'Celebrity Apprentice' Winner: Trace Adkins
Country music star Trace Adkins is the winner of the first-ever "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice" as the series came to an end on Sunday.
The live season finale saw Donald Trump "hire" Adkins while fellow finalist Penn Jillette finished in second place.
Adkins' win included $250,000 going toward the charity of his pick- the American Red Cross, as well as another$100,000 from Walgreens.
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"Thanks to everyone that watched, bought, tweeted, donated and cheered," the singer posted to Twitter on Sunday night. "Your love will give @RedCross so much!"
The win was Adkins' second attempt on "Celebrity Apprentice." The country music singer had appeared on the very first season of NBC's reality series, but lost to Piers Morgan.
Meanwhile, Walgreens also donated $100,000 to Jillette's charity in Las Vegas that helps people with intellectual disabilities, Opportunity Village.
Before becoming the winner, Adkins revealed true respect for his adversary.
"If I'm gonna lose, I wanna lose to the best, and by God he's the best," said the 51-year-old singer of Jillette.
The two finalists had been asked to create a new ice cream flavor for Walgreens and then create a commercial and throw a star-studded party debuting the flavors while also raising money for charity.
Adkins and his team created "Maple Macadamia Mash-Up" and drew $564,000 with ticket sales to his ice cream bash, which saw Wynonna Judd, Tony Stewart, Tim Tebow, and many others.
Alternately, Jillette created "Magic Swurtle" and raised $503,655 in ticket sales for his party, which saw "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks, Blue Man Group, and George Wallace, among others.
On Twitter, viewers and even fellow "Celebrity Apprentice" contestants congratulated Adkins on the win.
"Congrats to @TraceAdkins for winning the All Stars Celebrity Apprentice," wrote television mogul Mark Burnett. "His season total is over 1.7 million."
Former rival Piers Morgan posted, "Congrats @TraceAdkins on finally winning #CelebrityApprentice & @pennjillette for being a great competitor & @realDonaldTrump for a great show."
The Grand Ole Opry added, "Big congratulations to @CelebApprenticeMVP @TraceAdkins!"
