OK, I realise he was cocky and his mangement style was awful, but I thought Dan would fight in the boardroom (which he did) and be able to save himself. For a moment I thought when AS looked at his CV he saw a spark in him.

It seemed like Alex would get fired for much of that boardroom. At least, that's what I thought. The boardroom editing showed him as not saying much, and he seemed largely on the periphery for much of the task. I thought he was being set up for a firing for being "too quiet and not doing much".

I also think that Shibby was very lucky to get away this week. That deal when he gave into £50 instead of £60 was not far away from Michael Sophocles selling a vanload of fish for £50 . Dan missed a trick there by not bringing him back, possibly instead of Stuart. They might just have won If they'd negotiated some of the deals better.

Dan seemed like the more interesting character to me, even though the boys didn't like him. And it wasn't as if the defeat was catastrophic - if anything, both teams did better on the first day than they have for a long time on TA. I actually thought Dan was doing a good job trying to catch out the people who wanted to melt into the background - probably the reason why they didn't like him! It didn't help with the team's motivation though.

I must admit that I wished Dan had stayed after watching "you're fired". I thought his "I'll just give the orders and you'll all do the work" type line and all the standing about he was doing in the kitchen were hilarious.......... I still can't believe they were for real, although I equally can't see why he'd act like that otherwise.

I thought that he came across as being quite self-depricating on the after show last night, and I also feel that he would, in a lot of ways, be much easier to work for in a "real world" situation. It's just a pity that he stuck his hand up to be PM in the first show. I think that with Dan it was "what you see is what you get" and I think he'd probably be just as vocal at giving praise. Personally, I couldn't work for him, but then I doubt I could work for any of them as the cut-and-thrust environment is not really for me. I just think that I'd have kept him for a bit longer to make a better assessment of him.

btw, there were times during both shows last night when I could almost see Katie Hopkins' face starting back at me. Did anyone else see the likeness?

I was surprised. Knowing that for the past few years the first losing team leader has been given credit for putting themselves forward, and that if they were at least able to speak up for themselves in the boardroom, they managed to scrape through at the expense of a less vocal member of the team whose contributions were questionable and who just seemed out-of-place in the business world.

I smugly stated to myself for most of the boardroom that Alex was going. Especially when he stayed quiet for most of the time and then gave a rather mild, politician-like speech in his defence.

But clearly Lord Sugar mustn't have thought that Alex was the weak member of the team and he must have come to the conclusion that Dan had over-stepped the mark once too often.

Was really sad to see Dan go. Yes, he was cocky; yes, he was arrogant, but he was great entertainment value (and that's the main reason why millions tune in to the Apprentice).

Bad decision by Sugar (& Co.)

Oh well, at least we still have Stuart "the brand" Baggs.

P.S. I hope Shibby goes soon. He's a bad negotiator, negative, thinks he's better than he actually is, and isn't even that entertaining. My first impression, at least. Let's see if he changes.

No, wasn't surprised. It was the sales shambles that sunk him, and that was something he should have organised better. The production seemed to go fine, and while that might be down to his organisation of it, it wasn't messed up by any of the others. His own lack of sales, supposed to be his area, showed he was too busy managering when in fact there were some good sellers and they could be left to get on with it. I think his style, too bullish and macho with Sugar, annoyed Sugar. Oh and people in their 30's never win anyway.

Yeah he came across well on YF and it's a pity as he probably has a fair few talents and a lot of experience. The latter might be useful when teams get blown off course by some loud idiot (from Durham). Pity he went early, but I don't think he should be too embarrassed.

Shippi (the Bush Kangeroo) couldn't have been blamed. He at least got a sale, saved them being £65 quid down, rather than £5 or 10. The product wasn't great, the customer had sorted out the value to him/her and wasn't going to budge.

The losing PM, Andy went in S3 in 2007. In his case he was stitched up a bit by a girls team that didn't want to work for him.

I was surprised. Generally Lord Sugar doesn't fire a team leader unless he has no choice. In this case Dan did pretty well in difficult circumstances. Leading in the first task is harder because you've not had a chance to assess the other's strengths and weaknesses. Although Dan didn't do especially well, he did get it done. And he did put himself forward.

What really seemed to damn him was that nobody else on his team would praise him. Generally Lord Sugar doesn't fall for such ganging up as often as Donald Trump does. That Karren didn't like him probably made a difference too.

I thought he must go because he was a complete testosterone fuelled trainwreck at managing his team, then the good Lord mentioned how good his CV was and I was thinking here we go, they are looking for a reason to keep him because he's pure TV gold. But then they did sack him and I was surprised again.

Cliff notes: great TV, terrible candidate.

Putting the other view, if the team are against them, will that mean that there's something in their personality that causes friction? As another just put it well, 'testosterone fuelled trainwreck' does sum up how he seemed to be going into the boardroom and during it too. Really felt like he wasn't in control of himself there. What was with the not sitting down like the others? Was he trying to calm down or assert himself as head male?

Starting to get the feeling Sugar takes more notice of Karren than he does of Nick. He was much the same way with Margaret.

I agree with the OP. I thought Dan would have been given another chance, especially when LS said 'however, I have looked at your resumee and you are clearly not an idiot' - or similar words. I expected Alex to go out at this point for being too quiet and not having done much.

I guess that that is what Dan thought too when he took Alex with him into the boardroom. He probably expected to get another chance because of taking on the role of projectmanager.

the resume thing. Given the guys age, he's had time and time again to prove himself. What he's proven is that he is successful in failing,he may succeed initially but doesn't have what it takes to maintain and keep that success. I think that's why AS said that on paper, he should be successful. He isn't. For a reason. And we saw that reason.

I think that type of 'cat and mouse' game, SA offerring a pretend tease is part of the game, makes it more viewable.

