigning ONE women's atomweight champion Angela Lee, flyweight king Demetrious Johnson, and ONE women's strawweight titlist Xiong Jing Nan, among others.

Sityodtong also brought in some big guns from the business world to serve as guest judges like Zoom CEO Eric Yuan, and Grab co-founder and group CEO Anthony Tan.

Diverse allure

Another unique factor of The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition is its immense diversity.

The show had 16 global contestants from 11 countries with different backgrounds.

The distinction between the participants resulted into interesting clashes of ideas and real boardroom drama to keep audiences interested.

Awards galore

At the end of the day, the show's quality has spoke for itself after taking home two trophies in major categories at the Asian Academy Creative Awards in 2021.

The show was awarded "Best Non-Scripted Entertainment" and "Best Adaptation of an Existing Format".

So if you haven't tuned in yet, there's not much reason for you not to begin streaming right now.