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[TV] The Apprentice 2023







Pavilionaire

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
31,262
Sugar said he was going with his gut feeling in firing Megan over Rochelle, yet the past 10 weeks of the show have clearly shown Megan outperforming Rochelle. Therefore - once again- you have to question what is the point of the tasks if it is all about the viability of the business plan.

I blame myself. This was a series too far. Tne format is fatally flawed, and it's actually annoying now.
 


GOM

living vicariously
Aug 8, 2005
3,259
Leeds - but not the dirty bit
Sugar said he was going with his gut feeling in firing Megan over Rochelle, yet the past 10 weeks of the show have clearly shown Megan outperforming Rochelle. Therefore - once again- you have to question what is the point of the tasks if it is all about the viability of the business plan.

I blame myself. This was a series too far. Tne format is fatally flawed, and it's actually annoying now.
I used to watch this as it was fun seeing how inept everyone was, but not bothered with this series at all until the interviews.....only episode worth watching IMO now.
 


rippleman

Well-known member
Oct 18, 2011
4,988
I thought her from Wallace and Gromit was going through with Marnie so that showed me up. Megan was a bit unlucky I think - Rochelle is there due to experience rarher than business plan.
Not sure Meghan was "unlucky" when she effectively admitted that she couldn't be arsed to put together her business plan (14 pages and no detailed costings!). How difficult can it be to google "what do I need to include in a business plan?".

If they are the brightest and best of this country's young entrepreneurs, the future might be orange but it certainly isn't that bright.

Unless Sugar has got dementia, why the hell would he go into business with any of them. Might as well just set fire to his £250K. However, I'm now beginning to think that it can't possibly be HIS money; he surely wouldn't waste it. I suspect the BBC is funding the £250K so we can watch total idiots make complete tits and arses of themselves. Good telly though.

(They keep talking about Marnie as being a "gold medal winning boxer". Now I thought I was pretty up on womens boxing but I've never heard of her. Neither can I find her representing GB at the Worlds or Olympics or England at the Commonwealth Games, let alone winning a gold medal. Odd!)
 


Bozza

You can change this
Helpful Moderator
Jul 4, 2003
57,283
Back in Sussex
Just caught up with the latest episode this morning...

I'll admit to not really enjoying the interviews, which have generally been the series highlight. The outright bullying just felt a bit nasty and unnecessary. It's possible to be critical and not be an utter **** with it. I appreciate it may not be great TV, but to reduce someone to tears who is there to present their hopes and dreams just doesn't sit well with me.

Beyond that, I thought all the business ideas were a bit meh - there was nothing exciting there at all. I guess the nature of "the process" is that some more eye-catching business ideas may have fallen by the wayside with the various "you're fired"s throughout the series.
 
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Vin

Well-known member
Jun 12, 2021
633
Marnie said that she had already secured over £350K of "investment" - she then admitted £50K of this money is a Bounce Back Loan, the purpose of which were purely to help businesses get through Covid. That's morally dubious at best.

Her company has been going for 4 years, she's -£16K in the red and no mention that there are 3 other directors of her company Bronx Boxing Ltd.

This year has been the worst. Such a predictable episode tonight - shit business plans, shit busineses, tears, unrealistic ambitions, cakes, sweets, hair extensions, more tears.
And Karen Brady, dropping the it’s Baroness Brady to you line.
 


Berty23

Well-known member
Jun 26, 2012
3,640
It would be amazing to see West Ham relegated and see what happens with their finances. Obviously they got lucky ripping off the tax payer but the money Brady has been involved with overseeing the spending of is insane.

All of the businesses were complete crap for big expansion. The interviewers said to all of them that they were not viable. Maybe they will pick the boxing gym in the final hit the investment won’t ever happen because of some legal issue (as happens on dragons den off screen).

I agree with bozza about the interviews. It went too far with belittling them. If this was a serious show then business cases would be looked at before they were allowed to appear on the show to make sure they were credible.
 


A1X

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Sep 1, 2017
20,523
Deepest, darkest Sussex
Scouse girl's business might be the worst that's been on there for some time.

"I'm going to hire people to sell sweets from stalls. Oh, but I don't have any people, stalls or sweets."
 




allystrat

Well-known member
Dec 19, 2011
275
It would be amazing to see West Ham relegated and see what happens with their finances. Obviously they got lucky ripping off the tax payer but the money Brady has been involved with overseeing the spending of is insane.

All of the businesses were complete crap for big expansion. The interviewers said to all of them that they were not viable. Maybe they will pick the boxing gym in the final hit the investment won’t ever happen because of some legal issue (as happens on dragons den off screen).

