The Apprentice: three into two won't go [BT broadband office]

The Apprentice: three into two won't go

Posted 7 June 2007 at 10:15AM by Simon Dickson in Light relief

This week's episode of The Apprentice was the pivotal moment when the contest turns on its head: after ten weeks looking for someone to fire, it was time for Sir Alan to choose who he actually wanted to hire. If you'd rather not know who he picked, read something else quick.

Was it just me, or did the show totally undermine itself this week? We've spent more than two months getting to know the various contestants; yet the three interviewers who grilled the final five got them bang-on over the course of 25 minutes each. Clearly, if Sir Alan were so serious about business efficiency, he'd scrap this idea of an epic assessment centre, and get it all done in a single day. It wouldn't make for such great telly, though.

When it came to the boardroom scene at the end, it was no surprise to see Lohit and Tre leave first. In any job interview, you have to prove that you're (a) good, and (b) right - two very different things. Both were good, neither was right. I didn't expect Lohit to be so savagely deconstructed, but Tre's departure at this stage was a certainty.

And so to the drama of the final minutes. You can't set yourself up as Mrs Ruthless, then dither about asking your mum if you can move house. Katie did a truly remarkable job maintaining her act over the entire series: so what caused her to crack? Surely not a shred of human decency? More likely the need to move back to the capital: that £100,000 salary wouldn't go so far when you've got a London-sized mortgage to cover.

So your finalists are the two I've been backing since episode four: Simon and Kristina. And I remain convinced that our winner will be Kristina. Simon's body language was terrible this week: head down, no eye contact. Kristina, on the other hand, was razor-sharp. She says she really wants it - and she clearly means it. Next week's finale will still be good fun, as the cast reunites, but the outcome is in no doubt.

Tags: Alan Sugar, bbc, The Apprentice

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Comments

1. At June 7, 2007 10:44 AM, kim wrote:

I've got a feeling he will pick Simon, but he shouldn't. He acts like a nervous school boy, and I'm very surprised he's got to the final!
Katie never wanted to win, she just wanted some PR, and made the right decision. I think that the subsequent "your fired" programme were a bit too hard on her though, after all no one has to enter the competition - and they have all been entertaining us over the weeks.
I thought Lohit and Tre would get through - seems a shame that everything seems to be based on interview performance in the end.
Let's hope Simon doesn't win. He could manage an apprentice to the apprentice but that's all.

2. At June 8, 2007 11:54 AM, Chris wrote:

Simon will win, he is the kind of person who will stay in the job long enough to keep Sir Alan happy. Kristina will do a hit and run.
Tres should have been gone a long time ago. He does have business sense but is just way to annoying and argumentative to be of any use.

3. At June 10, 2007 10:24 PM, Julie U wrote:

I cannot believe Simon has lasted so long. He has been like the invisible man all the way through in my opinion. Kate never had any intention of going through to the end, and to assume that she had won I thought was so arrogant and insulting to Kristina and Simon, when she said she would "stand down"???? What?! I have no doubt that Kristina will win. If I was in Sir Alan's shoes that's who I would choose.

4. At June 11, 2007 10:05 AM, Alan wrote:

I believe Katie withdrew, with Alan Sugar's collusion, in order that she could possibly be employed outside the game (sorry - "Reality TV selection process"). She was the strongest candidate on interview. The tactic avoids a head to head with Kristina/Simon, the best of the runners' up, and allows for employment of two candidates.

5. At June 12, 2007 2:51 PM, Hazel wrote:

I think Kristina will win. I also think that Alan Sugar will end up giving them both a job.

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