I can't recall where exactly you are referring to but I think that the incident you referred to was in the boardroom which is different. It is the fact that this was full blown in public for everyone to see that makes it humiliating. By all means point out where he went wrong but don't do it in public and certainly not in the manner that she did.

Once again, Luisa showed she has absolutely no teamworking skills whatsoever. She turned last night's task into her and Neil v Francesca and refused to do the job she was skilled to do and then criticised the way Francesca did it. Yes, she dropped the spoilt rude brat act having been kicked up the arse for it last week; but she still isn't a very endearing person. I really hope she doesn't make the final but the competition isn't brilliant.

Rude and overbearing behaviour... I hope Luisa's CV is metaphorically torn apart during the interviews!

Its not only about Francesca.. Neil and Luisa both have to manouver against each other. They are in compettion.They both don't think Francesca is a player to worry about. Unless she completely fouls up and the food for once matters in a marketing test, she's only going to go, if they lose, because she's not impressed his Lordship before..Neil doesn't want to take decisions on his own because, if Luisa is safely doing the cooking, he could get the blame if his decisions are duds. He wants her to share the blame if the key decisions are duds, and not being free to point blame at him. Luisa doesn't want Neil making the wrong choices in the big decisions as she wants to avoid the boardroom . She wants to share in any success by being seen making the important decisions. At worst, she wants to register arguments against bad ones. There's nothing to be gained by Luisa doing the cooking for either of them - taste probably won't matter anyway. Its almost inevitable that the one they see as the weakest will end up cooking.

Thats part of the show. The ability to spot whats most necessary, be seen doing something that counts, and to protect yourself, is key. People have also gone for hiding in the kitchen, avoiding the decision making.and not proving what they had to. You don't win by standing back and selecting other people to lead - in the US show people have been fired for acknowledging that other people are better. By now, in UK series 9, the smarter contestants know what roles to go for.

I disagree with you on this. Leah and Jordan had the same role on the other team and neither of them were seen as 'weak' or in danger of leaving. Luisa lied to get what she saw as the more fun job. I don't accept that she could have known the taste of the food didn't matter - she couldn't have known how bad the other team were going to be and someone working in the food industry should blooming well care what the food tastes like. Her picking on Francesca was so blatant Francesca mocked the knife in her back.

I'm not saying this is your intent, but to me you are pretty much saying here that anyone who is picked on deserves to be picked on, and invites it by being 'weak', which I think is a widespread British viewpoint which is why bullies get away with so much. I really disagree with the attitude that people bring bullying on themselves and I'd hate to see this show endorsing it.

Francesca took it ridiculously personally. Luisa mentioned in the car on the way back at the end that the taste of the food let them down, and she was like 'ALL RIGHT, TWIST THE KNIFE SOME MORE!' Are you not allowed to criticise the part of the task that let you down without the person responsible for that bit being personally offended? I thought it was ridiculous how personally she took it. I like people who don't take things personally, but get on with the job in hand.

Personally I thought Francesca had every right to have a go back at Luisa for that comment.

Luisa had basically refused to go anywhere near the food preparation part of the task (despite being the best qualified to do so), because she wanted to do the more interesting and showy part of the task with Neil.

Francesca made it abundantly clear to both Neil and Luisa that she hadn't got the faintest idea about cooking, and as she doesn't cook, probably wouldn't have any idea how to change the flavours even if she HAD tasted the horrible thing. That said - she went off to Derby and did her best to produce a dish which at least LOOKED good even if it didnt taste fantastic.

It was unfair for Luisa having stepped back from that part of the task to keep rubbing it in that Francesca had screwed up - had Luisa, who in fact showed that she was a pretty capable cook (when she rattled off the recipe to Francesca on the phone - having said that she couldn't cook either) was clearly the one who would have done a better job cooking had she not been so determined to do the other part of the task!

Couldn't agree more!

Even if she had tasted it she would have had no idea what it needed as she hadn't tasted the original dish.

I think youre over dramatising it. I doubt that they work it out the way you do. Neil being a man cant be sent to the kitchen. Louisa is easier to work with than Francesca who comes through on all the tasks as very difficult. Whatever may be written here about Louisa, she is not as bad as she is made out. If she believes in it she will put everything into it. Looking at yesterdays program her staff seem quite pleased to work with her and stay on long hours.

Goodness! Are we still in the 1960s? I'm a man and I love cooking!

I agree that he wasn't the right person to cook, but not because he's male, because he was the PM and was better suited to running branding and things like that.

I agree. And no-one had any problems with sending Jason into the kitchen.

NO WONDER HE WAS FIRED!