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The Apprentice: Week Ten

Lorraine Tighe from The Apprentice eating chips
  • Posted at 11:02am
  • 28 May 2009
  • by PaulJones-RT
  • 4 comments

Offer me a device that lets me eat a big load of chips without getting fat and I'll bite your hand off (especially if you happen to be holding a chip at the time). So when Lorraine and Howard appeared on a TV shopping channel to sell just such an item I was sure they'd picked a winner.

So was Sir Alan - it was the pitch he was less convinced by. Lorraine and Howard got so carried away talking about, and eating, chips (I can empathise) that they forgot to hammer home the price of the low-fat fryer and how to get hold of one.

So that was very much on the menu in the boardroom afterwards. Also up for debate was the question of risk. We already know Sir Alan is a fan of gut feelings and likes a punt on a hunch now and then, but it seems increasingly as if, for both he and Nick, business is all about gambling.

Nick got wincingly macho about it, actually, accusing Howard of being, "Not a brave warrior…". Er, we're talking about selling tat on a shopping channel here, not going into battle against the might of the Persian army.

As for his claim that Howard doesn't "take the big chances", well, when it comes to business - and when I say business, I mean contrived reality TV formats - I prefer the Dragons' Den approach. The Dragons almost never gamble (then again, they'd have to combine their personal fortunes to get near Sir Alan's £830 million, so maybe he has a point after all).

Sir Alan was playing it very black-and-white in the boardroom. He reduced Howard, Lorraine and Kate, respectively, to a "steady Eddie", a "slow burner in the thought process" and a "one-trick pony" (although maybe with Kate he was talking about that strange cantering celebration she does after winning a task).

And which one did he get rid of? Howard - the reliable one!

Meanwhile, it was a good day for Empire. Yasmina and James made an effectively flirty screen couple, and James even got a bit of praise for his wit - rather than the usual criticism - having cracked Sir Alan's grizzled façade more than once during his performance. Yes, despite that famously irascible persona, when Sir Alan scrunches up his furry face in a genuine smile he looks like a cuddly little teddy bear and you can see why Lady Sugar loves him.

But I digress… What about Empire's other member, Debra? Debra was…good! When other people are involved, she spews ignorance and bile, but put her on her own in front of a TV camera and - who knew? - it manifests itself as charisma.

Back at the penthouse, it quickly dawned on James that he was the only male candidate left, surrounded by women. "I feel like Hugh Hefner," he laughed. Enjoy it while you can, James, I thought, because, make no mistake, Debra, Kate, Lorraine and Yasmina - they're no Bunny Girls.

**

What did you think of this week's episode? Did Howard deserve to go? Is gambling a good business strategy? Is James the new Hugh Hefner? Post a comment below and let us know.

And don't forget to check out the rest of our great Apprentice content.

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Comments

  • Posted on 04 June 2009
  • at 9:29am
  • by Cyrus

Persian Army?

  • Posted on 01 June 2009
  • at 9:03am
  • by Jan

Am I wrong in thinking that Lorraine is showing another side of her personality and actually seems nicer? Thought she did a good double act with Howard until they got bogged down in extolling the virtues of chips! We all know that but would we have paid £139 for a deep fat fryer? I think not. Kate remains a strong team player but has she got winning potential? These 2 banshees, Yasmina and Debra are just trouble and surely cannot win when they have invoked Sir Alan's wrath already. So is it to be James - Hugh - Hefner to be the eventual winner? Can't wait for this week's episode.

  • Posted on 29 May 2009
  • at 11:07am
  • by BeeeRap!

Please tell me that isn't an awful poem.

  • Posted on 28 May 2009
  • at 1:03pm
  • by Androo Mowshun

Howard, your firing was incredibly bad.
I really am most terribly sad.
Sir Alan's intentions I just cannot see
You should have watched much more QVC.

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