All of the former contestants of “The Celebrity Apprentice” Season 3 (except for Goldberg and Sharon Osbourne) attended the live finale show at the Skirball Center in New York City, and then celebrated at the after-party, which was held at the Trump SoHo Hotel. I caught up with many of “The Celebrity Apprentice” stars at the after-party, including a triumphant Michaels, who seemed to get rounds of much-deserved applause everywhere he went. Holly Robinson Peete, who came in second place to Michaels in the final round of the show, was very gracious about not being named the winner, because she (like the rest of the contestants) did not lose sight of the most important goal: to raise money and awareness for charity. Here’s what some of “The Celebrity Apprentice” Season 3 stars had to say when I chatted with them at the after-party.

Which do you like better: wrestling or reality TV?
I love all of it, and I love singing now. It’s one of those things that I think everybody grows from it. Everybody transitions from one thing to the next. You might love something for a while, but once you feel it’s enough, maybe it’s time to move on. Now that I’m involved in singing, it’s incredible, because I wrote the music and the lyrics. I know what I was going through, so being able to come from that place — it’s all mine — that’s really cool.

You got fired from “The Celebrity Apprentice” because Donald Trump didn’t like how you said in the boardroom that your dressing room stunk after fellow contestant Curtis Stone “took a crap.” And you also said at other times on the show that you didn’t like Curtis because you thought he was arrogant. You later apologized on the show for saying those things, but what’s your relationship like with Curtis these days?
[She laughs.] My relationship with Curtis is amazing now. He’s a very attractive man, so who wouldn’t like that? He’s also a sweetheart. He comes from a place of wanting to do good things for charity. When he was on “The Biggest Loser,” he wanted to do good things for them. I’m also the kind of person who’s like, “If you slap me in the face today, I’ll forgive you tomorrow and we’ll be best friends.” I’m all about forgiveness.

From what they showed on TV, you really went through a wide range of emotions when you were on “The Celebrity of Apprentice.” Was that how you really felt or was it selective editing?
Oh gosh, every night I was going home with a different emotion. Tonight, I was crying three different times. You go through so many emotions.

In the episode where you got fired, all your fellow teammates said you should be the one to be fired. How do you feel about it now?
It’s good to get criticized. That’s the only way to learn to do better. I take all of that in, and I go, “OK, I can learn from that.” And you become a better person.

So now that you’ve launched a music career, is there anyone you’d like to go on tour with, whether or not they were on “The Celebrity Apprentice”?
I would love to tour with Cyndi [Lauper], but I don’t want to necessarily work with her in business. [She laughs.] Touring? Amazing. Performing? Amazing. Her music is wonderful. I can’t wait to grab her [new] CD up. I learned so much from these people, every single one of them, from Summer [Sanders] to Sharon [Osbourne] even to Rod [Blagojevich]. I learned from so many people. It was wonderful. The people are wonderful.

Can you talk about any personal highlights of being involved in your chosen charity, the Make-a-Wish Foundation, whether or not those highlights were shown on TV?
My highlight was just being able to have the kids involved in the show. When they watched the show and saw themselves on it, they were so excited about that. All those Make-a-Wish kids are amazing.

What’s next for you?
Music is my next thing. It’s the thing I’m passionate and most focused on right now. So I’m excited about that.

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When asked who she thought would win, Kanellis tipped her hand diplomatically. “I am on Holly’s team, and I have a cousin with autism, so I am torn.”

On Holly’s money raising ability, Maria conceded Holly’s talent. “She is a machine.” And the Donald? “Donald sees what you do on task, and what ideas you have, he doesn’t see the celebrity.”

Her abrupt exit was discussed. “It was… it was a let down. People make comments all the time in the boardroom but this is not our full-time job, but I was a bit surprised, my comment was meant as a joke, but people have different senses of humor.”

On whether she ruined Curtis’s studly image, “I cannot stand arrogant men, and with Curtis I think its his Australian accent, it comes over arrogant; it’s totally his accent.”

On who she will remain friends with. “Oh Holly for sure…I’m sure I will keep up with Curtis,” she added. Why she did not step up as a project manager “Sharon really wanted to win money for her charity, it’s hard when somebody has colon cancer, and Bret has years of experience… it would be unintelligent for me to take over the task…”

And she’s starting a rock band too, “It’s my baby, end of summer I will be on tour,” Maria shared. Last thoughts? “No matter who the boss is, you have to remember that sometimes that they cannot see the creativity in the idea, you have to help them.”

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“CELEBRITY APPRENTICE” contestant Maria Kanellis, a former “WWE” star wrestler and a songwriter/recording artist whose debut album “Sevin Sins” was just released on iTunes, was in town to do a hot photo shoot for the Chicago-based magazines Complete Woman and Sophisticate’s Hairstyle Guide and to visit with family in her hometown of Ottawa, Ill.

When asked to comment on a few of her fellow contestants, she said:

“Curtis Stone [top TV chef] is cute but he’s pompous. He has an Australian accent so he seems sexy, but he’s a little arrogant for me. But other women love him.”

“Cyndi Lauper just couldn’t keep it together. She’s just so creative it takes her so long to gather her thoughts — I’d never work with her again.”

“I love Holly Robinson [actress]. My cousin had autism so I was very interested in what she had to say. She’s a bit bossy, but that’s OK.”

Her interview will run in the July issue of Complete Woman.

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Kanellis will make her debut on April 17th’s Underground 54 event which will air live on HDNet. A press release on Maria’s appointment is due Monday.

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What do you think of the big news?

On the reality series, Blagojevich joins the likes of Bret Michaels, Holly Robinson Peete, Cyndi Lauper and Daryl Strawberry. He impressed contestant Maria Kanellis, a gorgeous WWE wrestler from Ottawa, Ill., who was raising money for the Make a Wish Foundation.

“The first day I met the governor, oh my goodness, I was like, ‘This was the governor of my home state!’ I couldn’t wait to tell my dad.”

Kanellis didn’t actually vote for him, but she can confirm that the governor is a politician at all times. “I’d be like, c’mon, just be normal, get angry!” she said. But Blagojevich stayed on message, on camera and off. “I wanted to get him drunk or something,” says Kanellis, whose EP “Seven Sins” comes out April 13. And oh yeah, there was one other thing about the governor: “He didn’t know how to text message.”

As you can imagine, there was one popular topic of conversation on “Celebrity Apprentice.” “They compared hair a lot,” Kanellis says. “Between Trump and the governor, and Sharon Osbourne and Cyndi Lauper and Bret Michaels, hair was hard to ignore.”

You can read the full article HERE.

The former Playboy cover girl has revealed she is already making plans for life after wrestling, as she thinks about starting a family. In an exclusive interview with The Sun’s sister station Sky Sports News, 27-year-old Kanellis admitted:

“I’ve been with WWE for five years, so I don’t know when is going to be the end.
But I am looking at outside projects right now and doing other things.
I just got announced as one of the cast members for the US version of Celebrity Apprentice and I’m also on an album coming out in April. So I’m starting to do other things and it’s partially because one day I want to be a mom and I want to get married and you can’t really do that when you’re on the road.

So I’ve got to find a job that will allow me to do that.”

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