The Apprentice UK 2023

Will_I_Amnt

So, one of the few good things about January kicks off this Thursday, January 5th, BBC 1, 9pm

I think the format may be getting tired for some people, but I'm a fairly latecomer to the show having not paid any attention for the first 10 or 11 seasons, with this being season 17.

This years 18 candidate have been revealed and incudes two Irish candidates, Emma Browne from Kildare and Kevin D'Arcy from Dublin. As always, there'll be the usual brash, British, obnoxious, bigmouths, making fools of themselves (and possibly 1 or 2 brash, Irish, obnoxious, bigmouths, making fools of themselves), and we all know the final 2 or 3 are decided before they even start filming and the other 15 o 16 are just there to make a show of themselves for ratings - but shur it might be a bit of craic.

https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/reality-tv/apprentice-2023-cast-line-up/

From these 18 contestants, you can almost tell instinctively just from their photo's who the biggest eeejits are going to be. 😀

Galwayguy35

Kind of lost interest in it over the last few years but will give it a go seeing as 2 Irish people are in it.

salmocab

I tend to dip in these days, I like the show but it’s fairly stale by now. I’d like there to be no firing in week one as it seems to nearly always be the fool who said they’d be the boss for that task. If there was no firing people would straight away put their hands up as an early chance to stand out.

GAAcailin

the candidates are deffo weaker as the years go by. Also the business plans pretty cr8p; like last year the girl trying to market the matching PJ's and was in the final....

yerwanthere123

I just wish they had an emphasis on quality contestants, I don't know why they think viewers wants to watch a bunch of wannabe influencers. Yes there was always the odd clown thrown in, but the earlier series has great contestants who used to boss the tasks. You'd never have a Kristina Grimes or Stella English nowadays, I can't remember the last time we had a genuinely brilliant contestant.

Galwayguy35

I'd have thought the quality of candidates would have gotten stronger when Sugar changed it from a job offer to investing in their business but it doesn't seem to have happened.

StupidLikeAFox

There a fair amount of botox/fillers for the ladies - not a wrinkle in sight on some of their foreheads

mewso

Does this show have a single shot that lasts more than a second? Modern Reality TV I suppose.

tanko

It’s amazing how they manage to pick even more annoying and stupid people than the previous year. As usual they’re blaming each other for losing the task as soon as it starts. It’s ridiculous how much they’ve dumbed it down now.

mewso

It's a strange show for me these days. As said above it has gone a bit stale but remains somewhat compelling. You watch the episode purely for the board room (because you need to see the task to understand the arguments that ensue there) and you watch all episodes leading up to the interview episode just so you know who you want to see ripped to shreds. Then the final is often meaningless and I could happily not watch it.

Floody Boreland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120071306#Comment_120071306

Botched botox at that.

tanko

Emma didn’t last long.

ArmaniJeanss

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120071129#Comment_120071129

Its a really minor investment though isn't it? £250K investment for a 50% stake. I'd have thought there'd be far easier ways to get it (venture capitalists, even a bank loan) if you had a decent business plan, rather than spending 5/6 weeks being part of a clown show. But even then it's fairly limited, it's literally just the sort of money to expand a pyjama business, plumbing suppliers or opening a new branch of your artisan bakery. You aren't going to be going on The Apprentice if you're close to discovering warp speed technology or looking to get into aircraft leasing.

Maybe it's time to up it to a £5M investment (hell, it's been at £250K for 12 years now) and get some serious candidates. Though they are probably happy with the comic contenders we have now for entertainment purposes.

AndrewJRenko

What’s the Naked reference all about in the credits?

ArmaniJeanss

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120071842#Comment_120071842

It's the name of the production company that does the show.

If you stay with the credits to the end, it's says something like A Fremantle Naked production licensed by MGM to the BBC.

yerwanthere123

Sad to see Emma go really, think she became an easy scapegoat, but it's always tough on the first task. I respect she didn't do the usual "Lord sugar will be sorry, this isn't the last you've seen of me!" spiel in the taxi though.

tanko

Emma would have been better off keeping her mouth shut and not gone overboard with the “i really think we’ve made a terrible decision here” stuff and starting the blame game as soon as the task as started. It was pretty sneaky how the two other hags ganged up on her at the same time. The whole thing is so bitchy now.

893bet

When is this repeated?

Atlantic Dawn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120071935#Comment_120071935

Wednesday Night/Thursday Morning at 00:40. Great it's back.

Is it next week they will spend about an hour deciding what name to call each team? I thought they did this on the first episode but maybe it's when the men/women are split.

AyeGer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120071921#Comment_120071921

I don't think those two will last long either.

Exclamation Marc

Here we are again with the bewildering logic from last year returning when it comes to the reason to fire someone. Of all three in the boardroom, Emma was the least responsible for the failure.

She must have had a business plan he didn't like because the sub team leader who was only able to sell 12 of 16 tickets was clearly to blame and should have been dumped.

The other two were like snakes in the boardroom and knew if they ganged up, they'd save themselves.

NIMAN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120071935#Comment_120071935

are you able to get access to the iPlayer?

893bet

My sky box recorded it! Must still be series linked some way.

Not seen the full episode yet but are the lads going to win for once. I would love to see them randomly pick one fella and one girl randomly and have them lead the opposite sex team on the first week.

Man Vs ManUre

I watched this and that Irish cailini was way too aggressive and unfriendly. She deserved to go. The 2 standouts on the lads side were the geeky cannon ball guy and James Bond the team lead. Nobody really stood out on the girls side apart from maybe the scouse team lead who wouldn’t stop talking.

Plus when Emma was booted out she was saying way too many ‘thank you’s’.

Man Vs ManUre

Emma came across as a complete tool on the after show also. Way too over confident.

Utopia Parkway

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120071708#Comment_120071708

A classic Apprentice case of her big gob talking herself into getting fired. She shouldn't have been in any danger after that task but she couldn't stay quiet. The other two were quick enough to spot that she had talked herself into trouble and both pointed the finger at her.

Exclamation Marc

I agree with the comments of her being too mouthy and over-complaining but I wish Lord Sugar would be a bit more honest about the rationale for firing her.

Was she the biggest pain in the ass on that team? Maybe.

Was she responsible for them losing? Absolutely not.

everlast75

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120073620#Comment_120073620

He always reverse engineers the reason to fire, based on who he wants to stay in.

If he wanted Emma to stay in, he would praise her ability to see the flaw in choosing the beach and her tenaciousness in standing up for herself.

GAAcailin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120073751#Comment_120073751

Absolutely, he flips his standards depending on who he wants to fire. If Emma had kept her gob shut he'd have criticised her for hiding in the long grass.

She was so cocky when she said she thought both the others should have been finerd.

Thought the Cannon expert was good, also thought Simba was good. Nice to see the boys win Task 1 for a change.

Mike Litoris

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120073355#Comment_120073355

She fcuked around and was found out. Claude cut her down fairly sharpish when she started the bullshit in the boardroom. He still looks shaky too. Entertaining 1st ep. WTH is going on with all the rubber lips? :p

Exclamation Marc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120073775#Comment_120073775

Yeah that's true.

On an unrelated note, great to have Claude back.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120074369#Comment_120074369

He didn't look the best though, a little frail and reserved. Hope he's doing OK. He's about the only likeable one on that side of the table.

ArmaniJeanss

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120074369#Comment_120074369

I've read that that's the end of Claude for this series (hopefully that's not spoiler territory). He definitely didn't look well last night.

Exclamation Marc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120074485#Comment_120074485

Not a spoiler at all. I did hear he may not be there for the whole series but assumed when I saw him last night and saw him doing promos for the show that he'd be there this year for most of it.

mewso

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120072117#Comment_120072117

Shall we have a sweep?:-

Infinity

Dynamic

Genesis

Synergy

Excel

Tenacity

Vortex

Endeavour

Kinetic

Phoenix

Platinum

JimmyCorkhill

Emma didnt not deserve to go, could have been any of them.

She was way too negative and too much of a disruptor, can see why Sugar wanted her gone - who wants someone like that in your team, company, partnership etc.

Didn't see the aftershow, but seen elsewhere today some social media posts from Emma where she is going on about how EVERYONE thinks she was wrongly sent home and all the outpouring of support she is getting.

Also, some post she made on one of her social media accounts a few months back about how she afforded a 400k home all by herself.

As someone earlier in the thread mentioned, she comes across as a tool and it is hard to disagree, she is a pain in the hole. Just shut up & get on with it.

Didn't see much of the Irish guy yet.

Galwayguy35

"I'm the Kim Kardashian of business" said Rochelle, well considering what made Kim famous I'm not sure she is the best example to use.

Emma sounded like Lottie Ryan and was nearly as annoying, way too gobby and it was easy to see why the other two teamed up to get her out.

AllForIt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120073355#Comment_120073355

It amazes me the number of people who seem to think over confidence and being mouth is the way to get on in business. Like how have they no comprehension that no one likes an ass hole.

AllForIt

I think the aftershow is dire. You'd think when they get a professional comedian in to present it they might actually be funny.

Exclamation Marc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120076243#Comment_120076243

Never the same after Dara left. Only he and Adrian Chiles were good presenting it.

yerwanthere123

Yes, I haven't watched You're Fired since Dara left it either. I also notice its been shunted to an 11.10pm time slot for the first time ever, so clearly it's not been doing the business ratings wise either.

AyeGer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120076904#Comment_120076904

It hasn't been good since Jack Dee left it.

yerwanthere123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120076919#Comment_120076919

I thought Jack dee was terrible, and was pretty much universally panned? Thought he was all wrong for the role.

As mentioned above, Dara and Adrian Chiles were the best hosts, everything that followed was poor.

ArmaniJeanss

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120076904#Comment_120076904

Its still on at 10pm for 98% of the population of the UK.

BBCNI are a law unto themselves for pushing stuff back regardless of its popularity, just to make way for local programming.

ArmaniJeanss

Rhod Gilbert was fine for his 2 or 3 years as well - only failures have been Jack Dee and (most in agreement I think) Tom Allen.

AyeGer

I don't bother watching it now as i really cant listen to Tom Allen. I like Jack Dee so enjoyed him on the apprentice after show aswell.

jo187

I suppose your fired just feels pointless. It's mostly reply the clips you saw and some tosser from radio 1 goes yeah, she shouldn't have been fired.

It was great in Dara day no idea how to save it

yerwanthere123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120077106#Comment_120077106

Ah I see, thanks for clarifying.

McFly85

Emma was terrible. It’s week 1, your only job is to avoid being PM and keep your head down. More often than not Sugar will fire the PM on week 1 if you don’t give him a reason to look in your direction. Her answer in the boardroom when asked which one of the girls should be sacked was idiotic too, because she couldn’t give a reasonable, constructive answer. Just sack the both of them sure. I’m glad she’s gone!

StupidLikeAFox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120076215#Comment_120076215

I think the cannonball guy will go far for this reason - seems calm and collected.

yerwanthere123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120077207#Comment_120077207

It was nice to see some actual praise being offered to some of the contestants at this early stage, usually we only see it in the last two weeks or so.