( CNN ) -- She 's been a comedian , talk-show host and feared red carpet fashion critic . Now you can add winner of `` The Celebrity Apprentice '' to Joan Rivers ' lengthy resume . Donald Trump and Joan Rivers attend `` The Celebrity Apprentice '' season finale Sunday in New York . After weeks of competition , the 75-year-old dynamo beat out 15 other contestants , including Dennis Rodman , Tom Green and Brian McKnight , to take the top spot in this season 's edition of the reality show hosted by Donald Trump . Rivers went up against poker champion Annie Duke in Sunday night 's finale in which both women were charged with planning a VIP party and silent auction for the last and deciding task . `` They 're both tough , they 're both smart and they both hate each other , '' Trump observed at the beginning of the show . The apparent tension between Rivers and Duke continued in the final boardroom , part of which played out in front of a live audience , with both finalists bickering and interrupting each other repeatedly as Trump looked on . In the end , Duke raised far more money at her event , but Rivers was able to attract more celebrities and provide a better overall experience for the guests at her party , and Trump declared her the winner of the competition . `` Your level of energy has been amazing , '' he told Rivers . The victory means $ 250,000 for Rivers ' charity : God 's Love We Deliver . If the series thrives on conflict , it got plenty of mileage out of Rivers . She blew up at country singer Clint Black , referred to another contestant as a `` stupid blonde '' and smashed a champagne glass out of frustration at one point . But Rivers seemed to be especially infuriated by Duke , calling her a `` despicable human being '' -- the tamest of the insults she hurled in Duke 's direction over the course of the series . Rivers even walked out in a huff after her daughter , and fellow contestant , Melissa was fired from the show . The exit , complete with bleeped obscenities , was turned into a cliffhanger of sorts when it seemed like Rivers might not come back , but she returned to the show for the next task . You might think a show that 's best known for the phrase `` You 're fired '' might not do so well in a bad economy when thousands of people have heard similar words for real at their workplaces , but the series averaged more than 8 million viewers a week , according to Entertainment Weekly . EW : Did the right one win ? Revived formula . `` The Apprentice '' made a splash when it debuted in 2004 , making a reality television star out of Trump and contestants such as Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth . For several seasons , the series took ambitious young mogul wannabes , divided them into teams and had them compete in tasks that ranged from selling lemonade to creating advertising campaigns for major corporations . The contestants vied for the chance to run one of Trump 's companies for a year , and Trump fired someone from the losing team each week until he selected an apprentice . Over the years , ratings for the show gradually declined , but the formula was revived in early 2008 with the first season of `` The Celebrity Apprentice . '' The tasks , pressure-cooker atmosphere and boardroom bickering stayed the same , but the competition now featured contestants with varying degrees of fame and focused on raising money for charity . The first `` Celebrity Apprentice '' top spot went to Piers Morgan , the prickly judge on `` Britain 's Got Talent '' who made news this spring when he invited singing sensation Susan Boyle to dinner after her memorable performance on the show . Morgan also made several appearances on this season 's `` Apprentice , '' sitting in as Trump 's `` eyes and ears '' during one episode and interviewing the final four candidates in another . Morgan 's aggressive questioning seemed to annoy the celebrities , especially Jesse James , who glared icily at Morgan when he kept asking him why he did not turn to his wife , Sandra Bullock , for help in raising money during the various tasks . Perhaps Bullock might be tempted to try competing on the show herself . NBC announced last month it is bringing back `` The Celebrity Apprentice '' for another installment in the spring of 2010 , Entertainment Weekly reported .
Joan Rivers wins this season 's ` ` ' Apprentice '' and goes up against poker champion Annie Duke in finale . Duke raises more money at her expense , but Rivers is able to attract more celebrities . The victory raises $ 250,000 for Rivers ' charity .