Do you remember this hilarious shopping channel task gaffe on The Apprentice?
For the first time since 2009, Lord Sugar's candidates are being invited to sell items on live TV. And, as Simon Ambrose showed, it's a recipe for some outrageous mistakes
It’s back. Finally. After nine years the shopping channel challenge is once again returning to The Apprentice next episode, with Lord Sugar tasking the remaining candidates to sell products on live TV. In short, a show virtually guaranteeing some absolute howlers from the business hopefuls.
We don’t just say this because fronting a live TV show without formal training would be daunting for anyone, but because this task has previously produced some classic clangers. And there's one we desperately need to revisit: the trampoline demonstration from series three, possibly the show’s best ever moment.
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Presenting solo, project manager Simon Ambrose – who was in the same Apprentice intake as Katie Hopkins – was tasked with selling a mini-trampoline, a pitch he started by innocently yet awkwardly jumping on the device, even showing off a few star jumps. And then it happened.
Giving no thought to his positioning, Simon began demonstrating how to screw the legs to the trampoline, accidentally creating a very NSFW image.
And completely unaware he was fiddling with a small pole over his groin, Simon carried on, occasionally dropping a line like “if you’re a young child you can do this!”, as the calls from customers completely halted.
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And here’s the biggest surprise: Simon actually won the competition that year. After defeating fellow finalist Kristina Grimes, he went on to work for Sugar's property company Amsprop before becoming a propertier in his own right in 2010. He’s actually now got a beard and a baby, if you were curious.
However, for all his successes, Simon will never be able to live down this genuine moment of TV gold.
And here’s hoping the Class of 2018 will gift us a gaffe worthy of Simon in the next episode – even if it means no shopping channel is willing to host candidates for another nine years.
The Apprentice is on 9pm Wednesday, BBC1
