Usually, the top 4 is split with 2 women vs 2 men with the exception of series 1.

I think, this series, we are bound to get a more female dominated top 4.

I think Kate and Yasmina are certs for the final 4 and it's going to take a lot to fire Debra by the looks of things. And, by the same token, do you genuinely see 2 out of Howard/James/Ben in the top 4.

I think Ben will be the next to go out of the men, and I really dont think James is capable enough to make it past the interviews...

He may not make it past the interviewers. But he may well make it to the interviewers. Apart from last year (where five candidates reached the interview round, and four then completed the final task) there has only ever been four reaching the interview round, which then gets trimmed down to two for the final round.

How Ben has made it this far amazes me.

There are five interviewees this year.

There were five in series 3 as well - Katie, Kristina, Simon, Tre, Lohit.

After what Siralan said this week, if Empire lose next week James is toast

Yes, you're right. I'd forgotten about Lohit. But there were still only two who made it to the final. So whether two men make it to the final 4, or the final 5, still doesn't mean that any more than two contestants will take part in the final round. Which I still think will be Kate vs Debra.

Purely from an entertainment perspective, I want to see James and Ben stay long enough for the interviews because they'll make great telly. I'm laughing already!

Entertainment aside, the only male I can see in the final four is Howard.

A problem for us is that now AS is following his own agenda and the tasks have little relevance to the who actually goes.

I'm pretty certain that he's discussed it with the producers, probably told them who he's having as the final two and they have worked out a rough firing order between them.

He'll switch the teams around so that whoever loses he will have one of his top two firing choices to remove. (This process probably started a couple of weeks back).

This way he's only really likely to get one candidate he and the producers don't want by the interview stage.

By that time there is really no pretence that he's following anyone's opinion but his own. This was demonstrated last year when it was discovered that his choice, Lee, had lied on his CV but that was overlooked to the disgust of many. (Although I think a lot of the people who were disgusted have a touching naivete in their belief of the amount of honesty in business at large.)

If Ben makes it, it's ridiculous really!

Howard impressed me for the first time this week, but before then, I haven't seen him contributing greatly.

I think James is awesome though! He's not an idiot, he just says the funniest things, and goes weird in the boardroom. I'd like to see him project manage again, and win. I think it's unfair that he's always in the firing line in the boardroom!

me too. I think SAS must have a soft spot for him.

The only one of the men I can see making it to the finals is Howard. I have no idea if he will or not, but I really think he has a chance of getting to the final.

IMO the preview clips of next week's episode seemed to imply that James is one of the project managers. As it seems to be be about selling mother and baby gear at some big exhibition he may have a a slight advantage cos as far as I can recall he's the only one of the competitors left to have any kids

He's really only had one bad week, when he was project manager. The rest of the time he's been pretty good. His idea for the fitness machine wasn't great, but it was the only one they had so it counted for him, not against him. (And it was Majid who made it worse). He was exonerated of blame for the sandalwood mistake. He was one of the creative engines in the advertising task. He failed to sell in the 10 items task, but so did the others and he at least booked a pitch at which Lorraine sold so he was middle of the field there (and he's sold OK on other occasions). He contributed a lot to the Margate task.

He's arrogant and says some nasty things, but business-wise he's pretty strong, and stronger than all those already fired (except, possibly, Philip).

Hope you don't mind but I had to correct your post.

Has James got children? I didn't realise that. Yes, it might help him if he is team leader for that task then.

He had a bad week when Lorraine was project manager and they had to sell to the department stores too. The fitness machine was terrible and it was his idea.

Lorraine was project leader for the 10 items task, which I mentioned. He was mid-field there, slightly above Kate and Philip and below Lorraine and Yasmina. And the fitness idea counted for him, not against him.

I think he's one of the weaker ones remaining, but I can see how he got this far.

iirc Bens idea was pretty much the only one that team had? The real problem was it started out reasonably as the "Bingo wing buster" but Ben kept embellishing it until it was neither use nor ornament.

Im thinking at the moment Yasmina and KAte are certs for final 4

Ben and Lorraine will go

So it will be 2 from Debra James and Howard out of the 3 I hope its Debra that goes

No she wasn't. Philip was project leader for the "10 items task", as you call it. Which is where he ignored her whenever she suggested finding out the true value of the rug.

Lorraine was project leader for the "two products to be sold to department stores and hardware stores" task.

I think it's really a reach to call Ben mid-pack last week when he sold nothing and set up a pitch that resulted in derisory sales. Also from what I could see of the other team, he didn't lead one pitch all day.

He has some natural talent, but his complete inability to follow instructions to the level that it looks pathological, and his hyper defensiveness makes him unviable as a candidate. Ironically for someone who "almost went to Sandhurst" he has no discipline.

Basically Ben is the worst all rounder out of the guys. I think all of the women are perfectly capable and certainly 2 of them continue to outshine everyone else. K and Y

i still dont understand why anyone would want to work for the odious alan sugar, he is a dinosaur!! made a fortune from selling useless tat to people who dont know any better, god help us!!!

cheers

'Cos he's made a lot of money, and they want to do the same.

Personally I feel there have been two tasks where Ben should have gone - the fitness task, where his was the dreadful idea that lost them the task, and the 10 items task when (like Philip) he refused to listen to anyone.