22 February 2021 – Singapore: The first season of “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” will see global candidates pitting their wits, strength, and determination against each other in a series of physical and business challenges, which are set against the backdrop of iconic Singapore landmarks.
This unique take on one of the world’s most popular reality TV shows was created by ONE Championship™, Asia’s largest global sports media property in history, and produced in association with production partner Refinery Media, with the support of Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
Viewers can look forward to seeing familiar sights, such as the Singapore Zoo and Jewel Changi Airport, when the show premieres across Asia on 18 March 2021, with a global launch to follow in June 2021.
The collaboration between STB and ONE Championship on “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” comes naturally, as the show reflects the essence of Singapore’s Passion Made Possible brand. The national brand encapsulates Singapore’s never-settling spirit of enterprise in making passions possible through grit and determination – the same spirit that the show’s 16 candidates will need in order to overcome both physical tasks and business challenges.
Two of the candidates hail from Singapore: 24-year-old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu martial artist and writer Alvin Ang, and 36-year-old gymnastics program director Joy Koh. They will compete alongside a group of international candidates in hopes of earning the coveted US$250,000 job offer to work directly under ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong as his protege in Singapore for one year. Please refer to Annex for their profiles and quotes.
Local and international viewers will join the candidates on a journey to see how they make their passions possible in Singapore. Through the show, STB will continue to build mindshare of Singapore as a world-class leisure and business destination, with a wide array of tourism offerings that visitors can safely enjoy when international travel resumes.
The show was filmed entirely in Singapore in accordance with health and safety protocols, demonstrating STB’s commitment to working with industry players to reimagine and elevate those protocols based on new national standards. The production team embodied the Passion Made Possible brand values, as it turned the show’s concept into reality despite the challenges of filming during the pandemic.
Mr. Hua Fung Teh, Group President of ONE Championship, stated: "The Singapore Government, through the Singapore Tourism Board, has been instrumental in helping us build a safe and viable environment to host productions and live global sports events during COVID-19. Through comprehensive support from STB, we were able to film an iconic reality television series. 'The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition' was made possible only by Singapore's world-class infrastructure and unparalleled execution. The show depicts the country's beauty and excellence, allowing our 16 candidates, World Champions, and guest CEOs to film ‘The Apprentice’ with strict and reliable health and safety protocols."
“Our collaboration with ONE Championship allows us to present Singapore as an exciting leisure and business destination, in a refreshing branded entertainment format. It also allows us to showcase our tourism industry’s innovation and resilience over this challenging period,” said Ms. Lynette Pang, Assistant Chief Executive (Marketing Group), Singapore Tourism Board. “More than just a backdrop, our city epitomizes the spirit of what the show’s candidates can achieve with both passion and pride. We hope that viewers will be inspired by them and visit us to pursue their passions when the time comes.”
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About “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition”:
“The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” invites 16 candidates handpicked from around the world to compete in a high-stakes game 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.
Special guest CEOs confirmed to join “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” include Zoom CEO Eric Yuan, Grab CEO Anthony Tan, Zilingo CEO Ankiti Bose, Catcha Group CEO Patrick Grove, and Everise CEO Sudhir Agarwal.
Athletes confirmed to make appearances on the show include mixed martial arts legends Georges St-Pierre and Renzo Gracie, former ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben “Funky” Askren, ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera, ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee, ONE Flyweight Grand Prix World Champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, Indian Wrestling Champion Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat, Karate World Champion “Super” Sage Northcutt, and ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan.
“The Apprentice” is one of the biggest non-scripted reality television programs in history. It has aired in more than 120 countries. The first season of “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” will consist of 13 episodes.
More information on “The Apprentice” and “How to Watch” can be found at: https://www.onefc.com/the-apprentice/
About the Singapore Tourism Board
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is the lead development agency for tourism, one of Singapore’s key economic sectors. Together with industry partners and the community, we shape a dynamic Singapore tourism landscape. We bring the Passion Made Possible brand to life by differentiating Singapore as a vibrant destination that inspires people to share and deepen their passions.
More: www.stb.gov.sg or www.visitsingapore.com | Follow us: facebook.com/STBsingapore
About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship (ONE) is the largest global sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE is the world's largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. ONE hosts the biggest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world's best martial artists and world champions on the largest global media broadcast in Asia. ONE Esports, a subsidiary of ONE Championship, runs Asia's largest global esports Championship Series with some of the biggest blockbuster game titles in the world. With a focus on both martial arts and esports, ONE Championship is currently the largest producer of millennial live sports content in Asia. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts across 150+ countries with some of the largest global free-to-air and digital broadcasters, including Star Sports, Tencent, TV5, Astro, ClaroSports, Startimes, Fox Sports, Thairath TV, Turner Sports, Skynet, Mediacorp, Great Sports, Mediaset Italia, ProSiebenSat.1, Dubai Sports, and more.
For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit https://www.onefc.com/about-us/, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.
Alvin Ang, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu martial artist and writer |
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Alvin Ang, 24, is no stranger to hardship, having experienced it when he was only a young kid. His mom suffered from bipolar disorder, which eventually led to his parents filing for divorce. Despite the lack of a motherly figure in his life, the Singaporean forged a strong bond with his father and sister. Then, at just 7 years old, Ang was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He was sent to Thailand to live as a monk with the hopes that it would benefit his future. The experience in Thailand worked wonders for him, and when he moved back to Singapore, Ang transformed his life. He discovered martial arts, and after only a couple of years, he represented his beloved nation in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Along the way, the multi-talented Ang also founded the Singapore BJJ Open, a top-tier competition for all grappling lovers in the Southeast Asian country. His biggest motivation in life is to provide for his family and save enough money to help his sister achieve her dream of becoming a neuroscientist. Ang hopes his unbreakable warrior spirit and outstanding entrepreneurship skills will help him win “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition.”
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I've always been the type of person to flee towards my fears instead of away from them, and The Apprentice took me out of my comfort zone like nothing I've ever done before. Coupled with my lifelong love for martial arts, getting to star in a ONE Championship production was a dream come true. And all of this happened in my home country of Singapore, to boot!
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Joy Koh, gymnastics program director |
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Joy Koh has turned her passion for gymnastics into her profession. She has established successful programs at international schools, opened her own gym, and judged competitions at the World-Championship level. Now, she will try to flip the script and become Chatri Sityodtong’s apprentice. During her childhood, the Singaporean was body shamed by her gymnastics coaches and told she would never succeed. Instead of letting that experience define her, Koh was determined to develop a better way to share her passion for the sport and impact children’s lives in a positive way. As a coach, Koh reinforces skills in her students through the power of positivity. She is less concerned with medals and championships than with seeing the incremental progression of her young gymnasts, both on and off the mats. After a career detour heading up the operations team in Australia’s fastest-growing franchise in the F&B industry and working in data analytics in an FMCG company, she returned to her true calling of empowering the next generation. Since then, the Singaporean has been shaping and supporting countless students, and she is internationally recognized for her proven track record. Koh now hopes to use her ingenuity to change course and become an apprentice under Chatri Sityodtong. The 36-year-old gymnastics program director will bring her trademark positivity and strong ethics into the boardroom as she tries to achieve this goal.
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My passion is in people (especially tiny ones) living healthily and happily. Similarly, I love that Singapore is ambitious and forward thinking that it doesn't let our size deter us. Singapore allows us to pursue our passion and dreams. For example, through The Apprentice that was supported by STB, I got a unique opportunity to challenge myself and to pit myself against contestants from all over the world with very different backgrounds.
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