Donald Trump Decides the Winner Tonight on "Celebrity Apprentice"

Donald Trump Decides the Winner Tonight on "Celebrity Apprentice" 3/27/08

"CELEBRITY APPRENTICE"

"713"

03/27/2008 (09:00PM - 10:59PM) (Thursday) : EPISODE 713

TITLE: "UNDER THE HAMMER"

TASK: CHARITY AUCTION & CONCERT

'APPRENTICE CHARITY TASK FOR AMERICA' NBC'S 'THE CELEBRITY APPRENTICE' FINALISTS TRACE ADKINS AND PIERS MORGAN PLAY TO THE FINISH FOR THEIR DESIGNATED CHARITIES HIT SERIES REACHES ITS DRAMATIC CONCLUSION IN LIVE TWO HOUR FINALE ON THURSDAY, MARCH 27 AT 9 PM ET/PT

DONALD TRUMP AWARDS A $250K BONUS TO THE WINNER OVER ONE MILLION DOLLARS RAISED THROUGHOUT EXCITING SEASON NBC GIVES VIEWERS A CHANCE TO LEND A HAND TO HELP

NEW YORK – March 24, 2008 – It's the final showdown between the British tabloid editor/ 'America's Got Talent' Judge and Country Music Star in the long awaited season finale of "The Celebrity Apprentice," which boasted stars using their notoriety and business acumen to raise money for charity. The last two players remaining, Piers Morgan and Trace Adkins will compete in a live two-hour finale airing on NBC on Thursday, March 27th at 9 PM ET/PT - as Donald Trump names one of them the first-ever 'Celebrity Apprentice' and awards a $250K bonus check to the winner's charity.

This first season of 'The Celebrity Apprentice' offered a unique twist. The popular hit series showcased celebrities without their usual 'support system' of agents, managers and publicists, trying to lead teams and win tasks, all for their designated charity. Over the course of the season, over $1 million dollars was raised for 14 different charities – an Apprentice first, and 9.2 million viewers tuned in to watch these celebrities play with passion and heart all in the name of raising money and awareness for their selected organizations.

NBC is now giving viewers a chance to lend a hand and support the charities attached to the show's finalists. Beginning Thursday, March 27th viewers will be able to donate to the two finalists' charities by texting the message TRUMP to 30101. Cost per text is $1.00, plus participating service providers may charge additional text messaging fees. Net proceeds will be donated to the finalists' charities. Viewers who text will receive a video message from Donald Trump thanking them for their generosity. Viewers can go to www.nbc.com/The_Celebrity_Apprentice for complete details. Entrants must be 18 or older.

The final face off has the two celebrities preparing for a charity auction and performance by multi-platinum group, The Backstreet Boys. They use every bit of star power to battle it out in the final task. Trace faces the demands of the band while Piers is let down by celebrity helper, Stephen Baldwin. With the auction completed, Donald Trump faces his final decision – who will win the $250K bonus check for their charity and hold the title of 'The Celebrity Apprentice.'

"I am enormously proud of the amount of money that 'The Celebrity Apprentice' raised for charity, and extremely grateful to both the celebrities and the many donors, said Mark Burnett, executive producer of 'The Celebrity Apprentice.' "We can't wait to do it all again next year!"

Starting Thursday March 27th, fans of NBC's hit series "The Celebrity Apprentice" will be given the opportunity to support their favorite finalists charity. Viewers can support Piers Morgan through a live online auction or Trace Atkins through a charity song download at iTunes

PIERS MORGAN CHARITY - The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund

Live Online Auction: Viewers can acquire a variety of unique items from the show via an online charity auction on NBC.com. All net proceeds from the auction will benefit Piers Morgan's charity the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (www.fallenheroesfund.org), a not-for-profit organization that provides support for the families of military personnel lost in service.

The charity auction, which runs from Thursday March 27th at 4 PM PST/ 7 PM EST through April 3rd, is run by NBC Universal Television DVD, Music and Consumer Products Group and Delivery Agent, in conjunction with NBC.com and the NBC Universal Online Store. For a complete list of items up for auction, log onto www.nbc.com/auctions.

About The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund is a leader in supporting the men and women of the Armed Forces and their families. Begun in 2000 under the auspices of the Intrepid Museum Foundation, and established as an independent not-for-profit organization in 2003, the Fund has provided close to $60 million in support for the families of military personnel lost in service to our nation, and for severely wounded military personnel and veterans. These efforts are funded entirely with donations from the public, and hundreds of thousands of individuals have contributed to the Fund. 100% of contributions raised by the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund go towards these programs; the Fund's Trustees underwrite all administrative expenses.

TRACE ATKINS CHARITY - FAAN (Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network)

iTunes: Capitol Records Nashville recording artist and Celebrity Apprentice finalist Trace Adkins will be performing his hit single "You're Gonna Miss This" live with his band during the finale. Capitol Records Nashville and iTunes give back to Trace Adkins's charity FAAN (Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network) which is the largest charity in the U.S. dedicated to helping and advocating for the 12 million Americans with food allergy. The pre-recorded live charity single download will be on sale to the public at iTunes immediately following Trace's performance on the finale of 'The Celebrity Apprentice.'

This charity single will only be available for two weeks beginning with the live finale on March 27th and exclusively at iTunes . All net proceeds for the entire two week lifespan of the download will go to FAAN.

About FAAN (Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network) The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) was established in 1991. FAAN's membership now stands at close to 30,000 worldwide and includes families, dietitians, nurses, physicians, school staff, and representatives from government agencies and the food and pharmaceutical industries. FAAN serves as the communication link between the allergic patient and others. The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) is the largest charity in the U.S. dedicated to helping and advocating for the 12 million Americans with food allergy. Trace's 6-year old daughter had a severe, life-threatening reaction to peanut butter when she was just 9 months old, an experience Trace called "terrifying." FAAN has played an instrumental role in the lives of families like Trace's and thousands more across the US.

This season, America has watched as celebrities have put their reputation on the line to win money for their charities, and now it is down to the final two stars. Filled with twists, turns, and Omarosa, the finale will air live with surprise appearances and some of the celebrity contestants from the season.

In last week's cliffhanger, Donald Trump fired Lennox Lewis and Carol Alt and revealed the final task – the two finalists will put on a charity auction and concert with The Backstreet Boys, as each celebrity will be responsible for different aspects of the event. The finalists assisted by former Celebrity Apprentice alumni began planning for the huge gala.

The Celebrity Apprentice does not win a position in Trump's organization, but wins $250,000 dollars for their charity.

Donald Trump's eyes and ears in the live final boardroom are his children Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr.

The fourteen celebrity "candidates" competing for charity are: Trace Adkins, Carol Alt (eliminated 3/20), Stephen Baldwin (eliminated 3/13), Nadia Comaneci (eliminated 1/10), Tiffany Fallon (eliminated 1/3), Jennie Finch (eliminated 1/24), Nely Galan (eliminated 2/7), Marilu Henner (eliminated 2/21), Lennox Lewis (eliminated 3/20), Piers Morgan, Omarosa (eliminated 3/6), Tito Ortiz (eliminated 2/28), Vincent Pastore (resigned 1/31), and Gene Simmons (eliminated 1/17).

"The Celebrity Apprentice" is produced by Mark Burnett Productions in association with Trump Productions LLC. Mark Burnett, Donald Trump are executive producers, Eden Gaha and Page Feldman are co-executive producers.

Source: NBC Press Release