By Kelly Schremph, Hollywood.com Staff

Aubrey O'Day's quest to win the Celebrity Apprentice crown came to an abrupt halt last night when Donald Trump fired her from the competition, leaving Clay Aiken and Arsenio Hall to battle it out for the title. But given that this singer/actress has never been one to shy away from expressing her opinions, she recently chatted with Hollywood.com about her elimination and all the drama that ensued during her time on the show. Just don't call her ""transparent.""

Indeed, the Celebrity Apprentice shoot might be finished, but O'Day is still finding it difficult to digest John Rich's criticism of the former Danity Kane singer, which eventually led to her firing. ""I think that it was just misspeaking on his part,"" he says. ""He came there being a hardass. He was trying to find something to say about me. And I love that the one thing he found to say was the one thing that I've proven, time and time again, that I'm not. So, to me, and to the rest of the viewers, I think it just looked silly.""

Of course, O'Day's screen time didn't end Sunday night with her firing — nor did the insults. After being asked back to help the two finalists, Arsenio Hall and Clay Aiken, O'Day had to cope with being chosen last, gym class-style. ""I just think the guys have always kind of teamed up, and wanted to take me out, and wanted to put me in my place,"" the actress says. ""It could possibly have something to do with being threatened by a strong woman. It could be that they just don't like me. But, as Clay said many times, I'm incredibly smart, and they saw me as a threat. So it's probably that. It's just typical them.""

Not that the singer was unsatisfied with joining Team Aiken. After all, in O'Day's eyes, Aiken would pick up the final prize ""if there's any fairness"" to Celebrity Apprentice — that is, despite the unfairness of her firing. ""I think both of them kind of slid by in the competition,"" O'Day says of Hall and Aiken. ""[Hall] kind of relied on everyone else to do his job. Which is convenient, because if it messes up, then it's our fault. And if it does well, then he'll take credit for it. Like we saw him continuously do — take credit for my work.""

That, of course, wasn't Hall's most heinous offense, according to O'Day. The singer says Hall's expletive-filled tirade against O'Day — which led her to (very) briefly leave the show — was edited down. ""It was really crazy. It was crazier than they showed,"" O'Day says. ""There was a lot of things that he said that they couldn't air.""

But how about the not-so-nice things she said that made it on the air? Her knocks at Tia Carrere's age? Her jabs at Hall's current lack of superstardom? Her repeated mockery of The Debbie Gibson Comeback Tour? ""I think there were definitely heightened feelings at stressful points [when] I wanted to make great television. And also, [when I was] disappointed in people's behavior, and I came off pretty harsh,"" she says. ""I don't like saying the words 'regret,' or 'apologize,' or 'sorry.' Those are just words. It's what you do with what you've experienced, and how you move forward in the future with that information. I've definitely taken a lot from this show, and there are definitely things that I can improve on as a person from this show.""

Gibson has certainly moved forward following the back-stabbing barbs — O'Day says she and the ""Only In My Dreams"" singer have developed a close bond since Celebrity Apprentice wrapped. ""Debbie and I come from different eras of music,"" O'Day says. ""She was in more of a pop world, and I was in more of an R&B world. We just have very different perspectives and understandings of music and artistry. The more I got to understand her and understand her life — knowing that she was a child star and that it has kind of always been about her since she was really young — I think that I got to have more of an understanding of how she is and why she does what she does. I absolutely adore her now. I'm friends with her. I talk to her the most out of anyone.""

But despite all her chronicled flaws, O'Day, who mentioned she'd like to move on from Celebrity Apprentice to a series that helps develop girl groups, remains confident — especially in her ability to entertain. ""I'm just great at making television. Period,"" she says. She might say she's the best.

(Reporting by Lindsey DiMattina)

More:

Celebrity Apprentice: Are You 'Woot'-ing for Arsenio Hall?

Celebrity Apprentice: Did Donald Trump Get the Final Three Right?

Celebrity Apprentice: Now THAT's What I Call a Boardroom!

[Image: Wenn.com]