FORMER ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera was just one of the many athletes who appeared in The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition, which started to air worldwide on Netflix on 1 February.
Vera joined legendary fighters like Georges St-Pierre, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, Rich Franklin, and Renzo Gracie in beefing up The Home of Martial Arts’ unique take on the world-famous reality TV show.
The 44-year-old fondly recalled his time on the show, describing the experience as a dream.
“[The filming of the show] was for sure something out of a fairy tale. You get to fly into Singapore, go on the set of one of the highest-rated shows ever created, with Chatri [Sityodtong]as the boss, with all these excellent candidates. Man, it was indescribable. Something out of a movie set, something out of a dream,” the Alliance Training Center mainstay shared.
“And I was very impressed with how the whole thing was run. From when we landed to when we were on set, to our call times to the shots, they ran it just like Chatri would run a business.”
While it may have been a "dream" for Vera, it was quite the ringer for the candidates, all vying for a spot to be chosen as Sityodtong's assistant at the end of the show.
The Apprentice candidate got some real talk from Brandon Vera
Of all the featured challenges, the Filipino-American won’t forget the dragon boat challenge wherein he and the candidates unleashed their competitiveness. Vera was in the mood for a win and he called out one candidate for slacking off a bit.
“Honestly, [the Dragon Boat] was my favorite challenge. I just had to keep everyone in step, and the team did all the work. That was my first time going on a dragon boat, and it was fun. You could see my competitive side come out a bit,” the MMA heavyweight with a 16-9 career record stated.
“I got on somebody for slacking in the race. I really leaned into him, and then I felt bad afterward, so I said sorry. And then I explained my stance: ‘You don’t get to where I’m at by quitting.’ I just needed to hone that into somebody.”
At the end of the day, the inaugural ONE Heavyweight World Champion couldn’t be prouder of all the candidates, especially after the physical, mental, and emotional trials they’ve been through.
“Honestly, everybody stood out,” Vera said.
“To get on that show, I can only imagine the ringer you’d have to go through and the qualifications you need. I was just listening to everyone speak. Everyone was impressive to me.”
Catch all 13 episodes of the award-winning “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” on demand on Netflix.
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