All along I would be convinced it was Kate and Yasmina for the final, now I am not so sure.

I think any three of them could win and wouldn't a Debra win be the most dramatic of any of the series to date.

Debra v Kate final

And This time maybe the bullish hard-nosed one will win over the attractive blonde. A Michelle and Ruth rematch

............................................

She came out on top tonight for sure, but next week's preview didn't look too promising ... "Have you ever told someone you work with to f*** off ? ... Yes"

She's just too abrasive

... would you want her for a boss ?

Don't we know by now that these shows always try and steer you in a likely path, and then wham, try and pull a surprise out of the hat.

The fact that SA has allowed Debra off with so many sins that we the public would have lynched her for, was a gigantic clue.

I.e. It was always geared towards trying to get us to warm towards the biggest villain.....Debra.

And yes, she probably will win as soon as everybody's pent up hate has expired towards either Kate or Lorraine.

Yes. I think it'll be a Debra v Kate finale. And Debra will walk it.

By looking at next weeks preview it seems the final is Yasmina vs Kate or Lorraine

Its heading that way - possibly. He found fault with Kate tonight even though she was the one who got the strategic decision which items to sell right. He seemed to note that Debra had outsold Kate again. The language was also about toughness and risk taking (though that could be suicidal in a recession) which encodes Debra.

Lorraine and James meanwhile emerged as continuing non-runners whilst Yasmina despite doing well became almost invisible even as she won again.

It could be the job requires someone very pushy and good at selling - though what Yasmina could sell after Bruschetta and who wouldn't run on sight of Debra is debatable and Kate would stand more chance of selling to any businessman with a better product than a foam cat.

It could be Debra appeals to SAS as a fellow rough diamond wheras Kate is too academic and restrained - the interview was shown testing Kate on that and exploring Debra's abrasiveness to see how constructive it could be.

Or it could be the editing bluff to make it all look competitive and undermine the impression of Kate as the obvious winner before she becomes it.

Its odd at the moment because Kate seems to be being accused of being limited when it was her who made the big business call right and she's the one portrayed as less tough and risk taking when it was Debra who chose the safer sales. Its also going to be a case where if he takes Kate and Debra as his last two its going to be decisive how well Debra can fit into his organisation and not prove a problem. What we have seen so far is going to be even less important than usual compared to the period spent working for him if it comes down to whether Kate matches his image of what he wants and whether Debra can work with his team, not buy any more rocking horses and not frighten the customers.

What makes you say that?

Everyone's been convinced that Yasmina gets to the final but I'm not so sure. I've already ruled Lorraine out because, as much as I love her, I think she'll crumble next week.

people in high pressured jobs tell others to F off all the time - it's usually part of the banter. Debra will win this. It's my betting that the response to her answer will be along the lines of: "well, at least you're honest".

She's tough as nails which is why she'll win.

Debra will be utterly destroyed in the interviews round next week.

well said, sales is very pressured, they will try to rip her apart though

"Have you ever told someone you work with to f*** off ? " In Debra's case that's a bit like asking is the Pope Catholic?

I don't think she will be, her self-belief is utterly unshakeable. She'll fight her corner and I think those interview guys secretly enjoy that.

I do think that Debra could win this. I would have put money on a Yasmina/Kate final a few weeks ago, but I think it will be Yasmina/Debra final.

I'm not a fan of Debra and I'd be surprised if she wins - but last night she was the best of the 6 by miles.

Her team were lucky to have her - otherwise it would have been one of them for the chopping block.

Debra is a big business liability for SAS , she was already snapping at him when her place in the competition was at risk , god knows what she'll do when she has a secure job, so if she makes the final 2 I'll be very surprised. In the past they've done this with Katie (Series 3) and Helene (Series 4) where a bitchy or aggressive contestant is shown in a positive light in the lead up to the finale to give people the idea that SAS may go for them (Katie was even put in the final! although that was just for TV purposes as he would've fired her anyway) and the same is being done with Debra.

I don't think Debra can win, she had one good week but against several bad ones. Nick and Margaret aren't keen on her and SA listens to them. The interviewers will flag her up as rude, aggresive and difficult to work with and she can't run a team. So even if she makes it through to the final which I think is doubtful, she'll alienate her team in the final task and destroy her chance of getting the job.

I think next week is bye bye Debra ... was impressed by her TV skills this week though!

No way can Debra get through the interview round, she is utterly unemployable.

She obviously isn't unemployable, as she has a job already. She will get through the interview round, she will finish second in the competition - behind either Kate or Yasmina. She is this year's Saira Kahn, this year's Ruth Badger, this year's Claire Young. And they all finished second. The best candidate - but too strong willed for Alan Sugar and too mouthy to get on with the rest of his employees.

She won't win it - he always picks a yes-man (or woman) who will do what he tells them to do. And she will actually go on to get a career worth more than the job being offered by Sugar - just as Saira, Ruth and Claire did.

I wouldn't say that Yasmina or Kate are yes women. Even Debra commented that Yasmina is just as dominant as she is.

Debra's been consistently good at selling but she did make a complete mess of the Brighton task, running out of time, not listening to the other team mates and then coming up with a rather dubious excuse why the leaflet had a blank rear side. I'm not sure she's that creative or a true team player, she doesn't always listen to other people's points of view, but if Sugar wants a hard nosed saleswoman to sell his products she could be the best of the remaining candidates.

Some candidates get negative comments if they're deemed too nice, too steady, too quiet and Debra doesn't fall into that category. She might have the natural business skills and the 'don't give a damn what people think' attitude to appeal to Sugar. I think a mixture of Kate and Debra would most likely be the perfect 2009 Apprentice candidate.

Maybe. But Yasmina or Kate probably could get on with other Amstrad employees. Whereas Debra is a brilliant salesperson who works best on her own - as last night's episode showed. SAS is looking for a team player. Ruth Badger isn't a team player - she alienates everybody she comes into contact with. Claire Young wasn't a team player - she threw her dummy out of the pram whenever she wasn't team leader. Saira Khan wasn't a team player - she could start an argument in an empty room. But all three were the strongest candidates in the series - and that is why they reached the final two. Which is what Debra will do. But she won't win it.

Well, she backed up Howard's rather dubious excuse as to why the leaflet was left blank. He said it first - she defended her team mate.

I think Yasmina is similar to Kristina Grimes .. Strong personality but lacks charm (I am using Nick's words here). I believe that whoever is against Yasmina is going to win.

Debra yesterday succeeded in selling low-value items. Would she have succeeded in selling expensive items? I highly doubt it. We have seen her performance with he rocking horse.

From the examples you gave, I believe Sara is the most similar to Debra. Debra's strength lie in sales. It depends whether SAS wants a sales person or not.