But Joanna's only 25 whereas Stella is 30 or 31...which is a huge difference at that stage in life as well as them coming from different backgrounds - one corporate the other a small business owner - so of course their approaches to handling an idiot like Stuart will be different!

I agree and I couldn't stand her in the first couple of weeks.

She's really grown on me and I think she's really promising.

If it's spent it isn't relevant and under any other circumstance, neither the prospective employer nor the general public would get to know about it...

Maybe, but then Yasmina was accused of smoking cannabis at an earlier age by the Mail, amongst other things. Lee of course had his CV. So I don't think a report in the Mail and Sun means Joanna won't win.

I see where you are coming from and I agree that an older conviction for offences when committed very young should have less relevance but I'm afraid the fact that a conviction is spent doesn't automatically mean that an employer doesn't get to know about it. Certain jobs require declaration of even spent convictions (for obvious reasons!).

Oh I entirely agree it doesn't mean she won't win - I think she has a very good chance of at least making the final because of other things in her cv/background which make her the sort Lord Sugar is very sympathetic to. I was wondering why it isn't relevant to know.

I like Joanna, but she always looks so miserable on the tasks. She'll hold her own.

But you're not obliged to declare a spent conviction and for me it's not affecting her performance. Thus I see bringing it up repeatedly as blatant prejudice and I couldn't care less about it.

She is the only one who consistently comes up with good ideas. She seems to get on well with Stella as well. Although I wouldnt read too much into that since Stella seems to treat the whole apprentice as a cynical joke. But I do think that if they stay on the same team, the others on it had better look out!

a good week for Cleaning Lady - I put her in my 'best team' earlier. she strikes me as a competent businesswoman and spots things.

A past criminal conviction should not make or break a contestant that's for sure, but I do think that in this case the conviction backs up a certain view of her re: communication skills and her aggressiveness and temperament. Purely a personal opinion and I don't expect everyone to agree.

If Joanna had that same conviction but was a calm, polite, pleasant person to deal with then I would argue that the conviction was clearly irrelevant and that she has moved on since then, but she isn't (IMHO).

Hear hear!

Rather than bringing up the tabloids' version of it, here's her local paper's more balanced read
http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.u...l/article.html

Near to the end you'll find the cabbie is selling his 'story'. As she pleaded guilty (you get a lesser fine and costs that way) no cabbie would have been called to give evidence in person. Just the statement they gave the police. So their side of things has not been fully checked. As for £1000 worth of damage, well that's an insurance claim for a dent these days Bit of a racket.

She is good, though some of the ideas aren't so much. But I like her attitude of at least putting them out there, rather than sit back and let some PM hang themselves.

I don't think Stella is so much cynical as a bit shocked by some of the others' lack of ability. She's not alone in that! To me she has a 'wtf is going on here' expression much of the time. One of the reasons someone has little airtime on this show is that they are quietly getting on with it and so not making good telly.

I've liked her from the start - would like a stella/Jo final
none of the boys are doing it for me this year

Must have been watching another Joanna

Remember Book-eeze

The only thing anyone can say about Joanna is that she is great with kids, not surprising as she is a mother?

Though I do understand that the general public are more supportive of Joanna and Stella, as they resemble the normal everyday woman (a bit like the frenzy with Ruth Badger all those years ago).

Me, I have my business hat on and so far Joanna has produced very few good ideas (more coasting on Stella´s achievements, by being in the same team as her every week).

I am sure she will make the Final after the last couple of weeks.

As I recall, Joanna suggests something to help read books on the beach. Not a bad idea, given that a lot of people read while they sunbathe (and a lot of them only read while on holiday, so might go for an impulse holiday purchase). It went off the rails mainly because Laura dismissed it out of hand, and dismissed it again whenever Joanna raised it again, and then they ran out of time so they adopted it anyway, and then didn't have time to develop it. I blame Laura's poor management for what became of Joanna's idea.

In any case, I rarely blame a candidate for having an idea, as even a bad idea is better than nothing. They used Joanna's idea because it was the best on the table.


She's been good all the way through. Even in the first task, where she managed the team to a win, despite people like Melissa and Laura and Paloma who we later saw could be difficult. Indeed, Laura failed to manage the same team the very next task.

I love that dress, I want to know where she got it from!


What has Stella achieved that Joanna coasted on? Stella's playing a good game but I haven't seen her do anything remarkable. Some people always seem to get more credit than they deserve (Stella) while other's get less (Joanna).

The problem with the beach task although LS said it was easy, is that every idea had already been thought of and commercialised. I have yet to see on this site anyone coming up with any idea at all. In the last task she offered a medal, sweets, made sure the kid would win, everything possible, how could she have done it better? She was really on her own. Stella was in the back room 'messing' up the DVDs and blaming stuart. Still not sure exactly how they got it wrong.

Personally, I would have fired Jamie last night for coming up
with the skiing idea. If a bad idea loses you the task, then surely the person who had the idea should be held accountable on some level (not saying that they should be fired in every circumstance).


Bad example, as Joanna got into a shouting match with Melissa (while a big customer was inches away at their stand) in the first task and was one of the loudest shouters in the female boardroom battle in task 2.

Most people who like her now, are willing to admit that they wanted her sacked earlier in the series (just watch back the threads on it).

For me, Joanna is very lucky that she almost always (except in task 2) is on the same team as Stella. It will get her to the interview round surely, but the final?

Thats a bit unfair. Maybe in Week 1 that was the case but although they've often been on the same team they are often in completely different sub-teams doing different things because their skill sets are quite different (Stella with back room/organisation and Joanna with selling). Stella wasn't there yesterday when she did so well with selling, nor was she there in the selling to trade week when Joanna managed to secure one of the best meetings of the day (which Melissa's team, which included Stella btw, managed to mess up).

To me they are the two best candidates which is why they've been on the winning team more than any of the others, I believe (I'm only going from memory but I think even Liz has lost more hasn't she?). I don't think either of them are coasting on the other one, they just work well together, a rarity for most candidate!

" don't think either of them are coasting on the other one"
I get the impression that Stella isnt really after the job. But she will do everything that Joanna should get it who is.

I don't think bad ideas should be fired for, especially when nothing else is being put forward. The only exception is if it's the PM's idea and they bulldoze it through in spite of the team not wanting it.

Well, that is simple maths (Stella and Joanna have only been separated once, and Stella has one loss so far; whereas Stella and Liz have only worked together on 3 tasks).

People are entitled to revise their opinions. I don't see the problem.