I've often wondered about all the rules that are never talked about on screen, for example, that you can't use the internet to find out what an Oud is. Is anyone an insider with knowledge, for example:

1. Is the team leader really decided in the way we see, or are they always appointed, and the vote is acting?
2. One definite unwritten rule is 'no more than two subteams' but do you always have to split into two?
3. If so, does the team leader decide who goes in which group, or do the producers decide?
4. How much advice does Sugar get from the producers on who to fire? ie yes, that candidate is totally sh!t at business but they make good TV so you have to keep them in for a while
5. Do the losing team leaders really get to decide who comes into the boardroom with them?
6. Are all the ridiculous statements they make written for them? Never in real life have I met anyone who would claim to be 'the ultimate businessman', or 'will stab everyone in the back until I'm the last one left' , etc
etc

Doesn't have to be big things, just all the rules that exist, but that are never explicitly communicated to the viewers, and all the bits that are more Jersey Shore than true reality.
Last edited by neutralned : 31-05-2013 at 15:37

I was just wondering about the division of the teams, once a PM is agreed upon.

1. Decided how we see it.
2. The tasks are set out so that logistically you need a sub team.
3. The PM will decide who goes on what team.
4. Probably lots. It is TV afterall.
5. Yes of course the PM decides who joins them. Then the producers and LAS choose out of the 3.
6. They will say all that themselves. They know they wont be on the show if they dont chat bolloxx.

Another unwritten 'rule', or at least one that is never mentioned on the show or even alluded to is the utter hamstringing needing permission to film must add to tasks. I am sure I read someone's blog about being on the show mentioning that in one of the 'scavenger hunt' tasks to buy many items, they found about four or five suppliers for a particular item but none would give permission to be filmed by the camera crew, so they couldn't be used... how much time must that sort of thing take up?

I also imagine that in tasks where they have to choose a 'theme' of some kind, rather than pluck it out of thin air, I expect the teams are given, off camera, a list of possible themes, like '80s' or 'Italian', and told they must actually pick one from it, as otherwise it would be impossible for the production team to source things like costumes, props, venues etc. with zero notice...

That's a popular fan theory but I've never seen any evidence for it. He's fired people early who made great TV, and kept boring ones. Generally when he keeps a "mad" one it's explainable by saying they have some spark which others lack, or because they remind him of himself, or because the person he fired instead pushed one of his buttons.

(Edited to add: Zee arguably makes better television than Natalie, for example.)

I do think that Lord Sugar gets factual feedback as to what happens on task by the production crew. Logically he must do. They generally split into four sub-teams and Nick and Karen can only follow two of them. He doesn't get to see the filmed footage but he usually has a fair idea of what went on.


I'm fairly sure they aren't. The production crew do ask questions that are designed to provoke such answers ("Which historical figure do you most resemble?"), and I suspect they prolong interviews as the candidate gets more and more over the top. The candidates know what the show is like. If they don't give entertaining quotes, they won't be picked for the show.

The tasks sometimes have elements which we don't see. For example, in the scavenger hunt, as well as buying N items they sometimes have to sell one. One year it was a human skeleton which you can sometimes see in shot even though it never gets mentioned.

Having interviewed a couple of candidates in the past, that is basically exactly what happens. The candidates are asked questions designed to provoke a certain type of response, and are actively encouraged to provide "interesting" answers that can be used in the show. Some candidates need less encouragement than others! Fundamentally, they know the name of the game - if you want your soundbite to make a broadcast, don't be boring and modest!

In response to the OP, most of the unwritten rules tend to relate to the logistics of certain tasks.

For instance, teams always split into two sub-teams with distinctly separate tasks. Never more than two - there are only two camera crews to follow them round, two people carriers for them to use, two phones to stay in contact.

There are also specific task rules that we don't necessarily see that aren't that important to us but keep the teams from doing anything too excessive. For instance, from the beer task, I suspect two of the big rules were: you must make at least X kegs of beer but no more than Y and the trade sales team must take at least X kegs and make at least Y sales appointments before you rejoin the other sub-team. (As I said in my weekly review, the obvious strategy in that task is to not bother with the trade at all and sell everything retail - higher prices, more profit - but clearly the teams aren't allowed to do that as it would make for dull TV).

Also, teams don't have anywhere near as much freedom to go wherever they want as it appears. For instance, in this week's episode both went to the Dubai Mall. Yes, it's the biggest mall in the world, but there are plenty of huge malls in Dubai (70, according to Wikipedia), many of which were closer to the hotel than the Dubai Mall and would have saved the teams time. So why did both teams go to the same mall? Because you need a licence to film in public places like a shopping mall, and this would have been arranged for that one mall many weeks in advance.

