Lee McQueen lasted 6 months!!! What is going on?? Is LS that bad to work for?

But simon only left recently right?... Have they all left now? wow even yasmina? :O

Yasmina's only on maternity leave.

I'm not - surprised, I mean. Look at old curmudgeon Sugar.

And as for Lee McQueen, he phoned in sick on his first day. Well...I suppose it could happen to anyone but that to me is not a good start and certainly not an auspicious sign. Who knows what happened subsequently?

It's strange how such a testing and exhaustive process (supposedly) manages so often to get the wrong people and how they do not stay. Not a good advert for Sugar.

I thought Lee only just left in the last year?

When you start working for Tate & Lyle, you soon realize you're not special ... winner or not. Also, you're not being paid £100k to play games all day.

Anyway, I think a lot of the players think appearing on TV will get them a job on TV.

I think the 100k is paid for by the BBC with whatever else they pay Alan Sugar to use his name for the series. The winners haven't always been good.

Probably explains why they changed the prize on the next series from a job to an investment.

Though for what it's worth, I genuinely believe Stella wanted a job more than most contestants, so she might be longterm.

Maybe LS saw Lee for what he was really worth. I still cannot believe he hired him after the major lies he put on his CV. Maybe this is why LS was so OTT about Stuart stretching the truth slightly on his CV as he didn't want another Apprentice like Lee. Either that or he was sick of that dreadful phrase that Lee kept repeating but which I have mercifully forgotten but expect someone will quickly remind me!

I'm not surprised to be honest - the whole "job" thing is blown waaaaay out of proportion as everyone thinks, as its built up to be, that it will be a hugely exciting and diverse role that the job entails.

In reality its a routine, pedestrian and boring position that anyone with a business degree could fill!

Lets face it Lordsuralan has a pretty dull company portfolio which includes Viglen, makers of mediocre VDU's and computers and a couple of property management firms! Wow...

"That's what I'm talking about!" *Shudder*

Oh dear..I really shouldn't have re-read this thread before going to bed. It'll be going round my head all night now! He really was very very irritating.

Urgh. That just brought back my not-at-all irrational hatred for Lee McQueen.

For reason's I'm still not totally sure about, I just couldn't stand him.

Difficult to test the skills for that and not just judge their idea and their CV? Also not clear whether he would like some of the buisnesses they might want to set up if they were to do with marketing or legal or recruiting issues?

On the other hand, Michelle, Claire, Kim , Phil, to name but 4, are running businesses that might be like what he would invest in. Michelle would almost certainly win under the new objective too on either her CV then or present business. The Tre's and Stuarts would look more suitable, however, and he might find it difficult to find people who were really entrepreneurial and really capable.

Simon Ambrose, winner of series 3 left LS, after working for him for nearly 3 years. Yasmine (s5) is still officially there but has spent much of her100,000 pa salary time on maternity leave. Michelle Dewberry (s2) left after a few months after becoming pregnant. LS's first big mistake. Most people felt that Ruth Badger should have won TA that year and was far more impressive than Michelle. Lee Stewart (s4) did his year then left under a bit of a cloud, after LS discovered he had lied on his CV about his education qualifications -- LS's second misjudged hiring

Stella should last the course and maybe more. Maybe one of LS's better decisions since Simon Ambrose 3 series ago.

And what about Tim Campbell? (I think he's called) s1 winner. How long was he there for, I'm sure I heard that he lasted for a couple of years also before leaving.

She didn't leave because she was pregnant - she, in fact, lost the baby - she left because Surallen thought he'd made a mistake in hiring her. All the ins and outs have never come to light, but he's mentioned that her "lifestyle" was incompatible with working in his business. Reading between the lines, it seems she was too much of a party girl.


I think you're a little confused. The person you're talking about's name is Lee McQueen. The lie on his CV came out during the interview process, and he was hired despite it. He worked for Surallen for 2 years before he chose to leave the company. This is the first I've heard of him leaving "under a bit of a cloud", and Surallen has said that the only person he regrets hiring is Michelle Dewberry. Hers is the only winner's photo not in his autobiography.

2 years is right.

of course it is. it's dressed up as a 100k salary, when it is in fact a prize that's paid out over 12 months (unless they even throw the difference to the real salary at them right away).

none of the winners filled a position worth 100k so far, i'm sure the contract lasts 12 months and then they are downgraded to the usual payment for that position. which is one of the reasons some move on.

Your portfolio being... ?

They really need to get Richard Branson doing the show

RB would just smile his way through it. I can't imagine him calling Walter Mitty Baggs a load of s---.

It's been done and was cut after one season. It was called "The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best" and was shown on the Fox network in the US.

I'm not.

Maybe that female dragon could do the show? The blonde one that looks like Madame Mim from The Sword in the Stone.

Just no, Deborah should stay way clear of this show. What Sugar has is a huge amount of experience, a nature charm and quick witted... ok most of it is edited out so they can focus on his worse side. Once more cares for business' small and large in this country, whereas most will only care for their own business'

However it doesn't surprise me at all, the show is called The Apprentice after all it does not guarantee a job for years it guarantees you a job as an Apprentice and then you can do whatever you want with that. Most seek the experience and then use that to go into their own field rather than the field Sugar gives them. Which is why the prize change seems more fitting, it allows the winner from day one to focus on their field.