The Apprentice - is every series like this?

[acrossthegardens]

This is the first series I've ever watched and every week it's not really a case of which team was better, just which was the least shit.

They are terrible?! Every week they are terrible? These can't be the best candidates available they seem clueless?! Is this a particularly bad series or is it always like this? I've not been impressed once

No, there used to be funny moments and you'd think wtf at some bits, but on the whole the contestants actually had experience in business and were pretty good. Now it's mainly people who want to be on telly, last years showed some didn't even had the seed of a business just a poorly written plan. This series is the worst imo and I've watched all of them, none of them seem particularly likable and they seem ridiculous stupid and inept rather than anything else. I think it changed for the worst when it went from finding someone who wanted a job with him to wanting investment for their own business.

I agree. Is it really true they don't look at the business plans until the end? That's utter madness if so.

the fault of all of this must lay on the production teams hands as they are trying to manipulate what we see and hear from the love island rejects

I used to love the fact that candidates were made accountable for their actions during a task

the interviews at the end were always a highlight for their straight talking and uncovering of all of the bs

I cannot abide Tom alan on the after show and no longer watch ( or the bake off one )

maybe I am not the target audience but it has really lost its way

They also set up failures. For example Team A got a taxi to the place where they had to sell food in the street to passers by. Team B taxi didn't show up, they finally arrive two hours later in the afternoon when people have already eaten. Total set up

Wow! That doesn't actually sound ethical at all. Do Amstrad make taxis now?!

Also, leaving aside the 'little' fact that you can't actually fire somebody you haven't yet hired, I think they take it way too far with the nastiness in the business plan interviews. They don't just focus on the problems with the plans (and fair enough if they've blatantly lied), but they often turn it into an ad hominem attack: what is portrayed as 'tough realities of the business world' is actually what I would call abusive. The power balance is completely exploited, making it even more unpleasant than it would be if it were two similarly-aged people at the same advanced stage of business.

Can you imagine that happening in real-life, if it were your existing employer or a potential new one? I think the Dragons (on TV just before!) have a much healthier attitude. Yes, they will pick up on issues or 'inconsistencies' - and of course, if you don't convince them, you won't get their investment money; but if one of the Dragons launched right into somebody in the same way as the Apprentice interviewers frequently do, there would be outrage.

My main take-home is that, in spite of the bad gags, I would hate for AS to have been my father. Is it true that he once sent his wife a Christmas card that was signed 'from Alan Sugar'?

I disagree with the 'good looking' comments down thread. I mean they're not hideous or anything, but at least four of the woman look like ducks/trouts this year with poorly filled lips. One, at least, has cheek(bone) filler. Then eyelash extensions.

I agree that they're set up to fail for the entertainment. The lack of communication allowed between the sub teams. But they always were to some extent, but the old candidates had a modicum of business sense and the results [of the tasks] weren't as bad as they have been recently. Business plans last year were cobbled together. The best of the sorry bunch being the 'gelato' takeaway shop (which are Daddy and have been springing up everywhere in recent years) only part owned by the candidate.

Ruth I think was Badger.

I agree. The latest shower the majority just want to be on TV or famous.

I did see a video a former contestant made which although of course might be a load of rubbish does make sense.

SPOILER IF YOU DONT WANT THE MAGIC RUINED

They said basically for tasks there are set rules ie x phone calls and for y duration only with the sub teams, themes and colour schemes etc are allocated to teams so there's not duplication- which is why some use bloody hideous colours but have to pretend they're great, names for products have to be signed off by producers to ensure no copyright etc so often the terrible names are just because they've been through 100 others and had them rejected, they're super sleep deprived and the challenges are purposefully intense time wise so they are exhausted and this leads to rubbish decisions, the board room is filmed over the course of a whole day so random firings have probably actually been discussed at length in real life.

I do generally enjoy watching it but this series is the worst ever.

I agree with this about the interview process. It is needlessly unpleasant.

What also bothers me is when you have a candidate with a sad back story, so in between the ruthless personality assassination and bullying comes 'tell me about your father who tragically died in hideously sad circumstances a few weeks before this process and how he would feel about what you've achieved.' - so they are suddenly reduced to tears of grief in the midst of it all just for good TV and a sympathetic story arc. Horribly abusive.

Alan Sugar seems to have a touch of Bruce Forsyth about him these days ... he takes so long to say his cringey dad jokes that you can see the punchline coming ten minutes before he gets it out

My main take-home is that, in spite of the bad gags, I would hate for AS to have been my father. Is it true that he once sent his wife a Christmas card that was signed 'from Alan Sugar'?

It might have been a birthday card, but I believe he had to do an immense amount of grovelling to try and make up.

Eurgh I’ve been commenting on all the lip filler to my DD every week! It’s got worse this year! Most of the women have awful trout pouts, cheek fillers, hair extensions, overly white teeth etc and the clothes are hideous!

Can’t stand Suralan and his script - truly terrible, and You’re Fired is utter shite, the presenter and panel guests are excruciating, with a few exceptions.

im only half watching this year because the DC like it and I like watching things with them.

It's got gradually worse, they used to be talented young business people whereas now they are too busy trying to look good, hoping for an invite to a celebrity show no doubt

Some of the tasks are just cringe worthy, take the buying things in Brighton one, i could have sourced all 9 single handed in time for lunch, and no I don't no Brighton, I just have common sense, and the the food tasks make me the most annoyed, why do I even watch it

Karren Brady in the Sun: maybe I’ve been living under a stone but this column revealed a side I didn’t know about - I’m out.

www.thesun.co.uk/news/21354283/leave-smirking-lying-shamima-begum-fester-hellhole/amp/

It might have been a birthday card, but I believe he had to do an immense amount of grovelling to try and make up.

Wow, that's even worse, then! It might have been marginally understandable if he'd had his PA/minion batch-write a big pile of Christmas cards and somehow his wife's had got included in the list (that's if he celebrates Christmas, of course); but a birthday card?!

Karen does always see to have a real mean, nasty streak of the sort that Margaret, Nick and Tim never did/do.

She probably knows which side her bread is buttered with the Sun, though, as her daughter is a 'model' who specialises in photos of herself with very little on - bit hard to get your readers to go phwoooaarr at a photo of a woman wearing traditional Muslim dress, so that may sway their perspectives on the whole matter slightly.