I know it's still 40 minutes away - but I simply can't wait any long for the Apprentice Thread......

[BaroqinAroundTheChristmasTree]

so who's joining me?

Interviews this week - this is always the best bit

thenightsky - no - 9pm on Sunday

I'm sure Karen's had something else altered, apart from the teeth.
She's either lost a fair bit of weight or had botox. Think she looks fab.
Go Stella Go!

If she looks fab then it is unlikely to be Botox.

Maybe the makeup guys for You're Fired made her more glam because she is meant to look stern on the Apprentice itself.

Or maybe she just looks well-rested instead of getting up early and following a bunch of business twats around for weeks on end.

Baroque - I'd definately say skip the bath - unless the dirt is clearly visible

Night folks

We cheered here when Baggs The Brand got fired

Really hope Stella wins on Sunday

The "Brand" was an inspired parting gift!

I liked the kitchen worktop for jamie :o

was it just my imagination, or was baggs hugely uncomfortable during 'you're fired'? he looked like he was sitting on spikes or something.

also, why, in the interview bit, were none of margaret's interviews with the women shown? Do you think they just came across too well? Stella was incredible, she is just so professional and well prepared - really hope she wins, but I have the sneaking suspicion it'll be Simon/Kristina mark II.

I'm so glad that the final is on Sunday - we're away from tuesday so I'd have missed it if it were Wednesday! woohoo!

Just caught up

I cried with Joanna. WTF is wrong with me?

Stella was amazing and hopefully will walk it. Posh beavis can't win, it would be a travesty. I have warmed to him, but am still only slush.

Isn't Dara sooo much better than Chiles?

Sorry, coming to this a bit late.

That Boden bloke likes to "kill with kindness", doesn't he? But honestly, who would go for an interview and not know anything about the company? Even getting the name wrong??

And I wonder if Claude interviews like that in real life? I'd be so offended if I went for a interview and was subjected to that kind of hostile questioning.

And that Alan The Lawyer with his fleshy lips looks like the sort who tries to put his hand up women's skirts at conferences.

Apparently AStuart doesn't appear in the final - he wasn't invited back.

There are another 4 not back either I think - Laura is one, Rayleigh another, Sandeesh?

And I think it is fired quite a lng time in adavnce and the finl two have been working for Lord Sugar for that time, but they still don't know who has the apprentice job. Som not entirey dependent on the final task at all.

What length of time is there between the episode that we saw there and now (assume the you're fired is now)? Karen has long hair at the front, but in the 3 firings there she had a fringe. Stuart had lost ALOT of weight. I also think Karen has lost weight that is why she looks better

Shame he didn't ask about the ham shank incident. I wonder if they will on the uncut one tonight (Thu)

Lord Sugar has gone down in my estimation and the Brand has gone up. It was a very nasty firing, saying that Baggs was "full of shit", all apparently because of a slight exaggeration about his telecomms licence. So what? The Viglen guy admitted that Baggs knew about technology, and apart from his blagging and overconfidence, Baggs didn't do much else wrong. So why did Sir Alan do a complete about turn on him and not have a single good thing to say about him? It was a bit cruel.

Baggs will end up doing well as he is so memorable.

I wondered that about Margaret interviewing the women. I was interested to see what she'd make of them but I don't think they showed either, did they?

PotPourri - the series was filmed last autumn. There would usually be 4-6 months between filming and transmission, but this series was put off to the autumn because of the election. The You're Fired is always recorded just a few days before transmission.

It wasn't cruel, Stuart is full of shit. That's why everyone has been yelling at the screen for the last 10 weeks. I think there was more to it than the telecoms stuff but something obviously pissed Sralan off. Shame it took him so long. Baggs will sink without trace, there is nothing special about him, apart from him being a complete tosser.

Does Stuart have a flash car and a big house at the age of 21 from a business that he set up himself? If so, I can't see that he can be "full of shit". How successful is his business compared to Jo's cleaning business?

I didn't like Stuart at the beginning, I thought he was arrogant, but I think there was something special businesswise about him that none of the others possessed. It will be interesting to read articles about his business to see if he was telling the truth or not. I am sure the Sunday papers will pay him well for interviews as he is the biggest star and personality of the show, and will efface whoever the winner is. Maybe that's why they didn't invite him back to the final.

Well as the big house and flash car are so far only the stuff of legends, you can't base a lot on that. My brother had flash cars etc at that age and he's nothing special, just a bit of a tightarse who worked hard. Doesn't make him the next apprentice.

I agree it's the stuff of legends. I hope the papers will give us more info to see if it was all bull or not.

claig I think it was also the lying about competitors going bust etc that prompted the "you're full of shit" comment.

yes KalokiMallow, I forgot about that. That was pretty serious and unethical.

I think what annoyed Lord Sugar was that he gave Baggsy a last minute reprieve last week and sacked Liz instead; because of Baggsy's tale of how he'd made himself not taking any money from his parents since he was 7. Alan Sugar has previously shown he is susceptible to hard luck, pulled myself up by my boot straps stories. When he found that Baggsy had lied Lord Sugar felt he had been played the previous week. He made it clear he regretted having sacked Liz to let Stuart stay.

I said to my family last week that if Stuart was found to have lied after what he said then Lord Sugar would go ballistic.

Yes, but they all lie a little bit on their CVs. Remember a previous series, where they caught Lee McQueen lying on his CV and he still won and became the apprentice.

www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/3554180/The-Apprentice-winner-Lee-McQueen-I-would-never-condone-lying-on-a-CV.html

It just strikes me as odd, how Sugar dismissed Stuart without a good word, but was so considerate towards Jo. Maybe what Sugar actually said was cut for effect by the TV producers to make it look worse than it seemed, I don't know.

i thought there was a full year - as Braggs said he was 22 on You're Fired.

can't wait to see full coverage - last nights was way too brief

posh beavis hehuhuhuhuh huhuhuh