Trace Adkins Quietly Maneuvers On "Apprentice"

Trace Adkins photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

March 17, 2008 — Trace Adkins never thought he'd make it past more than a couple of episodes when he first consented to appear on Donald Trump's NBC series "The Celebrity Apprentice." But after last Thursday's installment, Trace now finds himself among the final four contestants.

Trace was on the losing team as he and Stephen Baldwin's Quiznos sandwich, the Cowboy Club, sold to 60 fewer customers than the Champ Sandwich, pushed by the other team. But Trump fired Stephen, and Trace now finds himself alongside Piers Morgan, Carol Alt and Lennox Lewis among the finalists. The show is down to its last two episodes, and Trump will fire not one, but two of the remaining players this Thursday.

Trace's fellow country stars are backing him strongly to win the contest, and that includes Joe Nichols, who's been watching the show since its January debut.

"I think he's got every bit of what it takes to go the distance, and I'm pullin' for him," Joe told Dial-Global. "I think he's a class individual that has a lot more intelligence than most people would believe, because he doesn't speak all the time. [Session guitarist] Brent Rowan likes to say — and I agree with him about this — that most people that have a lot to say usually have nothin' to say. Most people that don't say very much say it all with a few words. And that's the kind of guy Trace is. They should realize that all the while Trace is not just sittin' back and mindin' his own. He's listenin' to everybody else. He knows what's goin' on."

"Celebrity Apprentice" was shot in New York in October, but the final episode on March 27 will air live. None of the contestants knows who will ultimately be named the winning apprentice.