Not surprised and I think SA was quite correct. He blundered in there, and if it was me, I'd have downed tools and suggested that unless he wound his neck in and respected people, i'd have suggested everyone else do the same. Make him fail as PM.

Next one out is that other egotist who came out of the same mould as Dan - young 20/21 year old Stuart Baggs. What a tosser. it's between him and the blonde specy gobshite of a woman.

It can do. In a good series, Lord Sugar will take the time to find out, perhaps reorganising teams, or explicitly warning them that blaming the (team) boss is not a good strategy when trying to impress the (company) boss. He so often gives lifelines to controversial people, that some viewers believe he keeps them in because they make good TV. I don't believe that myself. Usually they are kept because they have a spark which is worth exploring, even if it is part of what annoys the other candidates. I suspect that in this case, despite the "good CV", Dan did not have the spark that Lord Sugar looks for, and so was not worth saving.


I read it as the latter. Mirroring how Lord Sugar entered last and sat down last, he wanted to sit down after everyone except Sugar. I assume he wouldn't have done it had he not been team leader.


I hadn't noticed. On this task, it was Karren who followed the boys team, so Nick wouldn't have had much input.

Yeah I was quite confident it'd be Alex who got fired. The last series had Anita get fired first off, and I remember that she didn't say much in the BR either.

I was surprised, yes, but I was also very happy.

All too often Sugar has held onto the project manager of the losing team on the first task,just because they 'stepped up.' And I'm sure Dan was relying on that fact as he kept alluding to it.

Nobody on the team supported Dan.
Karen didn't like Dan.
Slouching in his chair was direspectful & I think that was the final nail in his coffin.

Trouble is on the first task there's so little to work off that every fault or failing gets magnified. But it has to be balanced by an interesting positive to get that second chance. Plus some personal results which he didn't seem to do. Dan concentrated on leading in such a way it united the team in disliking him. He isolated himself, and they isolated him. That's only going to go one way, Dan leaves sooner or later. If later, how many others who do have something get broken down first. All the previous winners were ones whose self confidence had to be proved to themselves as not just a way of dealing with the outside world. Sometimes it seems a fine line between those who know they are putting on a show and those who can't tell the difference.

Yeah, there are some kept in to test those he's already noticed, but there has to be a positive spark that might grow to become a real contender. I think Tre, Ben and Lorraine fit that description best for me. Syed and Micheal were ones I feel he thought might do the same but they were just too damaging to others, and so a mistake keeping them in so long. I'm convinced Katie fooled him completely.

Yeah, it does seem to be a deliberate game there. I had the horrible feeling he wasn't going to sit down until Sugar had.
Ok make your mark, but trying to make it just about you and Sugar, is a total misreading of how it works. You can't pretend to be the boss of some rival corporation going mano a mano with your opposite number. Already in a hole, he dug it deeper.

I'm thinking of the times Karren has been on there previously. But it's more because she isn't Nick. He always seems to have those he champions and those he dislikes. Sugar doesn't seem to be swayed, or even pay that much attention if he thinks that's what's colouring it. Nick gets his soundbites out, people at home whoop, and then they move on. Margaret's more measured observations looked to have been taken on board. Just sensing the same body language going on with Karren now.

You are right,and had this been the X Factor where the thoughts are all about ratings Dan would have been kept in until it was time for him to go so to speak.

Basically though the guy went because he came across as overbearing, antagonistic and difficult(whether he is or not is another story) -good enough to be sacked in real life. LS was administering logic-Simon Cowell wouldnt have made that decision in a million years.

i liked Dan, and think he would have been good entertainment value for a few episodes. especially after seeing him on you're fired, he came across as alright.

i'm not suprised he was fired though. Stuart Braggs the brand was never going to go in the first week.

I think the that his atitude to managing the others was absolutly terrible, he obviously needs some training on how to work as a team member, and also training in man managment.
I hate people who think they can stand back and tell everyone else what to do, yet stand there and do nothing themselves, so i am glad he went.

Yeah Dan was the right one to be booted, Alex didnt really do anything wrong in the task other than botch some sausage mix. Meanwhile with Stuart, every time Dan came up with something against Stuart, Stuart reminded him the same thing could be said of him.

Dan: Sales
Stuart: How much did you sell
Dan: Not about sales, its about work
Stuart: Did you do any work?
Dan: Thats not the point since I was PM

As far as I could see, Dan simply saw the first PM role as a free ride past day one.

losing PM's get fired don't they.

I like the rule changes in US -

a) winning PM's are immune
b) PM can bring in 1 or 2.

Dan was a twonk. Too agressive and he looked like my pain in the @rse neighbour, which disturbed me. I'm glad he went.

In the UK one, PM's are in more danger as they carry overall responsiblity, but if someone else can be identified as the real or major cause of the failure or being a total passenger, they can go instead. But to protect themselves the PM has to have done a lot right and generally shown a lot of promise so far. Failure to bring back the people that do have things to answer for can be another reason for the PM to go as it means they either have no clear idea of what went wrong or they are playing politics. If the PM can work out who Sugar might reasonably think is a no hoper, there's a chance of a human shield, provided the PM has done well otherwise and doesn't make an idiot of themselves in front of Sugar. Being called Syed, Micheal or Kate really helps too

The US rules do mean that a winning PM can then use the next task to stitch another person up. Provided they don't get seen doing it. Likewise just bringing in one can be used to highlight one person's faults and protect a friend. That can backfire as it does in the UK.

That did for him imo as he was in the company of other equally unpleasant egoists. If he didn't have the intelligence to go into the boardroom using every trick in the book to impress then he deserved to go. And Lord Sugar said himself that he almost fired two of them.

I was also really surprised it was Dan. I get the impression that Karren really pushed for him to go. She didnt seem to like him whatsoever.