The winner, to be determined by rankings and fans' votes, will be handed a cash prize and a trophy at the season finale in Las Vegas in May. Michaels says, "It isn't whether you are going to go down, but when and how hard. It's how you roll with the punches and how you get back up that counts. This award is about recognizing the hard-charging rider that overcomes the worst odds and makes an amazing recovery."
Michaels is no stranger to overcoming health obstacles - last year, he underwent an emergency appendectomy before collapsing from a near-fatal brain hemorrhage. He also suffered a stroke and was diagnosed with a hole in his heart. The singer will undergo surgery later this month to close the hole.