All Star Celebrity Apprentice Finale: Penn Jillette and Trace Adkins on Stamina, Honesty, and Why They Actually Like Each Other

All Star Celebrity Apprentice Finale said it plainly: "Trace is wicked smart, very talented, has the best voice in country music — and he's honest. That's a quality that can b…" — and Premier Guide Miami was in the room when it happened.

On May 16, 2013, NBC hosted a press conference call ahead of the live two-hour All Star Celebrity Apprentice finale, airing Sunday, May 19 at 9 p.m. Eastern. Executive producer and star Donald Trump was joined by the two finalists — magician and comedian Penn Jillette, playing for Opportunity Village, and country music star Trace Adkins, playing for the American Red Cross. The call covered the season's competitive landscape, what each finalist learned about himself, and why Trump — for once — genuinely didn't know who he was going to fire.

On whether Penn and Trace were expected to reach the finale:

I wasn't surprised by them at all. Trace has already done this and he's already been in the finals — so I expected he'd be good. And Penn was fantastic the first time also. I certainly could have seen them getting into the finals absolutely. — Donald Trump

On whether this season was more enjoyable than the first:

The first time around I was a little skeptical and uncomfortable and guarded. The second year every show I enjoyed more than the show before and I just had a blast. There was no comparison for me. — Penn Jillette

My first season was much more stressful. This season I came in much more confident. I thought I had a good handle on how this game was played and I thought I knew how to win it. — Trace Adkins

On what each admires most in the other:

Penn Jillette is probably the most brilliant individual that I have in my Rolodex. I've been a fan of his and a friend of his for a few years now and I've had the most respect for the quality of work that he's done. He's a smart, smart guy — multi-talented. — Trace Adkins

Trace is wicked smart, very talented, has the best voice in country music — and he's honest. That is a quality that can be lost on this show. If there's one thing this show can be proud of, it's that someone as honest as Trace can do this well. It kind of shows that the backstabbing and the disingenuous spins doesn't necessarily get you to win. And I love that. — Penn Jillette

Trump on what got them both to the finale — and the Joan Rivers standard:

They have tremendous stamina. A lot of people on this show don't have stamina. The most amazing was Joan Rivers — when she won she was 77. I was firing baseball players and MMA guys that were just exhausted. And Joan Rivers just kept going. It was amazing. These two guys had a great strength. — Donald Trump

On who surprised Trump most this season:

Maybe Lisa Rinna — because she was so easily and quickly fired the last time, and she deserved to be. And this time she did so well. I've been watching television over the last week and I see her on every show. She's all over the place and she's doing great. — Donald Trump

On the charities they played for:

The American Red Cross showed up at my office in June 2011 when we had a house fire — our house was a total loss. Right on the heels of the firefighters was the American Red Cross. I was embarrassed to learn that they respond to over 70,000 house fires a year in this country. I thought the Red Cross was just the huge natural disaster response team. I felt like I owed them something for being at my house when I wasn't there. — Trace Adkins

I play for Opportunity Village — a local charity in Las Vegas for people with intellectual disabilities. The idea is not warehousing these people or keeping them separate from us, but rather training them to have skills and enter the workplace. One of the things that's wonderful about being on Celebrity Apprentice is that people from all over the country have called Opportunity Village and talked about starting chapters in other cities. And I need to add — it was Elvis Presley's favorite charity. Every scarf he would wear in Vegas and throw into the audience was made by the clients at Opportunity Village. — Penn Jillette

On what each learned about himself:

I'm a little surprised that I believe I'm a little less of a creep than I thought. I've always seen myself as much more of an outsider. Celebrity Apprentice let me deal with people that I normally wouldn't deal with and understand that I can get along a little better with them. That meant a lot to me. — Penn Jillette

I have more patience and tolerance than I thought I did. From day one when I got to peruse the cast I thought if I was going to win this thing, Penn was going to be the man I was going to have to beat. That's why I chose him first when I was given the opportunity to choose my team. — Trace Adkins

On whether Trump knew who would win going in:

Sometimes I know and sometimes I don't. In this case I honestly don't. A lot of times I'll have a pretty good idea — like when Brett won, they flew him here in an ambulatory plane. He was almost dead three days before with the heart and the whole thing. He could barely walk on stage and honestly if I didn't choose him I think I would have been run out of town. But in this case I do not know yet. — Donald Trump

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