Lou Ferrigno is one of eighteen stars in the new season of "The Celebrity Apprentice"

As the nation waits with bated breath to see who the Republican presidential nominee will be, many will also be watching one of the could-have-beens.

Real-estate mogul Donald Trump opted out of the presidential race last spring so he could focus on the series, and though the last season finale had lower ratings than the previous years, Trump is sure to have an ace up his sleeve.

"This will be our 12th season, and I have to say, I love 'Celebrity Apprentice,'" Trump said in an interview with NBC. "We've raised tens of millions of dollars for charity. We've never raised so much as we have in the last season. I've decided that we are going to continue onward with 'Celebrity Apprentice.'"

The lineup this season, which premieres Sunday, Feb. 19 on NBC, consists of many big names from the entertainment world -- some who are still in the news, and some who haven't been in the spotlight for awhile.

The celebrity installments of "The Apprentice" are quite similar to the regular "Apprentice" seasons -- stars must complete Trump's tasks by using their experience and contacts to raise money for a chosen charity.

TV stars include Tia Carrere, Lou Ferrigno, George Takei, Paul Teutul Sr., Cheryl Tiegs, Penn Jillette, Adam Carolla and Lisa Lampanelli. From the music world, Clay Aiken, Debbie Gibson, Dee Snider and Aubrey O'Day have also signed on. Michael Andretti, Teresa Giudice, Victoria Gotti, Patricia Velasquez and Arsenio Hall round out the cast that will be in the boardroom this season.

Carrere has starred in "Wayne's World" (1992), as well as a three-season run as the lead character in "Relic Hunter." She also appeared in Season 2 of "Dancing With the Stars," but she was eliminated four weeks before Drew Lachey was crowned the winner.

Ferrigno was best known in the '70s and '80s when he played David Banner's angry side, also known as the Incredible Hulk. He has reprised his green role in several films and TV series, and he will voice the newest resurrection of the Hulk in the 2012 film, "The Avengers."

Takei starred as helmsman Sulu in the original "Star Trek" series and multiple movies. He currently voices a character on the Nickelodeon series "Supah Ninjah" and is a vocal advocate for gay rights.

Teutul, better known as Senior to avoid confusion around his son (who is also named Paul), founded Orange County Choppers, which is the bike shop featured on "American Chopper."

Supermodels Tiegs and Velasquez are have both broken into television over their careers. Tiegs recently voiced herself in an episode of "Family Guy," and Velasquez appeared in several episodes of "Arrested Development " and "Rescue Me."

Magician Jillette is the speaking half of Vegas illusionist act Penn and Teller. The pair had a series on Showtime called "Penn & Teller: Bullshit," wherein the two took very blunt stances on many issues, including environmentalism, animal rights, gun control and religion. Jillette was also the first celebrity eliminated from Season 6 of "Dancing With the Stars."

Comedian Carolla also appeared on that season of "Dancing With the Stars," though he only made it for three weeks longer than Jillette. The two will meet again in the boardroom in "The Celebrity Apprentice," with both men bringing their blunt and controversial comedy to the table.

Lampanelli is known as the Queen of Mean because of her comments during many of Comedy Central's celebrity roasts, but her insults are all made in the fun that is expected from the comics.

Aiken was technically the runner-up for Season 2 of "American Idol," but he has since been more successful than the winner, Ruben Studdard. While Studdard has struggled to stay with a single label, Aiken has released five albums and had a cameo appearance on NBC's "Scrubs."

Dee Snider is in this season of "The Celebrity Apprentice"

Gibson was a pop star in the 1980s, and she is the youngest woman to write, produce and perform a No. 1 single on the Billboard charts.

Snider is best known for his work with heavy-metal band Twisted Sister, the band behind "We're Not Gonna Take It." He has also appeared in "Celebrity Wife Swap," "Kitchen Nightmares," and A&E's biography series, "Growing Up Twisted."

O'Day was a member of the third group formed on the MTV series, "Making the Band." Her group, Danity Kane, was formed in 2004, and O'Day left the group in 2008 to pursue a solo career. She has since had several lead roles on Broadway and has posed in several magazine spreads including Playboy and Blender.

Race-car driver Andretti has never appeared on a reality series before, and he almost didn't appear in "The Celebrity Apprentice," either. He stepped in when his son Marco stepped away from the series after the death of his close friend Dan Wheldon in October 2011.

Giudice is famous for being famous as a regular cast member of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." Aside from the series, she has also published two cookbooks so far, with another due out this spring.

Gotti is also famous for being famous. She is the daughter of crime boss John Gotti, and she appeared in the reality series "Growing Up Gotti." She also had a column in the New York Post for several years and has put out five books.

Hall rounds out the crew. He revolutionized late-night TV in the early 1990s, urging his crowds to whoop instead of applaud during recordings, and the move quickly became a staple of pop culture for many years.

Previous winners of "The Celebrity Apprentice" include Joan Rivers, John Rich, Piers Morgan and Bret Michaels.