Was it the final two you were expecting though? Granted, after 11 weeks of hard-fought battles in tasks and bickering in the boardroom we were left wondering who would be Lord Sugar’s dynamic duo.
This series of The Apprentice has been unlike the other 10 in that there’s been no clear standout candidates from half-way through. You could argue that both Vana and Joseph stepped up in recent weeks but usually there’s a couple who shine in tasks and causes Lord Sugar to do that strange smirk he tends to do when he’s onto a winner.
In a series which has largely failed to sparkle, The Interviews were immense with new interviewer Linda Plant an absolute no-nonsense, call-a-spade-a-spade attitude to BS (this is a family blog so no swearing) especially when it came to the King of BS, Richard. Tricky Dickie left the room a wounded man having just realised his business plan was for a business he was already running. Epic fail.
Which left Corporate Gary and Lovely Hair and Smile Charleine to have the finger pointed at them by Lord Sugar. Gary, bless him, had clearly been brainwashed by the same multi-billion pound corporation responsible for millions of our 5p shopping bags and was under the impression he was Lord Tesco. Once it came out he was in charge of the coffers for a lot less than the £1bn he claimed he was there was only one way he was going. Out of the boardroom with his bizarre business plan for hologramatic parties, or something like that.
For all her mettle and emotion, Charleine headed for the exit first though with her idea to become a cut above the rest of the small salons in Plymouth after “winning an award from the local paper” so elegantly put by Ms Plant. Lovely as she was, Charleine’s idea of becoming the next T&G was trimmed down by Karren and Claude and Lord Sugar pointed the finger. I don’t think we’ll be seeing the last of her though, and her clippers.
So now it’s down to dating-game app pioneer Vana and not-so-dodgy-’tache anymore Joseph. For the latter off went the bum fluff and on came the business patter as the talk matched the walk as he strode into the final with his plumbing franchise plan safely in his white van. For Vana, so long as she doesn’t blow all the £250,000 in the first week of winning (if she does) then she might go far.
Who’s your money on then? Team Vana or Team Joseph? It’s a tough call but a worthy finale to a series which has finally whittled down the wasters and brought two genuine contenders to the ring.
Let battle commence.
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