I agree with bozza about the interviews. It went too far with belittling them. If this was a serious show then business cases would be looked at before they were allowed to appear on the show to make sure they were credible.
They belittled themselves. If you are going on a programme like this dressed up to the nines with a ton of fakeness, giving it large. at least know the difference between turnover and net profit.
 


Badger Boy

Mr Badger
Jan 28, 2016
3,658
Not sure Meghan was "unlucky" when she effectively admitted that she couldn't be arsed to put together her business plan (14 pages and no detailed costings!). How difficult can it be to google "what do I need to include in a business plan?".
No, I disagree with that characterisation entirely. It wasn't that she "couldn't be arsed" at all. She explained that she had expanded her existing business and she didn't have the time to dedicate to the business plan. Personally, I think the ignoring of that to slag her off as if she'd been doing nothing was part of the "entertainment" requirement and nothing to do with her business acumen or ability. She expanded, which in itself is a positive sign. Of course she was putting in longer hours, why wouldn't she? What criticism would there have been had she ignored her business in order to compile a more thorough plan (these plans are never thorough any way) on the off chance her application was successful, she got on the show and then made it to the interviews. It's nonsense.

The rest of your post I agreed with entirely - the format is tired and the tasks have sod all to do with launching their business plans. The business plans are really just a justification to keep the interview stage because that's where the viewing figures are. What would make more sense would be to interview them based on the business plans at the start and only put through the candidates with a viable and interesting business plan - but those people might not be overly charistmatic (to be fair, neither is Victoria), well educated (to be fair, neither is Victoria) or in any way a potential business partner for anyone, let alone Lord Sugar (to be fair, neither is Victoria).

All of that said, I'm going to miss Victoria and her ability to become totally still and invisible in the boardroom. Her ability to just melt away into the background and not actually exist in the moment was pretty intense. Her suit last night was incredible, I'm a fan.
 


Pavilionaire

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
31,262
And Karen Brady, dropping the it’s Baroness Brady to you line.
Especially excruciating, given Meghan had entered the room and addressed her as Baroness Brady.
 




Weststander

Well-known member
Aug 25, 2011
69,238
Withdean area
Sugar said he was going with his gut feeling in firing Megan over Rochelle, yet the past 10 weeks of the show have clearly shown Megan outperforming Rochelle. Therefore - once again- you have to question what is the point of the tasks if it is all about the viability of the business plan.

I blame myself. This was a series too far. Tne format is fatally flawed, and it's actually annoying now.

IMHO he definitely looks at the business ideas early doors and fits the evidence around those early conclusions to ditch/retain characters throughout as it pleases him.

I would wager that many weeks prior he thought the gym and salon were interesting and workable businesses.
 


Motogull

Todd Warrior
Sep 16, 2005
10,463
No winners, just a pair of arguably least shite entrants. These two would have been nowhere neat the interview stage in previous seasons.

I didn't see any bullying. I saw a couple of realisations of being well out of depth.

Shut it down, or run it every two or three years. And attach electrodes to Sugar's bollocks and fire it up when he says 'it is regret'. Drivel.
 


Rookie

Greetings
Feb 8, 2005
12,324
Marnie should win as her business is the less shit of the 2. Really, really bad final 5 and brings into focus that the producers are more concerned about tele than the business idea.
 




Affy

Silent Assassin
Aug 16, 2019
588
Sussex by the Sea
They really need to move on from Sugar. He’s a has been with awful jokes and poorly scripted interviews which are only funny because they’re so bad (both the script and the candidates).
The wife and I enjoy it for the comedy value these days rather than the ”drama’”.

id love to see Peter Jones in Sugar’s place. He’s at least a (more) decent human being imo.
 






WhingForPresident

.
NSC Patron
Feb 23, 2009
17,258
Marlborough
Either Avi comes out with this shit just to be a meme or he should probably not be allowed outside without a helmet.

Rochelle f***ed herself by choosing all the crap ones because they're her friends, which seemingly sums her up. Thick as shite.
 




Weststander

Well-known member
Aug 25, 2011
69,238
Withdean area
I love The Apprentice, but this was the first series that bored me senseless at times.

The highlights - half a dozen, hide behind hands, funny episodes.

The many lows - dumb candidates, Rochelle and Dani, Avi and Shazia, each week we comfortably predicted the winner (clever editing usually makes it seem nip and tuck), awful candidates being left in for no sound reason.

Thank fck Rochelle didn’t win.
 


Rookie

Greetings
Feb 8, 2005
12,324
Poor candidates throughout, producers need to go back to basics like the original few series and get some actual business people as candidates.
 


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