KFC to Trump Loser: 'You're Hired!'

By Stephen M. Silverman

Wednesday April 07, 2004 04:28 PM EDT

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Yahoo Buzz
• E-mail

Fast-food chicken giant KFC is stepping onto "The Apprentice" bandwagon and offering to hire the runner-up of Donald Trump's NBC reality series as an executive in its company.

With only four contestants remaining -- and two set to be fired this Thursday -- the second-place winner among Bill, Kwame, Amy and Nick will be afforded the opportunity to spend a week helping KFC debut its new oven-roasted chicken line.

The New York-based Trump plans to hand his winner a job heading one of his companies for a $250,000 annual salary.

The Louisville-based KFC plans to hand the runner-up $25,000 for only working a week -- though he or she will also receive the title of Chief Sales Officer, a year's supply of KFC products and, as one marketing news report stated, bragging rights.

"We're thrilled about the prospect of teaming one of today's newest and most talented, young executives with a well-respected, American brand like KFC," KFC's president and chief concept officer Gregg Dedrick said in a statement. "This also gives the CSO one last chance to prove to Mr. Trump that he made the wrong decision."

In other KFC news, fans are teasing pitchman and country singer Trace Adkins since he became the voice for the company's national TV campaign last month.

"I had a woman come up to me at one of my shows recently and say, 'You know, I've had this uncontrollable urge to eat more chicken lately. Do you know why that is?'" Adkins, 42, tells the Associated Press.

As for the art of doing the commercials, the deep baritone explained: "I have to try to sound professional and not like I have a mouthful of snuff."