"My challenge was a simulated helicopter crash in the water" - Rich Franklin details his experience on The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition

Rich Franklin is one of many special guest athletes to appear on the first season of The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition.

Athletes on the show are tasked with participating in physical challenges alongside 16 global candidates. Franklin’s episode, in particular, featured arguably the most intense physical task of the entire season.

Candidates had to escape from a simulated helicopter crash. Without giving away any spoilers, let’s just say there were a few close calls and the danger this physical challenge presented was definitely real.

In a recent interview, the ONE Vice President recalled his experience as a special guest on The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition:

“Just look at the episode. It’s quite cool. My challenge was a simulated helicopter crash in the water. Obviously, much like being in a plane, I love listening to those speeches before you take off. Like, ‘In the case of a loss of cabin pressure, the masks will drop.’ The people in the video always look cool, calm and collected and so I’m sure even in a simulated helicopter crash in the water – particularly the way they did it on the show – it would be hard to maintain that attitude.”

Franklin’s only criticism was that he didn’t get to participate in the challenge himself. He said:

“This helicopter is submerged in the water and then the mechanics of it makes the fuselage of the helicopter roll and the candidates had to break their way out of the fuselage as it was sinking and swim to a raft. When they told me that was my challenge, I was excited. My only disappointment about the show was that I didn’t get to participate in the challenge.”

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The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition is now available on Netflix

The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition premiered on Netflix on February 1 and is now available in over 150 countries worldwide.

The all-new take on the iconic “Apprentice” franchise features 16 global candidates who participate in a series of business tasks and physical challenges. Along the way, they rub elbows with some of the most prolific CEOs from the world’s biggest companies, and take on world champion athletes.

The winner of the season earns a US $250,000 job offer and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become the protege of ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition launched in Asia in 2021 and garnered an estimated 4 million viewers on premiere night.

It then took home two major awards at the Asian Academy Creative Awards 2021 (AAA), topping categories for “Best Non-Scripted Entertainment” and “Best Adaptation of an Existing Format.”