Ugly vs Cute?

They'd all be on the same team this year!

You'd have to make it:

Ugly vs Fugly.

Skins vs shirts? Reds vs blues?

It is interesting to watch them do that. Thats why women have such a bad reputation as managers in the modern workplace.

They do seem to turn on each other and others quicker then the men.

Women are divisive. Thats why they make great television.

Admittedly it's a generalisation, but in my experience women managers take things more personally than men.

I dunno why that is, but I have worked in loads of places, and if you disagree with a woman manager they get all uptight and high pitched and offended, just because you disagree with them on something trivial, whereas men seem to be more rational and accept a difference of opinion (and then over-rule you with no hard feelings or grudges).

Although my best manager ever was a woman, so you know, it just depends. They do seem to be either very good on the people-skills/tactfulness or atrociously bad.

You could see last night when the two teams had to report on how good their manager was how the women all back-stabbed and put the boot in, while the men were more united and restrained in their comments.

Indeed. However lets see who has won more times than not

Series 1: Womens team lost 1st task
Series 2: Mens team lost 1st task
Series 3: Womens team (and Andy) lost 1st Task
Series 4: Mens team lost 1st task
and now Series 5: Womens team lost 1st task

If this is to go by the two team dynamics dont seem to make THAT much of a difference

Just keep it as it is... its working fine

This is very true also women tend to harbour grudges far longer than men. A man will have a stand up row one day and buying the same person a beer the next women tend to let it eat away at them.

There' s an old adage 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'

Yes, women are shown to be bad managers in the Apprentice by the way no team led by a woman has ever won a task.

What a load of sexist ballcocks, bad managers can't manage people, so they sit around talking all day or do things that are pointless, good managers promote good work.

I've had some outstandingly good and outstandingly bad managers, the bottom two were a man who sat around all day talking about sex and his hobby of driving rally cars and the woman took decisions about the service she was meant to be running before she'd looked at what we did, therefore making a nonsense of our work. It was just as bad working for both of them.

I like the male versus female start - it's Apprentice tradition.

Good post. It looks like a good leader can override the team dynamics. S4 the women were led by Claire, who went on to become a finalist. In s2 the women were led by Karen, who was an early boot but a strong candidate anyway (I hope it's not too controversial to say that). Also, a bad leader can wreck their team.

If we extend the figures to include all the early gender-split teams:
S1: women lose 3 of first 3 tasks
S2: women lose 2 of first 3 tasks
S3: women lose 2 of first 3 tasks
S4: woman lose 1 of first 3 tasks
S5: women lose 1 of first 1 tasks.

So that's an average of 9/13 or 69% loses. It does seem a lot. But you can look at many individual cases and see the reason was not the group dynamics. If we look at the gender of the team leaders:

s1: 6 female loses versus 3 male (I don't know who lost task 4)
s2: 5 female loses versus 5 male
s3: 3 female loses versus 7 male
s4: 4 female loses versus 6 male
s5: 1 female lose versus 0 male

Overall 19 female leaders lost versus 21 male, which is about equal. I guess women do better when they have a few men on their teams.

I agree. It's easier for us to get to know them without interactions due to gender difference getting in the way.

How true - I had the misfortune to work for a miserable cow once. God, she was useless - couldn't pass simple exams or run the proverbial drinking session. I was getting to the end of a thoroughly boring temp contract - must have been her time of the month and general uselessness, but she was whining all day that she had so many errors to correct (nothing to do with me) that she wouldn't get away until 9pm and was going on holiday the next day.

I went home and found a message from the temp agency on my answerphone saying that I was not to go back. Apparently, I had been rude to two people that day - tricky as I had only spoken to one person and I know I was nice to that nice woman. Of course, nothing had been said all day. Over the previous nine weeks, the agency had said everything was fine and they were talking to the employer about my doing a bit more - apparently, (to suit her claim) this cow said I had become some impossible monster over the past two days. I sent a 4 page letter to the company telling them how carp they and she were.

One thing, which she had whined about regularly was men in general and her own wheelie bin. It came as no surprise to find on Friends Reunited that her last message (written about 6 months earlier) said she was shacked up with some bloke, whom she was going to marry the following year. Obviously, he had seen the error of his ways. Then in an idle moment, I plugged into Yahoo dating to see what was available locally - and (you've guessed already) who should pop up at the top of the list.

She was living proof of the adage I think!

How is it sexist?

Women are supposedly equal to men so I can't see your point A.S.W

I think it's done well, as it sparks a bit of banter between the two sexes, and if you're watching with a member of the oposite sex it sparks a bit of banter with them too. Its the only really viable way in my opinion, short of putting them in a tent for two days.

The blonde girl is alright, but thats about it

The one with her mouth on sideways? She looks a bit like an artists model, I'll grant you that.

Unfortunately, it's a model for this painting.

I quite liked the idea that had on the American version of graduates against non-graduates.

Although that might be elitiest.

Lol

"I quite liked the idea that had on the American version of graduates against non-graduates.

Although that might be elitiest. "

I really think that would ruin the entire series.

Males versus female is fun. No, by definition it ISN'T random, but I don't believe it's biased either way either (the statistics show that). If you had teams of exact equal ability, they would draw. THEN what do you do..draw the winners from a hat..?

Me, too. Sir Alan has a reputation for always firing the lawyers first, so a team entirely of lawyers (and similar posh types) would be interesting.