Hope that helps.

Surely the "unofficial" rule regarding the number of sub teams is official. Otherwise for the buying task you could get them all spliting off individually to just get 1 or 2 items each.

One example of subtasks we used to be shown in earlier series but now just see glimpses of is the production of advertising or marketing material for whatever shop, gallery or other business candidates are running that week.

Presumably it was decided that candidates sitting in front of a Mac for hours on end makes dull television.

In the farm shop task, we saw Alex taking photographs, for example, but that was about it.

Indeed - the word "unwritten" which seems to have been adopted on this thread as an alternative looks to be a better one.

These rules are actually "official" ones that the viewers aren't specifically informed about.
Making the tasks about as clear as mud and it much easier to dispose of those responsible for failure/the scapegoats because of some teeny error that had no real impact on the result/the big mouths that dictated the decision that didn't really impact on the task either but irritated team mates and viewers alike/the boring, vaguely competent ones that aren't good enough to win but don't really make great tv either.

I reckon they are written though.

Yep.

In invisible ink that the candidates see for a few brief seconds before they disappear for all eternity to be brought back only if Lordsiralansugarcube is accused of making things up on the spur of the moment so his favouritest team can win and boot the devil incarnate from the other side out.

And the viewers see none of it. Ever. So we can be palmed off with any old carp.

When I said 'unofficial' I meant in the eyes of the viewer; I am sure the teams are made aware of various rules, and that they are written down somewhere, the point is that they are never communicated to the viewer. Some could be, ie they could tell you that the internet is banned in the acquistion task, but some could never be, ie Sugar doesn't decide who gets fired, the producers do (not that I'm saying that's true, it's just a for example). I just wondered if there was anyone on the boards who knew these rules - I know Dr Who insiders are sometimes on the boards there for example - and could reveal them to the viewer.

I'd say yes to that one since Sugar himself can be surprised with what the PM goes with.

Sugar has gone on record several times to say that who gets sacked is his decision alone.
I think he has a pretty clear idea early on who are the likey winners so if two or three duffers are up for the chop I do reckon he may keep the one in who makes good telly.
I doubt the sub teams or any of that are down to the production team as often who is assigned to do what is a point raised by Sugar.
But there is a lot that goes on that could be clearer - the choice of products made for example. I'm sure the producers give the teams a short list as so often they seemingly choose to make something at random then the next day a relevant focus group is laid on.

I wish they would tell us more of the rules to save any confusion, such as people who aren't aware that they aren't allowed to use the internet.

I am amazed that isn't considered self-evident - there's no other explanation for it never being used - especially as it would subvert the purpose of some of the tasks completely, such as sourcing and valuing items - there would be no challenge in that task if they could just google everything, get exact prices and a list of suppliers in ascending price order with directions and a map...

There really is not much evidence for the "good telly" theory, although a lot of people believe it. He's just fired Zee rather than Natalie, for a start.

But we must remember Lord Sugar does not see any task footage, let alone the finished programme, for the simple reason it has not been edited together from the hours of footage that have been filmed (2 days x 2 teams x 2 subteams) by the time of the boardroom. So how would Lord Sugar know who makes good telly?

How do they value things?

From what we see on the show, they look through the Yellow Pages for a business likely to sell the item, then ring them up and ask their prices. If they have any sense they'll ring round 2 or 3 and average the price, in case they've rung Lord Snooty-Snootingdon's Fine Hat Emporium or similar, and been quoted a ridiculously inflated price, but judging from previous efforts they don't bother.

That's what the research and logistics bit of the task at the beginning is meant to be, and it's usually teams which spend an hour or so researching and planning that do better than those who just head out and wing it.

I did say if the others are duffers too. It could be Natalie's business idea is a bendy nail file whilest Zee's was a personal conceige service
Sugar won't need to have seen the rushes himself to know who's making good telly - the producers on the ground will know that.

Isn't it only a few hours before the programme is online . Does he see the candidates the exact following day of the task or in some cases in the evening or is it different times?

I'm sure the programme makers could provide him with any footage he requested . We only see a tiny fraction of what they record . They must discard many hours filming of each episode.

Is someone 'nominated' to be eejit of the week?.

This week the teams had to buy a UAE flag 6' by 4' so it was decided by the whole sub-team (and the PM) that 1ft = 12 centimetres so they ended up with an itzy bitzy teeny weeny stripey napkin, Doh!.

The 'nominated' eejit said later, "that it was a mistake that anyone could make", I don't agree, only 'An Apprentice' could make that mistake.

Well the other two in the sub-team did agree with him.

..as I said, the whole sub-team, and the PM did not disagree either, so that was 4 eejits.