As we gear up to the final of The Apprentice, the candidates’ latest task was a chance to prove to Lord Sugar that they’re worthy of becoming his business partner.
If you just want to know who didn’t make it into the final four, then click here.
Adam Corbally was fired by Lord Sugar.
Last week The Apprentice had the first double firing of the series. Stephen Brady and Gabrielle Omar left the show after a disappointing result on the task.
This meant that Ricky Martin was all on his own, yet he was hopeful that Lord Sugar would allow him to stay as a one man winning team. That did not happen and Ricky is now working with Tom, leaving Adam, Jade and Nick to make up the other team.
This week’s task is to create an affordable luxury product range. Tom and Ricky both suddenly realise that they like to style their hair so go for male grooming products. Whereas Jade, Adam and Nick opt for chocolate. As research for their chocolate company Adam and Nick go to a chocolate shop, which would be a perfect time to ask business related questions but instead they just eat all the chocolates and sweets offered to them. Adam decides that they should also do jellies as well as chocolates. No one else in the team wants to but somehow they end up being a chocolate and jellies company.
Meanwhile Tom and Ricky are getting along as a team but when an issue comes up that they disagree on they each make a face like they are sucking a whole lemon. As this behaviour continues they both become quite unhappy about their product, but refuse to say anything about it.
To show off their products the teams have an empty room that they need to decorate. As Ricky and Tom go for a bland bluey grey, and Jade, Adam and Nick opt for stands of chocolate as well as a bar, I was reminded of how excellent last year’s final task creation MyPy was.
Back to the current contestants where the teams have to pretend that their idea is a real business for a day. Adam, Jade and Tom seem to impress with nice tasting chocolates, sweets and plenty of alcohol. No one seems to have a bad word to say about them apart from themselves as individually they are all picking faults with the idea. Tom and Ricky’s customers on the other hand behave as though they are walking round a funeral home. One customer decides to have a wet shave, and worryingly Ricky does this.
But acting like a real business for a day isn’t enough for Lord Sugar to see if you have what it takes to be in the final. No, the teams also have to pitch their company idea to a group of industry experts. And if you look carefully you can see Lord Sugar has slipped in as well. Ricky and Tom practice their pitch relentlessly while on the other team Adam writes his notes on his hand and every second word seems to come out as a cough. Once the pitches are over they head to the boardroom.
Turns out there are flaws in both ideas- when will they realise that is what happens when you come up with an idea and make it into a functioning business in a few days? However, Lord Sugar liked the male grooming idea and so Ricky and Tom are through to the final. All this has made Lord Sugar sleepy though. He can’t decide who should leave out of Jade, Adam and Nick and says everyone should come back in the morning.
Once the boardroom has reconvened the contestants start blaming one another. Both Adam and Nick agree that Jade performed best on the task but that she should be fired. They squabble and they back-stab but eventually Lord Sugar stops all this nonsense and fires Adam.
This means the final four are Jade, Nick, Tom and Ricky. That’s it for tasks this series, and all that is between them and becoming Lord Sugar’s business partner is the interview stage. It should be good as Margaret Mountford is back to grill the contestants on their business plans.
The final is on Sunday starting at 8.30pm on BBC One, and if you are suddenly nostalgic for the early days of this series then don’t worry it is still all on iPlayer.