It was mentioned on the YF show yesterday that he could be the dark horse of the whole lot

Realistically, is there any chance that he could get into the final 2?

I really like him and would love to see him there until the end

I can't wait to see how he reacts to the interviews. Some people have this impression of him that he's weak and can't stand his own ground...the interview stage will certainly give him a chance to show he's got balls.

I think he'll be one of the best in the interviews. He strikes me as someone who can keep cool and keep his focus. I don't see him getting flustered.

I also think Yasmina will be good in the interviews, based on her performance last night in the boardroom. And Kate as well, but to a lesser extent. We've seen her try to bluff badly a couple of times now.

He is an outside bet. He has successfully kept himself in the background, never really being close to the firing line, but never being outstanding either. That was been a winning formula in the past.

However Kate and Yasmina would be my favourites.

I don't mind Howard and have nothing against him, I think his performance has been okay, consistant and he's a nice enough person to work with, although I think his stint at PM was weak ... but I think it would be a shame if he won as I don't think he's been as interesting, dynamic or had as many good ideas as either Kate or Yasmina...

Also we've had two years of the winners being young, respectable, run of the mill males ( SA seems to favour this type of winner ) and as Howard fits perfectly in this mould I hope we don't see a repeat of this pattern, it would just be really nice to see a sparky young female win instead .... and I'm not just saying that cos I'm a female I think the girls do have more to offer this series ...

Oh, I don't know - the story this year could be that of the first openly gay winner. It seems to be heading that way...

I doubt Howard will win.

Well he didn't fair too well against Debra, so I don't think he'll hold up that well against some of the tough interviewers. I think Debra would do really well in the interviews but be fired just because of her attitude. Kate I actually think will do well as she is often the one to answer the tough client questions in recent weeks during the tasks and there isn't much they could really fluster her about really. She is a bit of an ice queen when it comes to the boardroom except for when her relationship with Phil was bought up. Lorraine - am unsure of. She does get flustered sometimes but then has generally kept her cool and is good at talking herself up. If anyone would do poorly at the interview stage, I reckon it would be poor old James.

That's how I feel. I don't think he has done anything that has made me sit and take notice once, isn't better at one thing than someone else etc... It's just pretty average, but not bad, at most things. And someone like that and someone who has been in the background so much imo, at this late stage in the show, hasn't done enough for me to see as a worthwhile winner. he isn't even going to get to PM again most likely so we probably won't even see that.

Kate - has consistently been one of the top pitchers overall and has shown good leadership skills and got involved heavily in tasks (except 1 mistake). She is also very astute. She makes lots of very valid points in the programmes and seems very perceptive when it comes to the other candidates and how things will come across, what went wrong, what someone did that will be acknowledged as great etc...

Yasmina had one of the best wins as PM for the show and has been shown to be one of the best PMs as well as being a good allrounder. A little autocratic in her leadership, but seems a nice woman.

Lorraine - Great instinct, but a lot of negatives about her. But she has shone in a few tasks. I just can't see SAS hiring someone so eccentric, alienates people, poor communication skills and someone who doesn't bring out the best in people.

James - love him personally, but as a candidate, he hasn't shone so much as just been a generally likeable guy who tries his best. But he does have the creative flair SAS is looking for. But he one of the best tellywise for his one-liners.

Howard - shows he has some good skills, but where has he excelled. I didn't even properly know who he was until last week he has been that much in the background. So unless he is the top telly salesperson next week then I don't know.

Debra - for all her faults, has balls, initiative and drive. She is a top salesperson and is a gogetter. My only real issue with Debra is her autocratic and pushy nature. If she calmed that down she would be great. But out of all of them, you probably know best how you stand with Debra.

That was a different situation, though. When they were negotiating for team leader, they were both on the same team and they had limited time, so eventually he caved for the good of the team. We've seen him reprimand most of the other candidates, including Ben, Philip and Lorraine, so he's not scared to put himself in the line of fire. I think he could do well in interviews.

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Yes, I agree, I think he will be good at interview. I love Howard, he is understated, bright, subtle and aware. I hope he does really well.