Bret Michaels wins 'Celebrity Apprentice'
Against doctors' orders, Bret Michaels, the Poison frontman and reality show star, competed in person Sunday night to win this year's "Celebrity Apprentice," beating out actress Holly Robinson Peete.
"Bret Michaels, his creativity and imagination are just amazing," said Donald Trump, who chose Michaels as the winner to receive $250,000 for his charity, the American Diabetes Association. "He's been through a lot," Trump said later, when the crowd cheered the news that Michaels would attend Sunday night's finale.
Since the taped competition portion of "The Celebrity Apprentice" ended, Michaels has suffered appendicitis and a life-threatening brain hemorrhage caused by bleeding at the base of his brain. He learned that he has a hole in his heart that requires an operation and, just this past Thursday, suffered a "warning stroke" that caused numbness on the left side of his body.
Michaels walked slowly and pounded on his chest, while receiving a standing ovation from the crowd.
"[Doctors] didn't want you to be here tonight, are you risking your life being here?" Trump asked Michaels.
"Lately, it seems like me standing up is risking my life," Michaels joked.
Even Robinson Peete conceded that Michaels was a strong competitor.
"My 5-year-old son said, 'Mom, I love you, but I'm kinda pulling for Bret,' " she said. "How can you beat that?"
Michaels is still expected to return to performing on Friday, as he hits the road to promote his upcoming solo album, "Custom Built," which features "Nothing to Lose," his duet with Miley Cyrus.
