if the 'prize' is going into business with them then surely LAS needs to know what their proposition is...??? When is this going to come into play? Does he get to announcing the winner before the winner announces he is going to use the investment to form a piers morgan appreciation society or something

But without being silly they could all have different ideas - manufacture, technology, retail, inventions, finance.... surely LAS will have preferences as to 'what' he would want to invest in as well as 'who'? This would affect the final decision surely?

Have they indicated their proposition at the application stage?

Also, the candidates aren't referring to their propositions - they would surely do this in the boardroom..."keep me lord sugar (sir, if tom) because invest in my "xyz" business and we will make millions" so either they are banned from mentioning what it is or none of them have a clue what they are going to use the investment for.

*Apologies if you've seen my post on other threads, but its really troubling me! ... did kill the last thread I asked in though *

Very good point.

I bet LS has a business in mind and any winner will just join him . In fact I bet there won't be that much difference between the old Apprentice idea.

I think they'll have proposed ideas at the application process but also the contract they've signed to appear on the show will dictate that its ultimately LS's decision anyway.

They'll just edit out any mention of it in the Boardroom.

I think that Sugar personally chose some of these contestants based on his vast knowledge of them, a bit like how BGT works, so he doesn't look like an idiot. The rest of them are on the show for entertainment value.

Its the £250000 question. And it causes all sorts of problems. as you say the winner has to have a good project irrespective of who impresses most on tasks, their CV or the interviews. Its very difficult to see what , from their CV's , most of the candidates might want to offer as a business. There's either someone there with a surprise thats unpredictble from their CV , or its something like Melody with a global ,possibly aid-related, idea, or something in the way of an invention - which may rule out anyone non technical. If you look at who is more capable , and capable over a range of skills, and who might be more expected to have a project, the list of candidates gets much shorter.

There's also something about the amount of money involved. What could you set up with that much and what couldn't you set up? Its not going to be producing the next Amstrad computer, or, at the other exreme, a one person consultancy. It would fit one of Tom's inventions if he had a another good enough cheap enough one?

I'm considering some aspects of this season as a bit of a letdown in regards to this. I was kind of expecting some of the tasks to be geared specifically around developing a business idea, and trying to impress Sugar that way. Instead, its just the same old tasks, which don't have that much value. How selling fruit and veg at a market has any value in co-running a business is beyond me...

I agree with Kyle123, I was expecting more tasks that would challenge the candidates to come up with ideas that could potentially be the basis for a business.

Exactly what I was thinking!


Exactly what I was fearing!

It really is hard, this series, to imagine that the winner isn't (or wouldn't be) pre-determined

thats something else I hadnt really thought through... the interview week... traditionally my favourite week ... that takes on a completely different perspective... how can you be "interviewed" to go into business with someone he's already said he's not going to be holding the winners hand - in effect, by that stage, it should be them interviewing him