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GENE SIMMONS - EXIT INTERVIEW

You're clearly a leader among men... and women. But don't leaders need to get a sense of an entire situation before making a decision? In other words, why didn't you feel the need to meet with the Kodak executives?

I had a limited time frame and perceived the task as large - construction, moving location, selling goods to the public. My decision as team leader was to use the time we had for what we did. And I stand by what we came up with. The "It's a Kodak world!!! Welcome" is a great campaign. And, whether two executives see it or not, is not the issue for me. I stand by my gut. Always. It has earned me a very good living and continues to do so. Therefore, as team leader, I take full responsibility - to win or to lose.

It seemed like you might have saved yourself in the boardroom if you put up more of a fight. Why didn't you go down swinging?

The decisions, redirection and approach, were all mine. Therefore, I take full responsibility. Some of the celebs were doing a TV show. I was acting in a professional, business capacity. The buck stops here. And my name is Gene Simmons.

What advice would you give the ladies of Empresario to help them finally get a win over Hydra?

I told them. State of mind may not be everything, but it certainly helps. The name of the team blows, and I told them so. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. The ladies (with me) worked reasonably well together. However, when I came on, it was clear there was a real lack of "team dynamic." My sense is they were each there to survive as individuals. Not necessarily to win as a team.

Since you've got a reputation as a ladies man, weigh in on this: Omarosa and Piers, a love affair in the making?

When the lights go out, anything is possible. Omarosa and Piers... sure, why not.

GENE SIMMONS - CONTESTANT INTERVIEW

Let's put the million-dollar question out there first. You've achieved fame and success in your life. Why put yourself through the often-brutal Apprentice process?

I consider myself the best at what I do. "Entrepreneur" isn't just a silly French word that's hard to pronounce and spell. It also means something. A champion is only as good as the challenge he puts himself through. Devoid of my support systems and my various businesses, how good am I, really. This was a way for me to test my mettle...my Heavy Mettle.

What do you admire most about Donald Trump? Do you see a correlation between him and you in the sense that you are both famous AND business people?

Evolution teaches us that in order to survive and thrive, a form of life must be able to evolve, or become extinct. Donald started off in the real estate business. And did well. He played around with Bank Money... leveraged... and so on. And then he decided to make HIMSELF the brand. His name and likeness. And after that, the banks were a thing of the past. Though Donald doesn't play guitar and isn't that prodigious in his oral appendage (his tongue, folks), he is nonetheless a rock star.

"Success" can mean different things to different people; what does it mean to you?

I remember the movie, "Love Story." "Love means never having to say you're sorry." That was the log line. Actually, SUCCESS is, in and of itself, the only real validation of your talent and ambition. What anybody else thinks about it, is besides the point. I came to America as an eight-year-old boy. I kept hearing about the American Dream. And I'm living proof it not only exists, but can work for almost anyone.

However, and I say this as a challenge to myself: Success is relative. There is always MORE successful. And any champion will tell you MORE is what it's really about.

Why should you be Donald Trump's celebrity Apprentice?

Oh, I shouldn't be Donald Trump's celebrity Apprentice. I think the show sounds just a little bit better like this: Gene Simmons' Celebrity Apprentice, don't you think?

Since you are in the public spotlight, people already know a great deal about you. What's one thing that the public may not know?

I suppose at a quick glance people may think I'm a wacked out guy. The real me is pretty boring. I've never been high, drunk and have never smoked. Anything. Most people find that hard to believe, but that's their problem. Not mine. I won't let druggies and drinking into my circle of friends. The result is, I have few friends. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

If you could be the star of any movie ever made, which star and which movie would it be and why?

Kirk Douglas in "Spartacus." Live free or die. I understand the core of the move and the soul of Spartacus, as played by Douglas. The slave that longed to be free. At any price. It's also interesting to note that Douglas, the star of the movie, was also the producer. And he gave a blacklisted writer (in the days of the Communist witch hunts of Hollywood) a chance to write the script. It's one of my favorite movies to this day.

What are your three favorite albums of all time?

Kiss Alive

The Beatles' White Album

Patsy Kline's Greatest Hits

What are your three favorite books of all time?

God, A Biography

Anthem by Ayn Rand

Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein