The Apprentice: week 8

I'm new to Apprentice blogging but not, I am sure you're relieved to hear, new to The Apprentice.

Welcome to episode 8 and after last week's excruciating events, I really do believe that anything can happen.

A cursory glance around a few websites suggests that Helene Speight and the ladies' favourite (I have that on good authority), Alex Wotherspoon, are the current betting favourites.

I've got my favourite bingo buzzwords at the ready and I'll be marking them off as they're barked out. Here's my list:

- Leadership

- Sir Alan: "I'll fire the bladdy lot of yer"

- "We've lots of creativity in the team"

- Synergy

- "Get in there!"

- "I'm a great salesman/woman"

- "S/he's not a team player"

- "I'm in charge . . ."

- "You're a disgrace"

- "Please give me another chance, the best is yet to come . . . please . . ."

- "You're fired"

Approximations will do - and I'm keen to know of your favourite bingo buzzwords.

It's horses for courses. And they're off . . .

This week's task: Weddings - they've got to sell wedding merchandise at the National Wedding Show in Birmingham.

Helene and Lucinda stepping up to the plate as team leaders.

Michael seems to have learnt nothing: "I can feign interest in anything"

Will the boys get a look in here? The girls are in their element and . . . the boys are showing a lot of interest in underwear. Hmmm.

Looks like the critical question here is the pricing. Should they go high, medium or low. Lucinda has gone high - Helene medium.

9,15pm - Bingo alert: Lee McQueen with typical "Come on!". That's a "get in there" approximation. That's one down

Oh dear, Helene's team seem to have bought wedding dresses that look like they've come from Strictly Come Dancing. Mind you, Michael thinks they're tacky. Given his track record, I reckon they're in with a chance.

Great line from Lee McQueen: "Hello laydeez . . .". Whereas Raef looks like a Jewish bloke in a Muslim souk trying to buy a kosher chicken. He looks uncomfortable: "Er . . . would you like to buy a wedding dress?" to passing people. Er, probably - they're at a wedding expo you fool! I smell trouble here.

Helene's got it in for Sara. She's already bad-mouthing her and there could be fireworks in the boardroom if it comes to a head.

Bingo alert: Alex on sales philosophy - that'll do for I'm the greatest salesman.

More Lee classics: "You look a million dollars." Where does he get them from?

Raef's in trouble - it was his idea to go upmarket with the dresses - but unsurprisingly - nobody is prepared to spend two grand on a wedding dress on spec.

Hallelujah - Lucinda's team have sold a dress. Too little - too late? Show's closed and that's it. Back to the boardroom and heeeerrrreeee's Alan!

Looks like Gordon Brown should take some advice from team leader Lucinda - big thumbs up from her colleagues. Amazing given the slating she received in earlier rounds. I suggest Downing Street get in touch asap - Gordon Brown needs this kind of bounce-back-ability.

OK - scores on the doors - Lucinda's team made £5,752 - not least because of the knicker elastic king that is Lee. He's the star on this task for me - followed by Lucinda. Helene's way down with less than two grand. The knives are being sharpened. There'll be blood in the boardroom before the show's over.

Sir Alan points out that Alex has been on the losing side on six occasions. Why is that? asks Sir Alan. Because he's not very good?

Alex has escaped. Again. Perhaps Gordon Brown should give him a buzz too. So - I see a punch up between Helene and Sara - she's been gunning for her.

Michael has a look of disgust. He's got that 'nothing to do with me guv' look about him. He's trying to defend the fact that he didn't sell any cakes (which he was tasked with). Oh oh - Sir Alan's having a pop at Sara for her poor selling technique.

I ought to remind Sir Alan of Michael's comment earlier: " They [the public] are dumb dumbs and they don't know what they're doing."

Oh - Sara's fired. But what's this. Is Sir A firing Michael too?

Wow - Michael is the teflon kid. Is there anything this kid can't get away with? Sir Alan had effectively fired him - but Michael's grovelling saved him. I thought he was going to cry. The boy has no shame - but when did caring ever make for good business. This kid's untouchable and he's going to go far. I reckon he could replace Max Mosely as the next President of the FIA.

Bingo alert: You're fired

Bingo alert: "Please give me another chance, the best is yet to come . . . please . . ."

So, hardly a vintage episode. The expected bloodbath in the boardroom was more words than sticks and stones. Sara - who is, well - quite dull - has gone - and I think that's good for the show.

Let's have your thoughts.

Comments

[Carly Chynoweth]

Ooh, Claire is promising to throw herself under a bus. Do you think that she will?

[Carly Chynoweth]

Also, Lucinda is beginning to look more and more like Joan Crawford in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.

[Phil Colins]

What a shame, I rather liked Sara - eyes like saucers!
Anyway, if this is the creme-de-la-creme of British entrepreneurs, I may consider emigrating....

