Tyra and Martha's New Recruits

Thu., Aug. 18, 2005 2:45 PM PDT by Sarah Hall

The latest crop of catwalk strutters and corporate climbers making their way to the small screen have been revealed.

Contestants for both the fifth cycle of Tyra Banks' America's Next Top Model and for the maiden season of The Apprentice: Martha Stewart were revealed Thursday.

In Banks' corner, 13 women ranging in age from 18 to 24 will vie for a prize package including an opportunity to be managed by Ford Models, a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl cosmetics and a fashion spread in Elle, plus the added honor of getting to share the cover of ElleGirl magazine with Banks herself.

Among the would-be fashionistas are Kyle, an 18-year-old Dairy Queen manager from Michigan, Sarah, an 18-year-old fragrance counter representative from Missouri and Lisa, a 24-year-old assistant wardrobe stylist from Los Angeles.

This time around, the contestants will live together in a Bel-Air mansion as they endure the rigors of modeling boot camp and face the criticisms of a panel of judges composed of Banks, J. Alexander, Nigel Barker and former waifish supermodel Twiggy.

America's Next Top Model 5 premieres Sept. 21 on UPN.

Banks has also been at work on her new syndicated chatfest, The Tyra Banks Show, which premieres Sept. 12.

Meanwhile, over in Stewart's corner, the contestants include 10 women and six men ranging in age from 22 to 42 who are already successful in their own right and are now seeking the chance to become apprentice to the homemaking maven.

The competitors include recent college grad David, who at 22 is already the owner of his own Internet company; Marcela, a 27-year-old cooking instructor from Tijuana; Bethenny, a 34-year-old natural foods chef; and Shawn, a 32-year-old TV newscaster.

In contrast to Donald Trump's version of The Apprentice, Stewart's would-be underlings will live together in a loft (as opposed to a suite) and conduct business in a conference room (as opposed to a boardroom).

"I am incredibly impressed with this cast," Stewart said in a statement. "Their poise and creativity is balanced by a tremendous entrepreneurial spirit.

"Many of the candidates were as accomplished or more so than I when I started to build my business. Even so, there are some explosive personalities among the candidates and they really create a lot of tension in the conference room."

Though the show will follow a similar format to Trump's version, including weekly eliminations, the tasks carried out by the teams will be tailored more to Stewart's areas of expertise, including entertaining, design, merchandising and style.

The Apprentice: Martha Stewart premieres Sept. 21 on NBC.

Like Banks, Stewart has also been at work on her new syndicated daytime series, Martha, which premieres Sept. 12.

"I am very excited about working with a live audience for the first time and relish the idea of hosting a series that is a one-stop destination for all things how-to," Stewart said in a statement.

The diva of domesticity will finally be able to shed her pesky ankle bracelet on Aug. 31, when her extended home confinement sentence for lying about a stock sale comes to an end.