Former American Idol judge Nicki Minaj is returning to the world of reality competition shows — courtesy of her friend, President Donald Trump.
“This is a major, MAJOR KEY,” Minaj, 43, wrote via X on Monday, August 31, when confirming her involvement in The Million Dollar Pitch Competition. “Sooooooooooo looking forward to this!!! Imagine being a part of the Trump Administration’s initiative to support small businesses. Let’s GO!!!!!!!!!!”
According to the United States Small Business Administration, the Million Dollar Pitch Competition will give away prizes from a $1 million cash pool to five entrepreneurs pitching their small business models to possible investors.
The five finalists “represent the best of American ingenuity, know-how and grit while representing the vital contributions of small businesses in local communities across America’s industrial base,” SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said in a press release.
Us confirmed that Minaj will join entrepreneur Grant Cardone and U.S. Chief Design Officer Joe Gebbia to judge the final round of competition. Actor Dean Cain will also host the event, scheduled to take place on Friday,September 18, in Washington, D.C.
It’s unclear if the show will broadcast on a specific TV network.
“As we mark 250 years of free enterprise, these small businesses will remind our nation why our builders and entrepreneurs will always be among America’s greatest assets,” Loeffler, 55, highlighted in the show’s release.
Honored!! 🙌🏽 🇺🇸 https://t.co/gjfqMhFHqq
— Dean Cain (@Deancain) August 31, 2026
This isn’t the first reality show produced by the Trump administration during the former reality show host’s second term.
Last month, the Department of Transportation released The Great American Road Trip featuring U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy — who met his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, on MTV’s The Real World: Boston in 1997 — and his family.
Long before entering politics, Trump also was the star of NBC’s reality show called The Apprentice.
Set in New York City, the show judged the business skills of a group of contestants hoping to work in one of Trump’s businesses. The Apprentice lasted for 15 seasons and helped produce The Celebrity Apprentice and The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.
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In May, Us sat down with The Apprentice season 1 winner Bill Rancic and asked if he believes the series could return to network TV.
“It’s hard to believe that that first season was over 22 years ago. Obviously it changed my life, put me in a different stratosphere,” he exclusively told Us when celebrating the launch of iHeartRadio’s “Bill and Giuliana: The Podcast.”
“I think it would be great [for the show to come back], because we want to support the entrepreneurial spirit. America is based on entrepreneurs. They build Main Street, they employ more people than any other sector of business,” Rancic, 55, continued. “I would love to see it come back. 100 percent I would support it. I think it was an awesome show, and it was in the early days. So, you know, count me in.”
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