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'Apprentice' Women Strip Down

Saturday, April 10, 2004

08:55 AM PT

The goal of "The Apprentice" was to yield contestants whose preparation for the business world would outlive the shelf-life of your typical reality television star. While that may have ultimately been the case, the show's casting department was also able to round up contestants qualified to take part in that ultimate post-reality gig -- the lad mag photo spread.

The gals of NBC's "Apprentice" have earned a seven-page lay-out in May's issue of the men's magazine FHM. Katrina Campins, Kristi Frank, Amy Henry and Ereka Vetrini may not have won the show's grand prize, a job at the head of one of Donald Trump's companies, but they seem to have captured the honor of appearing in lingerie in a glossy magazine.

According to the magazine, the four women weren't even paid for their images and interviews. They opted for FHM over lucrative offers to show up in their birthday suits in Playboy. From Stuff to Maxim to Playboy, sexualized magazine appearances have become something of a rite of passage for the women of reality television.

This level of exposure won't be anything new for Frank, who appeared in "Swimming Naked," an installment of Zalman King's popular erotica series "Red Shoe Diaries."

The winner of "The Apprentice," either Bill or Kwame, will be crowned on Thursday, April 15 in a two-hour finale. Henry was the top performer among the women, finishing third.