MUMBAI: In order to prevent the formula from getting stale US broadcaster NBC has announced that the third season of the reality show The Apprentice will not feature a battle of the sexes.

Instead the show will witness a battle between book smarts and street smarts as well as theory against practicality. The third season kicks off on 20 January 2005. In India the show airs on Star World.

For the uninitiated the show is hosted by corporate magnate Donald Trump who also serves as the show's executive producer. The winner gets to be an employee of Trump and gets an annual salary of $250,000. He said, "For the third season of The Apprentice, Mark Burnett (creator and executive producer) and I have decided to take the series into a new realm. We wanted to see what would happen if we pitted college grads (book smarts) against high school grads (street smarts).

"The result makes for fascinating television. Who will you root for? You'll also discover that we chose candidates who are more relatable--- along the lines of Sam, Troy and Amy."

One of the participants is 28 year old Tara. She is the senior manager of government and community relations for the Port Commerce Department of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. In this capacity she is responsible for managing the public relations for a multi-billion dollar port development project.

Meanwhile 22 year old Audrey from Salt Lake City, Utah is a real estate agent She never had the chance to continue her education after high school but has succeeded in her profession. She is currently working on her broker's license while launching a non-profit organisation for high school students to help them pursue their dream career.

32 year old John currently owns two successful businesses in the Sunshine State Florida. One is an insurance agency while the other is an IT consulting firm. Before moving back to Florida, John owned and operated several restaurants across the US including a popular nightclub in Atlanta.

Tana from Middle America Des Moines, Iowa is a wife, mother of two, and succesful entrepreneur. She owns several start-up companies including an internet commerce business. Her business savvy was first noted at the age of nine when she sold telephone accessories door-to-door and depleted her inventory in record time.

Tana's highly competitive spirit has led her to be one of the top sales women in the Mary Kay Organisation. Tana's strong work ethic has served her well in all aspects of life and she is a firm believer that you create your own destiny.