The Apprentice 2026 Thread 2 - Conversate here!

[IHeartMyTissues]

As we head towards the final stages, it's shopping TV up next - can the current bunch recreate the glory of James Max and the Wolf jacket? Will it be happy days or chuffin' hell?

The place for conversating about it all!

Dan was losing money, as well as having a complex structure, which is always a red flag (in the Den too).

Oh, goodness - just half-watching 'Unfinished Business' - Levi is back for the final. Surprised he has come back after the way LS dismissed him.

Great to see two women through. Karishma has been my favourite throughout. She’s so shrewd!

I normally like the interview episode but it’s now so uncomfortable to watch. Claude and Linda are just vile bullies, awful, awful nasty people and I don’t think there’s anything entertaining about watching them talk to people like shit. I watched it on IPlayer so I could fast forward through most of the interviews and just get the end to find out who has made it through to the final.

I really like Dan so I was disappointed to see him go out but I look forward to Krishma and Pasha vying for the money next week. I think Krishma will get the investment which is fair enough as she’s been good throughout the series and seems like a genuinely nice person.

Linda is pretty harsh. I like Claudine as she seems genuinely nice and fair.
Two ladies in the final ..good going.

How come the two blokes made out to Dan that Lord Sugar would love the plan it sounded like he’d practically won it.

Yes Claudine came over as lovely. Claud and Linda are just playing a game, like pantomime villains.

I think they expected Dan to change his offer to both the businesses but in the boardroom he said he needed time to think about it.

Which explains why LS was suddenly "I don't understand your business" etc, probably offended Dan was prepared to instantly hand over the whole thing.

The fact that Dan’s business was losing money, would not have helped his bid.

I do not understand how or why Pascha is there. I would not trust her anywhere near a business, I think she comes across very silly, immature, fake and frankly untrustworthy.

I was certain it would be Dan and Karishma for the final.

I never really understand why Lord Sugar always feels entitled to a share of the existing business, yet if there is no existing business they still get the same amount of cash. I get that they often do that in Dragon's Den but that is then reflected in the equity stake - Sugar demands 50% either way.

Dragons Den I think has aged well whereas the interviews in the Apprentice feels like amateur bullying. I liked it when Krishna told Linda she hadn't been given a chance to talk.

This is the bit of the Apprentice that has made no sense since it changed from being a job to investment. Act like a performing monkey for 10 weeks then I tell your business idea is shit, yet if in week 4 you make the mistake of colouring a muffin blue not purple even if your idea had been Netflix your out.

I think it's just simplicity for TV, and perhaps to avoid the final stages being a copy of Dragons' Den. A straight £250k for 50% of the business, whatever it's worth, is easy to understand and presumably the candidates don't enter if they're not prepared to sell their business for that price. If your business was large scale already, you wouldn't need Sugar's mentoring or investment, so you wouldn't take part. If it was 'I'll give you 20% of the business for £250k' it would end up in a 'Den' style negotiation and the programme needs to remain distinct.

I'm fairly sure he is considering the businesses in the background when he decides who to fire, throughout. I think the businesses or ideas have to seem vaguely viable to get onto the show in the first place; but we've all seen firing decisions that don't really make sense in the context of the task, and we've also seen the way he shuffles the teams from time to time and pre-selects Project Managers, presumably to make sure the businesses he favours stay in the game.

I think Dan was going to turn down the investment if he had to put his two businesses in. Just not worth giving 50% away for £125,000.

To be honest it just isn't fair to judge a start up with nothing like Pasha idea with an existing business with over £1m turnover.

Dan was coming across like he thought the win was already his.

To be fair, a couple of the interviewers did make it sound like that.

And he was gracious about the two finalists when he was speaking in the car afterwards.

Karishma has to win. I am interested in buying her products and tried to check it out online but the link to her website didn’t work.

She is the whole package imho.

if Pascha wins I’ll be very disappointed- she’s done well for a 21 year old but there’s something about her I don’t like. I don’t think she’s come across well personality-wise.

He has got publicity for his business. He will find an investor to give him what he needs at a fraction of the equity request and probably a mentor who has a better grasp on modern business.

He may not have won the investment but he is probably the overall winner from the series in the grand scheme of things.

I loved that Karishma knew which one was her product.

Yes! Mike always tries to catch people out in the interviews but Karishma genuinely knew her stuff.

Win or lose I think she her business will do well. Even for her didn't see say she sells £10,000 and it costs ger £5,000 per month, so a profit of £60k a year, that is a fairly shit deal for £250k.

He did seem a bit deflated his party trick had failed, didn't he.

Dan is sorted for life and well out of it, I feel. I've liked him from the start (or at least when I first noticed him around episode 5).

The interviewers are awful, though I do have a soft spot for Claude. I quite liked the nice chat between the candidates between the interviews, they were all supportive of each other.

Karishma said something along the lines of "I don't feel you've let me talk" to Linda while Linda kept cutting her up saying "you talk the talk, blah blah blah". I really like Karishma but having dealt with an acne ridden teen, I don't think I would buy her product. And I loved that she knew her product - saying positive things about it then adding I hope it's mine!

I hope she wins, she's a well-rounded character and deserves it.

😂!

Yes! I was really rooting for her at that point!