HONESTLY, you wait for one firing and then three come along at once…it’s like buses!
Yes, this week’s Apprentice was the best yet of a pretty mediocre season, hammering (sorry, couldn’t resist) home the fact you have to be prepared to get your hands dirty – even when you don’t want to. Yes Sam, we are looking at you.
The odd-job task was always going to be fun with most of the candidates openly admitting they’d never done any manual labour in their life. But there were some who should have nailed it (sorry) but crumbled under the pressure of two days organising a team and missing possibly the most important deadline when opening a small business. Producing marketing material for a business no matter how small surely has to be in the bible of opening a small business?
To be fair to Paul and Barry, the Chuckle Brothers themselves could have done a better job at cleaning windows, washing seats, painting some floors and clearing a back yard. It was enough to make even the most work-shy labourer wince. Fair play to Selina though on scraping up bubble-gum when there was no need.
For Elle it was all too much and for the first time in The Apprentice she was shown the door even before she got to choose who was coming back with her. The fact she knew it was coming possibly made it easier for her but I imagine the next meeting with her foreman might be interesting. Maybe a future in international relations awaits?
Then the domino-effect happened. Shockingly Mergim, who clearly has a future in stand-up comedy, buckled under the pressure of glass shelves and a dodgy paint job to be shown the door. Lord Sugar brought out the cliched “with regret” line for the former refugee so a glimmer of hope remains, this was possibly down to a passionate speech from a guy most bosses would love to have on their team for his enthusiasm alone.
Then Claude bared his teeth, and his impatience with April, to inform Lord Sugar her time was up and, to be fair, the right decision was made and the three cowboys were cast into the sunset. The fact April lasted so long in the process is unbelievable and then she admitted to Jack Dee she has resurrected the £9 salad for her newly opened “high-class” restaurant. We only hope it’s not tinned tuna she’s serving with a few rocket leaves.
It’s taken six weeks but this year’s Apprentice has finally kicked off with some of the deadwood ejected and some half-decent talent left. Hats off to Joseph this week for stepping up and, strangely, to Brett for not being as annoying as usual, but there’s always next week.
Nick Hyde is PR & Marketing Manager at Happy Creative, a full service marketing and creative agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us please go to www.happy-creative.co.uk
