Celebrity Apprentice 2012: Was It Arsenio Or Clay?

After 15 gruelling weeks, Donald Trump has chosen this year's winner of the Celebrity Apprentice. In the concluding moments of Sunday's finale (May 20, 2012), Arsenio Hall was presented with the title, fending off stiff competition from fellow finalist Clay Aiken, reports USA Today,

Aiken had vowed that he would win after several impressive showings in the boardroom, saying, "I've been a runner-up before. I'm going to make sure it doesn't happen again". The singer lost the American Idol crown to the soulful Ruben Studdard back in 2003. However, it was not to be, and Arsenio walked away with the $250,000 cheque to donate to a charity of his choosing. In the final task, it was actually Clay who raised the most money, with his $301,500 easily beating Arsenio's $167,100, though business magnate Mr Trump opted to go with the latter. Previous contestants Dee Snider, Deborah Gibson and Lisa Lampanelli all revealed they wanted Clay to win, though the likes of Dayana Mendoza and Teresa Giudice sided with Arsenio. Before announcing the victor, Trump told both finalists they "should be very, very proud" for the "amazing job they've done", adding, "I've never been so torn".

American actor Hall is best known for his talk show 'The Arsenio Hall Show', though also appearances as Alan Thicke's sidekick on 'Thicke of the Night'.