I think this would be the case. Indeed it should be something that is explicitely shown on the programme as their choices of what to concentrate on should take into account the travelling about they will need to do e.g. they both ended up losing the lucrative tee-shirts as they were faffing around trying to sell less profitable stuff elsewhere and couldn't get back in time.
Also I assume the Zoo was laid on, but the producers were expecting them to try and sell something relevant - I don't know about you, but if I had a load of fish and was going to the penguin house, I think I'd try to flog them the fish, not cleaning equipment

It's okay, no harm done, just a minor misunderstanding.
Perhaps the term 'scripted' isn't very helpful as it perhaps comes across as more melodramatic than it may be intended.
It may be better to use words such as guided, manipulated, or steered which was mentioned by somebody above.
Also if you use the term 'scripted' you make it all the easier for your point to be dismissed due to how the term can be misunderstood, such as in this thread.

Don't forget that the series isn't actually filmed over 12 weeks it's all much more condensed.

I read somewhere that the candidates do a couple of task back to back then get a couple of days off before the next 2 - most of the tasks take place over 2-3 days so that would seem to fit.

In one series (the one with Pantsman) we actually got a shot of one team reading through the project folder just after the task was given to them, and it was a case of there being a lot of either/ or options as so much groundwork had to be done in terms of where candidates could set up their stalls, the companies willing to work with them, places which allowed filming etc etc.

Our local Farmshop ( RiP) worked with the Ice cream makers in series 2(?) and for a while we were able to buy the Apprentices's Toffee Apple Ice cream in the shop, but there was a big notice saying that it wasn't the actual recipe devised by the Apprentices as their offering wouldn't have met the various regulations in force. The owner also told me that he'd never met a bigger group of arrogant numpties who wouldn't listen to the advice they were given before filming began, or during the production stage.

Exactly. All this is done for practical production purposes, not to engineer the result. They have to be able to film it, so the locations are controlled.

As for "the edit", that people mention in a loaded way. This happens after filming is finished and Sugar doesn't get to see any of it during the process. The edit doesn't distort the outcome, in fact it can't. It tells the essential story of what happened, but with the emphasis on humour. Some candidates might feel it puts them in a bad light, and no doubt some embarrassing mistakes are shown for entertainment purposes only.

It's quite different to the editing in a show like Big Brother or IACGMOOH, which can distort things and make someone popular or unpopular to influence the public vote.

I don't believe it is scripted but it is heavily edited to make them look like knobs, that much is clear.

You can be fairly certain that if you don't see much of a candidate and they don't get called out for hiding by Lord Sugar then they are actually doing a fairly decent job but since they aren't being idiots, they don't get any airtime.