''Donald J. Trump Presents The Ultimate Merger'' is an American reality television dating game show. A spin-off of ''

The Apprentice ''The Apprentice'' is a Reality competition, reality talent game show franchise originally aired in 2004 in the United States. Created by U.S.-based British producer Mark Burnett, the show depicts contestants from around the country with variou ...

'', the series premiered on TV One on June 17, 2010. The series' first season starred

Omarosa Omarosa Onee Manigault Newman () ( Manigault; born 1974), often known as Omarosa, is an American reality television show participant, writer, and former political aide to former US President Donald Trump. She became widely known as a contestant ...

, who in 2004 appeared on the first season of ''The Apprentice'', another American reality series. Season 2 premiered on August 4, 2011, starring former '' America's Next Top Model'' and '' Celebrity Fit Club'' contestant

Toccara Jones Toccara Elaine Jones (born March 13, 1982) is an American television personality, fashion model, occasional actress and singer. Jones was a contestant on the third season of the UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadc ...

Show format

The format of ''The Ultimate Merger'' is reminiscent of two previous reality series, ''

The Bachelorette A bachelorette is an unmarried woman. Bachelorette may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Bachelorette'', a reality television dating show part of ''The Bachelor'' franchise with numerous versions: ** ''The Bachelorette'' (American TV ser ...

'' and ''The Apprentice''. Twelve men selected by billionaire real estate mogul,

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

(host and co-executive producer of ''The Apprentice'') compete for the affections of Omarosa, the former political consultant who has become the most popular ''Apprentice'' contestant. Omarosa receives assistance in the selection process from her spiritual advisor Dr. Jamal Harrison Bryant, pastor of the Empowerment Temple A.M.E. Church in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

, Maryland. Other personalities appearing on the series include comedians

George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Alabama for four terms. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best remembered for his staunch segregationist and ...

and

Loni Love Loni Love (born July 14, 1971) is an American comedian, television host, actress, author, and former electrical engineer. While working as an electrical engineer in the early 2000s, she switched to music engineering, until later launching a caree ...

, TV chef G. Garvin, author

Karrine Steffans Karrine Steffans (born August 24, 1978) is an American author, most notably of the ''Vixen'' series of books. She has worked as an actress and as a video vixen, having appeared in more than 20 music videos. In 2007 and 2008, Steffans visited a n ...

, and ''Apprentice'' alumni Katrina Campins, Troy McClaine and Nick Warnock. While on the show, the contestants live together in a huge suite at the

Trump International Hotel Trump International Hotel may refer to: Current Five buildings are named Trump Hotels with four owned/operated by the Trump organization: * Trump International Hotel and Tower (Chicago) * Trump International Hotel and Tower (New York City) * Tru ...

in Las Vegas, Nevada. In each episode, they are directed to participate in a mental or physical challenge designed to gauge each man's potential compatibility with Omarosa. The winner(s) of each challenge attend a date with her later that evening. Subsequently, the contestants must gather in the "Mediation Room", where Omarosa (assisted by Dr. Bryant or another celebrity guest) questions several of the contestants regarding their actions and attitudes while on the show. One or more contestants is then selected for elimination by Omarosa, and that man must immediately leave Trump International and the show. This process resulted in one man, R&B singer

Ray Lavender Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gra ...

, remaining as the potential beau for Omarosa. However, because Lavender was legally separated at the time (and thus technically still married), he was eliminated as well – and Omarosa was left with no one. Soon after the first-season finale, Omarosa publicly revealed that she was in a new relationship with Academy Award-nominated actor

Michael Clarke Duncan Michael Clarke Duncan (December 10, 1957September 3, 2012) was an American actor. He was best known for his breakout role as John Coffey in '' The Green Mile'' (1999), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor a ...

who later died on September 3, 2012 due to a heart attack.

Season One Participants

;Omarosa

Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth Omarosa Onee Manigault Newman () ( Manigault; born 1974), often known as Omarosa, is an American reality television show participant, writer, and former political aide to former US President Donald Trump. She became widely known as a contestant ...

is a reality show personality who worked at one time as a scheduling correspondent for then-Vice President

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...

during the

Clinton Administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following a decisive election victory over Re ...

. She was a contestant on the first season of ''

'', where she was "fired" in Week 9 of the 15-week process. She returned for the series' seventh season (the first incarnation of ''The Celebrity Apprentice''), but was "fired" once again in Week 10. In 2000, she married Aaron Stallworth, but the two separated in 2005 and later divorced.

Contestants

;Ray Lavender Ray is a 33-year-old R&B singer originally from Monroe, Louisiana, now residing in Atlanta, Georgia. Eliminated in episode 8. ;Al B. Sure! Al B. Sure! is a 41-year-old R&B recording artist from Mount Vernon, New York, best known for his 1988 single " Nite and Day". He and Omarosa have dated previously. Eliminated in episode 8. ;Charles Parker Charles is a 43-year-old foreign currency trader from Washington, D.C. He and Omarosa have dated previously. Voluntarily leaves the show for personal reasons in episode 4. Returns – and is eliminated – in episode 8. ;Isaac Keys Isaac Keys is a 32-year-old former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

football player from St. Louis, Missouri, now residing in Los Angeles, California. Eliminated in episode 7. ;Lyle Silva Lyle is a 36-year-old attorney originally from

New Bedford New Bedford (Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Native American pe ...

, Massachusetts, now residing in Bowie, Maryland. Eliminated in episode 7. ;Javis Dortch Javis is a 34-year-old entrepreneur originally from

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Douglasville, Georgia The city of Douglasville is the county seat of Douglas County, Georgia, United States. , the city had a population of 34,650, up from 30,961 in 2010 and 20,065 in 2000. Douglasville is located approximately west of Atlanta and is part of th ...

. Eliminated in episode 6. ;C.J. Miller C.J. is a 27-year-old author/model from Los Angeles, California. In 2009, he appeared as a contestant on the first season of the reality series '' True Beauty''. Eliminated in episode 5. ;Michael Madd Michael is a 29-year-old concert promoter from New York, New York. Eliminated in episode 4. ;Eddy Puyol Eddy is a 30-year-old Christian rapper from Miami, Florida, now residing in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Eliminated in episode 3. ;Sterling Williams Sterling is a 42-year-old fashion designer from Los Angeles, California. Eliminated in episode 3. ;Jason Mitchell Jason is a 30-year-old massage therapist from New York, New York. Eliminated in episode 2. ;Darrell Kiedo Darrell is a 40-year-old movie producer from Memphis, Tennessee. He is the author of the book ''The Black Actor's Guide to Not Working in Hollywood'', which was published in 2003. Eliminated in episode 1.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ultimate Merger 2010s American game shows 2010s American reality television series 2010 American television series debuts 2011 American television series endings African-American reality television series Television series by Trump Productions American dating and relationship reality television series Television shows set in the Las Vegas Valley American television spin-offs