Whether they have been referred to in previous series or have never been mentioned i don't know but there seem to be a number of major rules which are imposed on the candidates which seriously affect how they operate.

Some are obvious

1) no internet
(no googling of trade prices)

2) no phone a friend
(hi dad, how's you... anyway do you know what a cloche is?)

3) forbidden to ask suppliers their prices on the phone
(i presume this is so the cameras can film the candidates reaction when they are told the price, it was rather amusing that they repeatedly turned up without a first clue as to how much they should expect to pay and were then immediately put on the back foot as far as negotiating went!)

All these seem to be to stack the deck in favour of the candidates looking like muppets! + making great tv rather than to test their business skills, or maybe that is me just being cynical!

any other rules people know about or suspect?

Are you seriously suggesting that our great British Broadcasting institution and one of our leading entrepreneurs are jointly engaged in duplicitous arrangements and distorting the truth.

Surely not.

We know there was a penalty for coming in late, but I dont think it was stated what that was.

The thing I don't get about not being allowed to use the internet, is why are they allowed to have mobiles - they clearly use iPhones and Blackberries.
Great television would also involve them having to use phone boxes rather than their 21st century phones.

They don't seem to be allowed to use the 'Apprentice' programme name as leverage when negotiating with a supplier.

could someone hypothetically buy stuff strategically?

eg take a chance that the list price for an item is lower, and not bother with it, should they get ripped off, like the £900 tea, or £2000/kg truffles from last season

i'm sure you could play clever games with things like that if you knew what you were talking about

I suspect the BBC film crew and Nick Hewer following them around may give them a clue though.

The problem is if they used the internet the task would be over in a couple of hours. Also the internet can fail as well.

Yeah, I thought I knew what a cloche was and I was thinking why don't they just look it up in a dictionary. Then I looked it up on my phone's dictionary and it just said it was a translucent cover for protecting outdoor plants or a woman's bell-shaped hat!

So much for modern technology

Historically, it is the team that has bought the least items that has won this task (and Logic only lost by £8 despite only getting 6 items) because if you don't buy it, you don't get ripped off! It is better not to buy something at all than to be so desperate that you buy it any price. I think I would have walked away from the tea, even at £400. If she wanted the sale badly enough she would have chased after me.

Yes. In my view it is a part of the task, and part of negotiation, to know when to walk away. That may be why the fines are so low.

I remember from Series 3 that in that series they received a fine if they didn't get a discount on the original price offered by the vendor, no matter how small. If this rule has been active in all versions of the task, it would explain a lot of the attempts to get 1p off the price.

I knew what a cloche was. But that's only because I watch Big Brother.

I know what a carafe is for the same reason.

Clearly, that's where the contestants are going wrong. They don't watch enough Big Brother

Also, I assume they had certain restrictions for the App task. It clearly had to be something relatively simple programming wise, to enable the IT company to write it overnight. Also, the must have been lead down the "sound-bite App" route, as both groups came up with it, and they both had instant access to audio recording equipment.

The shops they visit in the list task, must also be briefed, otherwise what is to stop them taking one look at the camera crew and Nick/ Karren and realising it is the Apprentice, say something like " you know what, you guys need a break, have the hat for free!" , knowing the publicity would be gold!

This is nothing like the real world, it is just setting them up to come across as stupid and make better tv.

You see if I was a contestant, the first thing I would do with my float money, is to go to an internet cafe to find the stuff!

I reckon they're banned from visiting a supermarket for the buying task, as it seemed an obvious place to go to for several items last week e.g. the ice. Suspect the reasons are that it wouldn't make great TV to watch them collecting several items easily, plus there's no way to bargain prices down with the checkout cashier

One of the most memorable evnts in BB history when Michelle and Emma's heads popped out from under those cloches.

Yes, a couple of vegetables!

That's what cloches are for.