Topic: The Apprentice

[sinnermichael]

Britney probably looking the favourite at this stage. Only lost once I think. Kathryn didn't have a great week.

Still stand by this. 8 wins from 9.

[Crosby Nick]

How on Earth is Akeem still in it?  He's been a deer in the headlights all the way through.

I'm not convinced he's an actual candidate, I think he was part of the crew or something and he stood in the wrong place, and now he's too embarassed to tell anyone.

Can only think he’s some technological whiz kid with a great business plan. He does seem a bit awkward. Then again, shouldn’t always be (but often is) all about who the best sales person is.

[El Lobo]

Can only think he’s some technological whiz kid with a great business plan. He does seem a bit awkward. Then again, shouldn’t always be (but often is) all about who the best sales person is.

'Actually I've changed my mind, I'm not some technological whizz kid.'

[Lusty]

Can only think he’s some technological whiz kid with a great business plan. He does seem a bit awkward. Then again, shouldn’t always be (but often is) all about who the best sales person is.

Not even just about sales though.  He's gone out and bought a load of inflatible flamingos FFS.  Can't even cook rice properly.  Gets pushed around by everyone.  Never uses 1 word when 10 will do either.

[amir87]

Not even just about sales though.  He's gone out and bought a load of inflatible flamingos FFS.  Can't even cook rice properly.  Gets pushed around by everyone.  Never uses 1 word when 10 will do either.

But on the plus side he's got such great resilience and patience when most of us would have told Harpreet to go fuck herself.

[JerseyKloppite]

'Actually I've changed my mind, I'm not some technological whizz kid.'

I hope he makes it to the interviews, but I doubt it.

"Your business plan is bollocks isn't it?"

"Well, I mean, no..."

"It is though isn't it?"

"Well when you put it like that, I can see your perspective, yes it is."

[El Lobo]

I quite like him, he comes across as a bit of a man-child but he's not been a c*nt to anyone once yet unlike most of the others.

[Crosby Nick]

I hope he makes it to the interviews, but I doubt it.

"Your business plan is bollocks isn't it?"

"Well, I mean, no..."

"It is though isn't it?"

"Well when you put it like that, I can see your perspective, yes it is."

Haha!

But on the plus side he's got such great resilience and patience when most of us would have told Harpreet to go fuck herself.

And this is very true!

I think I’d pay to watch a cookery series with those two.

[LovelyCushionedHeader]

How on Earth is Akeem still in it?  He's been a deer in the headlights all the way through.

I'm not convinced he's an actual candidate, I think he was part of the crew or something and he stood in the wrong place, and now he's too embarassed to tell anyone.

He'll be kept until the final 5 then be absolutely torn to shreds in the interview. They always have someone like that.

[Pistolero]

Good episode last night...cringe inducing as always but funny as fcuk...

Surprised Akshay went...not because he didn't deserve it, just assumed that with his weekly losing boardroom appearances he must've had a gilt-edge business plan to constantly escape the axe....

With him gone, think it's a toss up between Kathryn and Brittany..with Harpreet as an outside flutter

definitely an all female final whatever happens...the two remaining lads are useless...

[Coolie High]

Probably. But the editing also makes them come across as stupider than they are, and the tasks are setup to make them fail.

You have to be pretty stupid to one spell Arctic one when you can easily check, what’s more stupid is that no one in the whole team could see that it was the wrong spelling.

[sinnermichael]

Pretty sure it'll be a double firing tomorrow night.

[El Lobo]

Last weeks definitely backs up what that ex-contestant said about the teams having to choose from only 2/3 options rather than just picking a brown and green logo. There's no way you go 'Right what will sell well on QVC? I know, a blow up flamingo, some bed sheets and an awful, tacky 'owl light' when you could have had a massage gun, some face cream and a clothes steamer.

[Crosby Nick]

Omnishambles.

[iamnant]

Just such a poor show now when they're just forced to fail - that woman who was a right bitch to them during pitching would never be like that to any other bunch of people forced to create something in 12 hours. "Not very professional is it?" was a clear fed line from the producers.

Having said that, the fucking branding was god god awful from both. When they kept mentioning the fact a baby food product had the word 'dies' on the front I was in stitches!

[El Lobo]

I think Aaron was about the only person I'd actually want to work with out of that final six, surprised he got binned off for essentially not being able to suddenly become a baby food manufacturer in a couple of hours whilst that Stephanie was absolutely awful yet again. The blokes have been too nice this year, been continually fed to the wolves by the women.

[Crosby Nick]

Normally you get a few hypothetical orders placed from somewhere. Again, in the real world, the team who had the half decent product would just change the name/branding and win the task surely.

Did enjoy Karen telling them that the buyers loved their product, just to get their hopes up and then crash them down again but my telling them they hadn’t placed any orders. What a cow!