[Paul]

That Sophocles bloke must have some very interesting photos of SirrAlan ... he was scattering the blame all over the shop even before he knew the task had been lost! What a lying, stab-anyone-in-the-back worm! While Sara was a bit useless, at least she was a lot easier on the eye than the bunch of boilers left in.

[Olivia]

Claire a 'girly girl'? More like a girl for all seasons or tasks.
I hope to God Sir Alan sees her for what she is. Yes she is good at sales but she is no leader.
Lucinda is quietly coming up from the rear. Helene was completely ineffectual as a project manager. She should have got the boot. Kept in for entertainment value me thinks. Her withering look is not quite as good Margaret's.

[Kelsey]

Honestly, I don't know what Sir Alan see's in Micheal. Since when has groveling ever earn't money? Unless, of corse your sitting on the corner of M&S asking for spare change; which I think Micheal could make a fortune form. Maybe he should get his yorkshire terrier out?
I really Think Raef is in for a good chance to win. At least he has a pair of balls.
Claire, a girly girl? Very into fashion, and 'know's her stuff'? I think she needs to look at her business suits before she starts claiming things about her fashion sense and her girly-ness.
If Sir Alan openes his eyes. He can really see what these people are like. Raef to win!

[Bhavina Maistry]

So, mention of bullying? Or "under attack", hmm let's see if Sir Alan does anything about this, if at all!

Sir Alan said Sara kept moaning. Fair enough, who wouldn't! Especially if you had to put up with someone like Helene who, all throughout the task did not think to change the teams if she thought they were rubbish at the hard sale? Why didn't she take over the sales for the products? Also, all the time in the Boardroom she knew how to play the game. Bravo! She didn't gang up on Michael as she knew that would have got her fired, so all her energy was put in attacking Helene! who else is with me on that point?

[Will]

I don’t understand why Sir Alan didn’t fire every single member of Renaissance, bar Alex. I thought they were weak from the start especially when they decided to split the viewings of dresses and accessories geographically, big mistake. Alpha on the other hand performed extremely well due to clear and concise leadership from Lucinda, every member of the team had something to contribute throughout the task, unlike Renaissance where Alex was the only member really to pull his own weight through sales. In my mind Micheal really should have gone too. He is clearly a one trick pony and pressure selling is all he can do, hope fully future tasks shall expose this. Raef rather worried me with the bear suit incident. He has been a strong contender throughout the series and it seemed like he had lost control momentarily, thankfully his high risk dress strategy paid off. Lee seems to be moving from strength to strength and grasped very quickly how to sell to wedding fair punters, all be it in a somewhat crude fashion at times.

All four members of team Alpa are real contenders to win. In future episodes we shall hopefully see tasks to determine the best of the best. I would tip Raef and Lee as top contenders for the job.

[Steve Wright]

Anyone else here the inconsistencies?

One week "The team did badly, you're the Project Manager, you're fired"

Next week "The team did badly, you didn't choose the products, you're NOT the Project Manager, but you do moan a bit - you're fired"

Huh?

[David Myers]

I have to say i think the right decision was made. However i think at least Sara can hold her head up high as she didnt resort to lying unlike Helene, Michael and Alex who have lied throughout the series.
Lucinda to win... a very able manager

[Chris K]

Early on in the programme Sir Alan's sidekick Nick commented that the expensive designer dresses was a poor choice as the NEC crowd would be mass-market customers.

After the team with the expensive dresses won, Sir Alan slated the losers for choosing the cheaper dresses. Needless to say Nick kept quiet...

[watcher]

Alex, the ladies choice? I don't blimmin' well think so! What a weasel he is. And I wish he's stop pouting.

Lucinda and Raef for the final please, at least they seem like decent human beings.

[Allison]

Raef to win if only for his dress sense!!! What a dressing gown!!!

[Colin Hastings]

Just watched The Apprentice for the first time and ended thinking, what's all the fuss about? The group seem to have been selected with PC and syle uppermost in mind, while the tasks given them were rather silly and actually beyond several of the group. The lad who claimed to be a "good Jewish boy" was simply ridiculous, or a stupid liar. The only winner here is Mr Sugar, who clearly follows a script (I say that because I've heard him being interviewed, when he is less than articulate)and whose bank account is benefiting enormously from yet another programme for dullards. Apologies to those who actually like this nonsense.

[Shalini]

I really look forward to the programme and each episode! I think Sir Alan is rocking and makes me laff! I get the game now, if Sir Alan wants to fire some one, he makes them team leader and mixes them up with folks they clash with in their team, and bingo, fire works all the way!

[Syd]

Isn't is about time the BBC were fired for wasting our money on the Apprentice? Its just their version of Big Brother with a lots of so called business types but I wouldn't trust them to run a corner shop! Lets face it, all they want is to get their ugly mugs in TV and become famous!