Trace Adkins' return to 'Celebrity Apprentice All-Stars' paid off in a huge way, as he was "hired" by host/executive producer Donald Trump in Sunday night's heated competition against fellow finalist, Penn Jillette, winning the show.

The singer, who wanted to win 'Apprentice' for the Red Cross after the loss of his house in a devastating fire, certainly accomplished what he intended, snagging a whopping $250,000 for his charity. Throughout the season, the singer raised a total of $1,554,072 for the Red Cross.

As fans of the show know, unlike some finalists, Adkins and Jillette both demonstrated a huge amount of admiration for one another. "Penn Jillette has dignity and integrity. He's intelligent and played a clean game," the country star said (quote via Reality TV World). "It's hard to argue with Penn's record... if I'm going to lose, I'm going to lose to the best. And by God, he's the best."

Jillette returned the compliment, adding, "Trace looks wonderful onstage. He can really get people jumping around. There's energy there in music, you know, no one ever danced to Houdini. There could not be a harder opponent who has dignity, who has respect for other people, and Trace is all of those things."

The live two-hour 'All-Star Celebrity Apprentice' finale included Adkins performing his song 'Love Will' accompanied by Jillette on the bass guitar. Their final task came down to the their performance and success designing their own ice cream flavor for Walgreens' DeLish brand, which was accompanied by a video ad and an ice cream social to promote the sweet treat.

"Going into this last task, I think I delivered the best ice cream, I made the best commercial, I put on the best show, I brought in the biggest celebrities, and I raised the most money," the 'You're Gonna Miss This' hitmaker stated.

While Penn's ice cream flavor was a better seller than Adkins', Trump judged them not only on their final task, but also their overall job on 'Apprentice, deeming Adkins the star of the show in the end.

It was certainly a season worth celebrating, as this year's competition raised more money for charity than any previous edition of the NBC reality show -- something worth applauding.

Now that Adkins is finished with the small screen for a bit, he will prepare to take the stage this summer at the 2013 Taste of Country Music Festival.

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