Clay Aiken Calls Trump 'More Intimidating' Than Cowell
Singer/actor Clay Aiken attends The Friars Club's roast of Matt Lauer at The New York Hilton on October 24, 2008 in New York City. (Getty Images)more pics »
Clay Aiken promo shot from 'Celebrity Apprentice'
Clay Aiken is used to overbearing and sometimes snarky reality TV judges. After all, he first rose to fame facing off against Simon Cowell's negative critiques on American Idol. But according to Aiken, Cowell's got nothing on his new Celebrity Apprentice mentor, Donald Trump.“Being in front of Trump is more intimidating than (being in front of Cowell),” Aiken told TODAY.com. “That’s because you realize his success is real outside of TV. Whereas with Cowell, I don’t deny him his value – but singing is not his expertise.”
The singer also said that respect was a key aspect of why he preferred working with The Donald over Simon. “I had a Spanish teacher in high school. I rarely got in trouble in her room because I felt I was disappointing her if I got a bad grade. That had more power over me than teachers who told me I talked too much," he revealed. "That level of respect I had for her made me not want to fail for her. I never had that feeling with Cowell -- but I had it with Trump.”
The full Celebrity Apprentice 5 cast includes Victoria Gotti, Real Housewives of NJ's Teresa Guidice, American Idol's Clay Aiken, race-car driver Marco Andretti, radio and TV personality Adam Carolla, Wayne's World hottie Tia Carrere, Incredible Hulk star Lou Ferrigno, singer Debbie Gibson, former late night host Arsenio Hall, magician Penn Jillette, Making the Band's Aubrey O'Day, American Chopper dad Paul Teutal, models Cheryl Tiegs and Patricia Velasquez, former Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza, Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, comedienne Lisa Lampanelli and Star Trek's George Takei.Celebrity Apprentice 5 premieres on NBC on February 12.
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