It’s back! The theme tune started and I could hardly contain my excitement for the twelfth series of The Apprentice. Some love it, some hate it, but the candidates in this entrepreneurial-competition-like-no-another certainly divide public opinion. This year we have everything from an art director to the owner of a sausage shop (something that really seemed to amuse Alan).
The first task of the 12 weeks was based around antiques, with candidates having to choose valuable items and sell them at a market stall and to antiques traders. The teams were divided into boys and girls, with predictably cringe-inducing names, although Rebecca’s idea of ‘Team Click’ for the girls was swiftly quashed by her team-mates – thank goodness. The boys started off questionably, choosing their project manager based on the fact he watched ‘Bargain Hunt’… but ultimately they seemed to get the gist of the challenge better than the girls by having a more sensible pricing strategy.
One candidate that really stood out over the course of the show was Jessica Cunningham, an online fashion entrepreneur. She was over-excited throughout the entire episode, so much so that she tried the same joke of pretending to drop a valuable item three times over the course of one hour (needless to say, it got a bit worn by the third “nearly had you there!”). Selling strategies were interesting and varied. Mukai tried enticing a shopper with, “Here’s a scarf, don’t be afraid” – not a strategy I’ll ever use.
But, after these small highlights, there wasn’t much else of interest to remark upon. The rest of the programme followed the usual format but this year it felt a little tired. The candidates (who can usually be relied upon) seemed to be speaking off a script in the boardroom, getting to the crux of the issue well before the hour was up with Rebecca worriedly exclaiming, “I don’t believe I’m responsible for the failure of this task”. The only thing new about this show was Lord Sugar’s daisy-print tie (I approved immensely). Next week’s episode needs to up its game if I’m to continue watching.
Image: Flazingo Photos @ Flickr