[Chris~]

Normally you get a few hypothetical orders placed from somewhere. Again, in the real world, the team who had the half decent product would just change the name/branding and win the task surely.

I think they wanted to avoid that because it becomes a bit boring if every pitch is just them saying 'yeah we'll change that'

Thought Akeem must have had a brilliant business idea to get this far, or was being set up to be annihilated in the interviews.

[sinnermichael]

God knows how that Stephanie is still there. Should have been fired about 3 times now.

[amir87]

God knows how that Stephanie is still there. Should have been fired about 3 times now.

Blatantly got photos of Sugar's shrivelled up mushroom cock. She's awful.

[iamnant]

The blokes have been too nice this year, been continually fed to the wolves by the women.

Yep -- the women don't say anything during the task just pipe up when it gets to the boardroom. Aaron respected the fact the two women said they were better at branding and gave them the responsibility to do that which is a wise thing to do, something which happens in business all the time, and yet they just saw it as a stick to beat him with.

[Wild Romany Boy]

Damn, Sugar did it. Would not have seen that coming

[Lusty]

I think they wanted to avoid that because it becomes a bit boring if every pitch is just them saying 'yeah we'll change that'

Thought Akeem must have had a brilliant business idea to get this far, or was being set up to be annihilated in the interviews.

My latest theory is that he works in Maccas or something but has been telling his Mum he's a hotshot businessman so she put in an application for him and he hasn't got the heart to tell her so he's just been running with it.

'The food is in the bowl Lord Sugar'

[Stockholm Syndrome]

One thing that did get me last night was Akeem being put down for not fighting hard enough for the food profile to be on the front of the packaging - more so than Stephanie who heard the suggestion and said no. So someone having an idea and being a bit wet about it is worse than someone who rejects the clearly good idea?

Stephanie is fucking shite and has been for the whole thing. To be frank they are all shite this year, not one good one in the lot. Aaron was the best and even then he had some issues with taking authority (even if last night I think he did what a team leader should do).

Harpreet and Brittany likely be in the final, but Harpreet would be the worse business owner imaginable - I imagine any business she runs would just be fucking toxic as shit. And then there is Brittany who is honestly just very wishy-washy and a bit within herself, not really listening to others

[El Lobo]

One thing that did get me last night was Akeem being put down for not fighting hard enough for the food profile to be on the front of the packaging - more so than Stephanie who heard the suggestion and said no. So someone having an idea and being a bit wet about it is worse than someone who rejects the clearly good idea?

Stephanie is fucking shite and has been for the whole thing. To be frank they are all shite this year, not one good one in the lot. Aaron was the best and even then he had some issues with taking authority (even if last night I think he did what a team leader should do).

Harpreet and Brittany likely be in the final, but Harpreet would be the worse business owner imaginable - I imagine any business she runs would just be fucking toxic as shit. And then there is Brittany who is honestly just very wishy-washy and a bit within herself, not really listening to others

Would probably be the right two based on their performance through the series. At the risk of opening a can of worms (and in the interest of fairness, both men and women have been crap!) but I do think there's been a bit of an element of trying to get the final four to be all women. Kathryn and Stephanie are incredibly lucky to be there. They fucked up royally on the Silverstone task, pushing the lunch half hour before they'd told the lads because they did a shit tour. Same last week, fucked up not getting the ring and then making an absolute pigs ear of selling live. And same this week, Stephanie was literally the sub-PM so how on earth does it end up falling on Akeem about the logo and not having the 'flavour profile' on the label when he literally suggested it and she over-ruled him! The only good thing is that Claude should rip some of their plans to ribbons. They really missed out on some great TV not making sure Akshay got to the interviews.

[jedimaster]

If you're not going to win the whole thing, this week is probably the best week to go out so you don't have to get your business plan and entire personality torn to shreds by those lovely interviewers

I have been hoping one of Kathryn, Akeem or Aaron wins, they seem to be the most likeable. Whether they are the most competent doesn't really matter, as long as they aren't the throwing their team members under the bus types. Most people with a half decent business mind and a massive investment and exposure from Sugar should be able to make a success of their business.

[tubby]

Stephanie better have the greatest business plan in history.

[Crosby Nick]

I think they wanted to avoid that because it becomes a bit boring if every pitch is just them saying 'yeah we'll change that'

Thought Akeem must have had a brilliant business idea to get this far, or was being set up to be annihilated in the interviews.

I’ve only just seen that first pitch and know what you mean now! She must have said three times that she’ll change it.

