The Apprentice – Week 10

The Premium dessert task. From just the title I could already see a thousand pitfalls and things that were going to crop up that were going to be wrong. There was definitely going to be something that tasted, just wrong; and there was going to be branding that missed the mark and looked too ‘Tesco Value’. I was right. How fantastic am I? With only six candidates left, the pressure really was on for every single candidate to prove themselves, and it showed.

The first decision Lord Sugar made was to move feisty/moronic contestant Daniel Lassman over to Team Tenacity and away from his previous teammates with whom there was a considerable amount of friction. Good idea – the fact it had taken this long was quite astonishing to me, and another sign that the BBC are out for ratings not a sincere business partner for Lord Sugar. Big Al took a different stance this week and forced Project Managers, choosing Roisin for Tenacity, whose business idea is ready meals; and Katie for Summit whose business idea is to set up a restaurant. They both sound like good people to take the roles, and both looked very happy to do so, however there has to be some sort of allowance for the fact that whenever someone professes to be good at something/’this is what I do every day,’ something will go wrong.

Both teams went for two different plans, but ones that weren’t particularly shocking or innovative. Summit did an infusion of flavours, with one flavour being quite outlandish, such as saffron or hibiscus; and Tenacity choosing to take something ‘British’ and add it to a well-loved dessert, making tea flavoured cheesecakes. Katie made the decision to be the sole person manufacturing the product in the factory, doing the tastings and flavourings, afterwards admitting that even though she wants to open a restaurant, she can’t cook. That will be great for a task where you have to make food then won’t it? However, this does give her a strong control on whether the product is up to taste quality and adheres to the ‘premium’ banner that they have to stick to. Roisin’s strategy was different and she set herself aside for the branding, being swayed by Solomon to also take him, leaving Bianca and Daniel to create the cheesecake. I do believe that in this case that was the right decision, the branding for Team Tenacity was so much better than that of Summit, and really did exude luxury for the mass market which is exactly what the task was about.

Their adorable name of ‘Tea Pot’ and the simple, sleek packaging really did lend itself to the high profile supermarkets that they were pitching to. On the other team though, there was somewhat of a branding disaster.

Mark and Sanjay, high-fiving each other, managed to create ‘A Trifle Different’, nice pun there Sanjay; and make packaging that you wouldn’t find anywhere near the likes of Waitrose (one of the supermarkets they pitched to). There was gingham, there was a picture of a trifle, there were custard splodges – it was too busy and too low rent. Looked like my favourite candidate left, Mark, could be in some trouble.

(source: telegraph.co.uk)

Then it came to the pitches. They are always the moments that we love to hate, the most cringey and unwatchable parts, but you just can’t turn away. I found myself with my head buried in a cushion when, after Roisin had strictly instructed her team that they were not to interrupt; Daniel took it upon himself to say “I’m not a big tea drinker, and even I like it.” Well done Daniel, there was a lot of value added by that comment then, thank you for your contribution. Perhaps the worst though was Mark’s shambles of a speech. It was absolutely excruciating to watch, especially as a strong advocate of his. For someone who is normally so composed and such a good salesman, he fluffed what could have been one of the most important pitches in his entire career. In the boardroom after, he commented that it was because he was so nervous, “my toes were shaking in my shoes”, and that the pressure just became too much for him. The cold knife killer blow came from Nick Heuer with “nobody else has buckled,” thanks for that reminder Nick, that’ll really help him defend himself. I’m all for your sassiness, but not when it affects my favourites.

Unfortunately (for me), Team Summit lost, resulting in Katie, Mark and Sanjay being taken into the boardroom. It was a bloodbath. No one’s business plan was safe, not even from the other candidates, with both Mark and Katie undermining Sanjay’s plan, and Mark completely belittling Katie’s. MARK SURVIVED. HOORAH. I can sleep soundly for another week, knowing that he’s still in with another chance. It was a double firing though, which is perhaps what should have made it into the capitals then. Both Katie and Sanjay were fired – the former for a small-minded business plan, and the latter for not really having shown anything in the process, and Lord Sugar being uneasy also about his plan. It’s becoming clear now that it isn’t just about the candidate anymore, but about the final hurdle and who Lord Sugar is actually willing to invest the £250,000 in; and nothing will show that more clearly than next week’s interview episode.