TORINO, Italy (CNN) -- NBC is asking viewers to vote for one of 12 U.S. Winter Olympians to join the contestants on the next series of "The Apprentice." Among the hopefuls are speed skaters, freestyle skiers, sledders and an ice hockey defender.

How do they measure up? Will the perils of top-flight competition prepare them for a face-off with The Donald? CNN.com considers their chances.

Allison Baver

Baver was part of the team that won the B final of the 3,000 meter relay short track speed skating, showing she works well with others in small groups to get the job done. She may also have the edge in business acumen, as she is currently completing her Masters degree in Business from the New York Institute of Technology.

Travis Cabral

The freestyle skier knows how to get into a winning position, finishing qualifying for the moguls at Torino in second place. After his final run, however, he had slipped to ninth. Would small mistakes cost him on The Apprentice's tasks too? Or would Trump respect his record as the youngest ever World Cup champ, aged 19?

Casey FitzRandolph

He won the gold medal in the 500 meters speed skating, showing he can keep his head under pressure and can hold his own in a jostle to the line. But The Apprentice is a marathon, not a sprint. Would he have the staying power to match the others over the finals weeks? He won the silver in 2002, suggesting he can compete over the long haul.

Todd Hays

As the pilot of a two-man bobsleigh, Hays knows what it is like in driver's seat. And at age 36, he is the oldest of the assembled contenders. Will that gives him the experience to see off the younger upstarts or leave him vulnerable to taunts that he's past it? He was U.S. kickboxing champion in 1993, so he's tough, but tough enough for Trump?

Chad Hedrick

Speed skater Hedrick knows how to compete for individual results at the highest level. He also knows how to work in a team. And, perhaps most importantly for The Apprentice -- he loves a good rivalry. His feud with teammate Shani Davis grabbed headlines, but Hedrick will need to be quicker on his feet in New York than he was at Torino.

Danny Kass

He won silver in the halfpipe at Salt Lake City and found himself doing tequila shots with the Foo Fighters. That may not impress Trump as much as Kass's other achievement: building up a successful business. The company, Grenade, started off just manufacturing gloves but has since expanded to making a full clothing line.

Joe Pack

A silver medal winner on his home turf in 2002, Pack finished outside the top 10 in the freestyle aerials in Torino. But more impressive for Trump might be the way Pack fought back from injury in 1998. He was forced to miss Nagano after needing a knee reconstruction, following by two weeks on crutches and then the long road back.

Jeret Peterson

Peterson, the reigning World Cup aerials champion, went for broke in competition at Torino. He attempted a quintuple-twisting triple back flip, a trick known as the Hurricane that is his signature move. Had he stuck the landing the gold was his. Instead, he crashed out and finished in seventh place. What would Trump think?

Angela Ruggiero

Ruggiero missed her penalty shot in the Torino semifinal against Sweden, but scored the winner in the world titles against Canada last year, showing she can deliver under pressure. Said by many to be the best defender in the world, all that padding could come in handy in the boardroom.

Katie Uhlaender

Is there anything more daunting than staring across a table at a glaring Trump? Yes: hurtling headfirst down a steep, icy track with hairpin curves -- and no brakes. And she finished a World Cup season on a broken foot. The tasks should seem like a stroll in the park.

Seth Wescott

A gold medal winner in snowboard cross, the sport known as Nascar on ice. Wescott's girlfriend, Switzerland's Tanja Frieden, won gold when U.S. boarder Lindsey Jacobellis fell after trying to grab her board. Could Westcott stay in the race and exploit mistakes just as well?

Chris Witty

Witty carried the U.S. team's flag at the opening ceremony, so she knows how to lead. She won gold at Salt Lake City in world record time, so she is quick on her feet. And she competed in the cycling at Sydney 2000. Is that kind of adaptability just what the Donald ordered?

And the best contender not on the list? Surely snowboarder Shaun White. After all, he's won everything else he's done...

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