[Pistolero]

Watched the baby food episode last night  .....great boardroom....even before the zero-orders were revealed the entire six of em were visibly shitting their kecks ...anyone could've gone, but I'm pleased it was the two bozos....Akeem was plumless from day one (apart from his fighting talk in the taxi  ) but at least came across as a decent lad....cant say the same for Aaron...a snake who'd do you in as soon as look at you....played the laid back, nice-guy game, but clearly a fork-tongued tool...made up he was the first to be fucked off.......would love to see Kathryn go all the way now, very likeable, non-bitchy, level-headed and not a control freak..which cant really be said of the other remaining three ..but as we know it's all down to the bidness plan.............Mike Soutar was great as the eyes-and-ears btw.....would love to see him in that role permanently 

[Graeme]

Kathryn non-bitchy? Lol.

[El Lobo]

Weird how people see things so differently! Aaron seemed a genuinely nice guy, pretty much fell on his sword in that last task. Kathryn has been back-stabbing people from the very first task. In fact the only one left who hasn't consistently is Brittany.

[iamnant]

I think I'm blinded by my love for Kathryn that she can do no wrong (I mean come on how is it fair anyone can be that beautiful AND intelligent) but I agree with Pistolero. Aaron was a mega snake -- just complained about whatever the other sub-team or the PM was doing and never stepped up to the plate. Right gobby fucker.

Also agree with El Lobo here to some extent so I don't know what to believe:

Would probably be the right two based on their performance through the series. At the risk of opening a can of worms (and in the interest of fairness, both men and women have been crap!) but I do think there's been a bit of an element of trying to get the final four to be all women. Kathryn and Stephanie are incredibly lucky to be there. They fucked up royally on the Silverstone task, pushing the lunch half hour before they'd told the lads because they did a shit tour. Same last week, fucked up not getting the ring and then making an absolute pigs ear of selling live. And same this week, Stephanie was literally the sub-PM so how on earth does it end up falling on Akeem about the logo and not having the 'flavour profile' on the label when he literally suggested it and she over-ruled him! The only good thing is that Claude should rip some of their plans to ribbons. They really missed out on some great TV not making sure Akshay got to the interviews.

[Chris~]

Feels like some sort of bakery/desert business has been in the final for years now.

[Circa1892]

Safe choices for the final.

When you break it down - it's still such a weird concept. The name of the show and tasks are based on the initial concept (come and have a mid ranking exec job in one of Sugar's shit businesses) - but the actual thing is a business partnership/investment - but the only bit of the show they changed was the interviews. Thought it was quite interesting watching this immediately after Dragons Den. Not sure any of tonight's business plans would've lasted that long in there...

[Stockholm Syndrome]

Safe choices for the final.

When you break it down - it's still such a weird concept. The name of the show and tasks are based on the initial concept (come and have a mid ranking exec job in one of Sugar's shit businesses) - but the actual thing is a business partnership/investment - but the only bit of the show they changed was the interviews. Thought it was quite interesting watching this immediately after Dragons Den. Not sure any of tonight's business plans would've lasted that long in there...

These wouldn't even be a big part of your average Dragons Den, they'd be part of the quick montage at the halfway mark.

I feel that despite the big show and the big reward, it seems like significantly more and bigger success stories come from Dragons Den. I mean things like Reagge Sauce or those Trunki suitcases or Brewdog (despite being a toxic work culture) are absolutely everywhere, where as the Apprentice business winners seem relatively small scale

[The G in Gerrard]

Best two in the final. Although Brittany I felt sorry for.

[Graeme]

Kathryn wins then. He’s not going to touch Harpreet’s business.

[Libertine]

Safe choices for the final.

When you break it down - it's still such a weird concept. The name of the show and tasks are based on the initial concept (come and have a mid ranking exec job in one of Sugar's shit businesses) - but the actual thing is a business partnership/investment - but the only bit of the show they changed was the interviews. Thought it was quite interesting watching this immediately after Dragons Den. Not sure any of tonight's business plans would've lasted that long in there...

Yeah, still an enjoyable TV show (especially the interviews) but the concept is so flawed. But then any serious entrepreneur that would go on DD would never sign up for a reality TV show like the Apprentice.

I guess Sugar earns a fair but from just hosting the show. Because I would hate to compare the ROI from the £2.5m he's invested to that of Peter Jones or Deborah Meadon.

I wonder if they should have the interviews earlier, weed out the ridiculous business ideas and then proceed with proving themselves in more relevant tasks of business setup and development? But probably there are so few good ideas from the contestants that this just wouldn't work.

[Lusty]

Best two in the final. Although Brittany I felt sorry for.

She would have won in the old format.  Seems like even though the name of the show is the Apprentice, they're expecting fully developed businesses instead of finding people with high potential and taking them on.

No way Tim would have won the first series in this format.  He was a tube driver or something wasn't he?

[swoopy]

I thought them buying up Kathryn's domain name in various formats was brilliant she looked mortified and taken down a peg while Mike was telling her.