What happens about the candidates' friends, families and colleagues when they're in the process? Is it kept private from people, or are they allowed to say? I wouldn't have thought it was that cloak and dagger, but at the same time it must be reasonably private or there would be leaks about who the candidates are.

I wonder what happens about their employers? Do they know what they're doing, or do they need to make up an excuse?

It's so hard to say. I am sure they must tell thier family.

They certainly do a brilliant job of keeping the identities secret!

I imagine that they tell those who are very close to them, but have to keep it reasonably quiet. I remember reading an interview with Navdeep from YA3 where she said that she had to disappear right in the middle of her school prom. She'd told her friends that she was going back to India for a bit over the summer, and couldn't say how long for.

I auditioned for Big Brother a few years ago, and that is really cloak-and-dagger. Everyone knew I was auditioning, but I had to tell people that I hadn't got through when in fact I was still in the process. It was really mad keeping all these secrets from people, especially as I sometime had to disappear off to London for auditions. I got quite far in the end, although I don't know for certain how far because they don't tell you how many stages there are. I can't imagine that The Apprentice is quite as secretive as that, but it seems to be kept pretty quiet.

I wonder what they do about employers? A lot of them are still employed when they take part. Perhaps they let the most senior person know the truth, but have to keep it secret from colleagues.