The team called them Beefeater paintings but they were pictures with a Union Jack and a guardsman, so they did have a London look. They were also at the cheap end of the art they saw. Gabrielle chose that artist, but the client didn't go for them. If they'd known the £10K budget they might have gone for the large expensive comic book artist Tom couldn't sell.

Each artist seemed to produce works of a similar size, so they knew the kind of paintings they would get and the paintings we saw them look at were certainly in the galleries.

I don't actually agree.

Her thinking wasn't unusual and totally viable for the business they were working within. The fact is when it comes to art if something clicks people are prepared to pay over the odds... waaaay over the odds. Often double, treble the budget.

If a budget is there you're stuck in a place where you can't try and push for that. Like I say if they like something they'll pay, if they don't like it they're not annoyed you've not followed the brief and gone over the given budget.

In fact Gabrielle probably knows this better than Lord Alan and Karren Brady.

However this tactic depends on you being able to estimate what the budget is so you can predict how far to push it. This is where they fell flat... they totally underestimated it. And of course they didn't treat the clients right.

If there was the slightest bit of evidence that Gabrielle was trying to play a game like that, I'd give her the credit.

But there isn't. And like you say, they didn't overestimate the budget, they grossly underestimated it and provided their client with entirely the wrong kind of product as well as price tag.

They basically left their brains behind them when they went into that meeting. They weren't thinking about the space the art was to be displayed in any more than they were thinking of the money the client had to spend, so they ended up choosing modest sized paintings for a huge distillery space.

Gabrielle has shown that she can work with and sell to trendy hipster types. And that's her whole skill set as far as I can see. When it comes to more traditional business situations she's a liability.

If it's their own money and they have discretion. When it is company money that has to be accounted for to the board and the shareholders, they are likely to have a fixed budget and no discretion to spend more. I think this is the point she failed to understand when she defended herself in the boardroom.

(On the day, I tend to agree with LaurieMarlow, that she wasn't really thinking.)

Gabrielle did it again.....stood up against Stephen.

Too right she did, I was hoping she would have smacked him one. Errrr.

Gabby is so classy and sassy. Hope she gets to the final now Jenna has been given the heave ho.

Grrr the worst thing tonight was Stephen trying to put Gabrielle in the spotlight, questioning her contribution. When from the looks of it, she had a fairly good task, not only keeping Stephen in-line but coming up with alot of things in the design of the product and the website.
Think Stephen was either basing it on something personal, or simply realized that he had to get the attention away from the video or else he was in for it.
Very low indeed.

I think Gabrielle will win. Sir Alan pretty much never criticises her. My guess is she's got a business plan he likes the look of!!

Agree, did anyone else notice the look she gave him when it was him and not Jenna who came back, Her face fell. There's no love lost between those two I think!

That was hilarious even the project manager bigged her up which must be a first. Stephen is a classic Apprentice comedy character. Maybe like all the rest he imagines TV stardom after the show and no doubt like all the rest there will be some of that waiting for him.

Gabby on the other hand is a classic Apprentice winner

She's my favourite out of the candidates left.

Er, no. Not in a corporate environment where you're buying something for purely decorative purposes, not as part of the core business.

In among all the fuss about the ads, I thought Gabrielle's rose as wine glass motif was rather good.

Gaby's strengths are certainly on the creative side rather than "management". But there are plenty of good managers around, and Sugar can put this kind of support in place easier. A good idea is invaluable, though. This applies to all the candidates, not just Gaby, but given her creative streak I'd day she's one of the most likely to have that great idea in her business plan.

As I've outlined over the past few weeks in my blog, I think Tom, Gaby and Nick are the three favourites to win, although Tom has slipped back a bit these last two weeks.

http://slouchingtowardsthatcham.com/...glish-bubbles/

Gaby or Ricky to win!

I think Gabrielle may have won this.

Apparently she opened her new art gallery in London last week (webethree gallery) - and not only was Pure Evil there creating live like Nathan was doing on last weeks task, - a few of the Apprentices were there too.

I can't help thinking this was her business plan......

The remaining women on the show seem too nice to be Sugar's partner. They lack that killer ruthless streak. It's weird to think being 'nice' is a disadvantage on a show like this but I think it is. I'll be amazed if Gabrielle or Jade win.

Tom, from last series, seemed nice but he had the huge advantage of being an inventor so this appealed to Sugar.

He did that to look noble in the sir alan eyes, its obvious gabby cant defend herself properly..
He had no problem criticising her last week in the boardroom.But they tread carefully because shes a wallflower

She's consistently passed the tests on being creative and she passes on work ethic and drive and being someone he can work with. An art task and a wine task don't look coincidental and she won hers while Tom failed on his missing the big picture. Gabi wasn't that impressive as a PM - but providing the bigger picture and other advisers is what Lord Sugar brings to the partnership. She also may have something (like an art gallery) that fits the amount of money on offer.

i think Adam has shown that he can do what he does too and will try anything - but he may look out of his depth doing anything more. Street trading has also been directly tested. Nick ;looks competent, but we have no idea what he's offering or if thats been tested..

I don't think anyone has won yet though - doesn't he only decide in real time in the last week of the show being on air even though everything else was done months ago?

We saw on YF that Jenna was Gabrielle's best friend in the Apprentice house. Gabrielle was no doubt pretty disappointed.

There's never been a reaction quite like Adam's return in series 3 when they all stood and gawped at him in undisguised horror!

I think Joanna's repeated "NO WAY!!!"s at Stuart returning from the week 10 boardroom of series six tops that and then some.

Neva 4get

Looking at the line up for next week, it looks like Gabrielle is safe as she is partnered with Stephen as Project Manager, and as Stephen has put himself up for the task and promised a win to Sugar, surely if he loses he has to go.

But we can't rule out a double firing - there hasn't been one this series

Mind you I would be surprised if she doesn't get through - I think Shugs has a lot of people he wants to get rid of ahead of Gabrielle. Even though I think she's very overrated based on performance on tasks - though I'm guessing her business plan is good.

I'll eat my shorts if Jade wins, she is thick as *** ****. As Adam said "What is she doing here?". Having said that, Lee "I lied on my application form" won the Apprentice a few years ago, so would not be surprised.

I would not be surprised at all if Gabi wins. I know a lot of people think Tom is all that, but that's two weeks in a row he has escaped. I definitely think he should have been given the boot this week, he was practically wetting himself in the boardroom. I'm surprised Shugs did not bring back Tom's team instead of the team that he did.

Generally the winner isn't determined until shortly before the final You're Fired recording, which is weeks away.

(In the past, a candidate doing what you describe would indicate she wasn't even a finalist, but I don't think that applies now.)