Leeza Gibbons avoided hearing the dreaded "You're fired" from Donald Trump last night as she triumphed over Geraldo Rivera in the "Celebrity Apprentice" finale.
The former "Entertainment Tonight" reporter won over Trump and his advisors despite raising less money than Rivera. Gibbons amassed a total of $714,000 for her charity, Care Connection, while the Fox News personality raised $725,184 for Life's WORC.
Gibbons final plea for why she deserved to win and the testimonials of the returning contestants eventually swayed Trump to crown her the winner.
"We had an incredible season and an incredible set of players this year. However out of the 16 contestants Leeza clearly demonstrated that she had the ultimate skills necessary to be called the next Celebrity Apprentice," Trump said in a statement. "'The Celebrity Apprentice' has proven time and time again to be the toughest reality show on television today."
In their final challenge, Gibbons and Rivera had to create a commercial for vacation packages to Universal Orlando Resort. Six former contestants returned to work with the two finalists on a final presentation judged at a New York red carpet event.
"Mom always told me to stay in my lane and focus on my own race. That's what I tried to do," Gibbons said. "My goal was simple to show the kind of strength my mother had as she battled Alzheimer's disease and to honor those families who are care-giving. I hope I did."
Gibbons became the second woman ever to win the celebrity-themed competition after the late Joan Rivers won in the second installment. Other winners include Piers Morgan, Bret Michaels, John Rich, Arsenio Hall and Trace Adkins.
Trump also announced during the live broadcast that NBC had renewed "The Celebrity Apprentice" for an eighth season. It will be the 15th overall season in "The Apprentice" franchise. The network has not announced a return date.
