She looks the too obvious winner, both of those two were also looked on as certain winners.

She still could come a cropper in that manner

We have also no idea what she is like the boardroom, if she loses next week it could rely on her sales and pitching similar to Liz

It's not comparable. Helen has won every week partly due to luck but also because she hasn't allied herself with the wrong people and because she's been decisive when PM. Kate lost because Lord Sugar wanted to take a gamble on Yasmine and saw something different in her. Liz went out in 6th last time because of complacency, understimated Stuart and because she thought she was a shoe in for the semi-final. It's not the same.

It'll make a mockery of the show if Helen doesn't win now. I'd have to ask what's point of the tasks if not to indicate who is a strong candidate and who isn't. Helen's winning record is remarkable, and should be rewarded.

Let´s not forget that people still didn´t know her name halfway through the series

That's because the likes of Vincent were hogging the limelight by telliing us how charismatic they were!

Helen might not be the most exciting candidate, but she's the most consistent and the most competent. So I think she deserves to win

Helen isn't the sole reason for her team winning every task. Luck and, dare I say, the abilities of all her fellow team mates play a big role too.

I agree with most of that however she is just an indentity kit of previous safe winners.

If he was looking for the old style Apprentice it would be all over, however he is not and that is what makes me think she may not win

Of course not. But she's played her part and I doubt she was 'lucky' 9 times.

If it was the job in Lord Sugar's company - I would have said Helen should be chosen. I think she is a good manager but I am not convinced that she would be a good entrepreneur - haven't seen that sort of flair from her at all.

But for at least half of those tasks her contribution was unnoticeable. She barely made an appearance until about Week 5.

Well no because this time it's about being a partner not an employee, Helen seems to know her own mind moreso than Kate or Liz did and I do think that whilst you can argue it's luck, we haven't seen much of her until the scrapyard task so we aren't to say that she hasn't done much in the other tasks, I definitely think she's a contender for the final, whether she wins or not is a different story.

But why would Sir Alan want to invest a vast amount of money in someone risky? With the prize being what it is, surely there's never been a more appropriate time to pick someone relatively 'safe'?

If you are comparing this to last year:
Helen - Stella
Melody - Liz
Susan - Joanna
Jim - Cris
Tom - Jamie
Natasha - Laura

No Stuart sorry

It needs someone risky and prepared to take risks for a business to develop.

That's not Helen, it is Melody however

I think Melody is closer to Stuart than Liz - she's got a whole field of llamas - Dalai Lamas.

Never mind!

I'm not convinced about this idea that only risk takers make it in business.

At any rate, I wouldn't class Melody as a 'risky' investment either because she has already established a business. It's not as if Sugar would be ploughing money into something unknown and new. But I don't want Melody to win

Has she really but she keeps it quiet and doesn't mention it ever two minutes

She's won 5, I can't add up...

I think Helen ticks most of the boxes apart from having real creative spark. I just don't get that from her (for some reason). She's good at pitching, communicating generally, thorough, conducts herself accordingly and all of that but, what were the actual stand out ideas that she came up with (before the product was there in order to think around them). What i'm getting at is, once the product in in front of her or at least the idea, she then knows how to work and build on it. But has she actually come up with any of the ideas in the first place for products on top of just knowing how to go abouts selling and marketing it well? Am I being unfair, or have missed that element in her.

Fair points, but wouldn't Helen already have an idea of what sort of company she'd like to set up? Otherwise, I'm not sure she'd have made it past the initial screening process. Then, as you say, she's one of the people best placed to make that idea work. If I was an investor, she'd be the one I'd entrust my money with.

I may have missed it all but I've only heard Suralun and co mention it, and people on here.

No because there is noone that can run her close. Yasmina was competent and was very balanced/level headed with her views. Stella was very driven but she wouldn't murder her grandmother for a promotion, and I get the impression that Melody would.

Susan is the only one that could come close, but she isn't up to standard.

Even though the show is still called The Apprentice and the format is identical to previous series, LS is looking for something different this year. As someone mentioned above, Helen would be the perfect APPRENTICE but not the perfect business partner, from what we've seen so far.

I think unless she's got some magnificent business idea up her sleeve, she could be vulnerable in the interview round. LS will start to look at the future to see who would be the best entrepreneur - and that's why I think Susie could do very well. Tom, being an inventor, should fit that requirement too, but he's too weak in the tasks.

Helen, for now, is just good at the tasks, but has no promise for an actual business partnership.

I think she's a great organiser, and I'd certainly use her during the say, middle onwards part of a product coming into play. But in lots of these tasks, I actually wonder whether she knows what the 'gap in the market is' beforehand herself, or if she is only good for the part of the process after that idea to fill that gap has occured. If Lord Sugar wants a really good sales person to sell sell and sell for him then she's great. If he wants an advisor then she would be great. If he wants someone that is good with the purse strings and knows what words are appealing to potential buyers then I would say she is 10 out of 10. But if he wants a conveyor belt of new ideas and forward thinking ways of doing business, I don't really know if she is entirely that. I would say she would be excellent at managing a business, but just not creating what it is they sell/ or being the first to come up with the service they provide. She can deal with an idea no question, but not neccesarily create it.