All we will get is candidates with existing business wanting to expand.

Who cares? Do we really watch for the businesses?

I thought that was the whole point of the show. To see someone grow a new concept with Sugars investment.

I'd say it's not considering the business plans are only mentioned in the last 2 weeks of the process. It is really a very silly format when you think about it.

Technically yes, but what the actual business is, is no concern to the viewer really.

Nope, it's purely TV entertainment. The £250k is probably absorbed into production costs.

Just you wait, every single candidate from now on will have memorised all of Lord Sugar's bloody books.

Not what Mark Wright said on YF. He said the cash was paid into a bank account for the new business.

They've had plenty of time to do that already - there's been 11 series now with the same tasks.

& they still mess up big time from 100 Chickens to 0 orders for both teams.

Haha I meant Lord Sugar's published books that Joseph kinda fell back on as a method of kissing arse a bit but yes - that too

It probably was, but it's likely that it's part of the show's budget.

It's primarily an entertainment show.

That would actually please me - because it's always seemed to be very odd that the candidates go through a 12-week selection programme, and are fired or retained based on how they perform in the tasks - but in the end, it's a business proposal that determines who is the winner.

Should go back to the old days, and just have an apprentice, taken on as an employee of Lord Sugar.

I see it as simply an entertainment show.

Nothing wrong with it being an entertainment show and certainly it's provided hours of excellent entertainment over the years. I think it has enough reality, especially in the final few weeks, to be regarded as valid and grounded in business success.

It lost its impetus when a) they started to feel the need to include good looking men and dolly birds and b) when they changed the model from apprentice to business partner. The show was at its best with the likes of the Badger. Its as stale a format as the X Factor. Added to that was bringing in Brady, who, when she conducted the interviews, flirted with a candidate and told him he shouldnt be ashamed to be goid looking. What on earth is the relevance of that to the process?

I don't understand how the candidates aren't screened in advance with good business plans.

The ones we've seen are just pants...

This format doesn't work. Need to revert to the old format. If Alan cannot provide a job for the winning candidate, replace him with someone who can.

I would like to know the business plans up front. Then I can start ticking off my bingo card early with ideas such as "expansion of business", "not owning the entire business proposed", "zero exclusivity" and my favourite one "solution to a problem that doesn't exist".

It is the number of joke candidates that worries me. Vana's response to confused and contradictory reports from the app developers: "I'm not surprised -- it's Ruth and Natalie". On the other team, Elle described Mergim as a shambles, and she's no Richard Branson herself.

As far as i'm concerned this series of The Apprentice is the worst we've ever had. It was a complete and f*cking shambles from start to finish. I can't think of one standout redeeming feature or candidate. All of the candidates were either jokes or completely useless and even the 2 that made the final weren't up to scratch.

This series has been more about scandal and sex. I've seen more stories in the press about this series of The Apprentice than any other.

You've got the pushing and shoving fight between Selina and Charleine, Selina v The Apprentice producers, Selina gang-raped in Dubai, the punch-up between Scott and Brett, Scott quitting The Apprentice, Mergim and Ella shagging each other and now there's a sordid group sex session involving David and an unnamed female Apprentice candidate in the press.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...x-session.html

Need to wipe this series from my mind.

i find it entertaining and interesting how they mess up the simplest things such as numbers or measurments etc

The problem is that the candidates will probably never have had honest feedback from anyone about their performance.

You get the same on Dragon's Den - people whose only research is "Friends and Family" who think the idea is brilliant, then get shot down in flames for the reasons listed above.

The TV production needs to keep the candidate's business ideas largely confidential (to probably prevent "fired" candidates nicking the final ideas for themselves) so there is no detailed scrutiny at an early stage.

Anyone wanting clear advice on new business should read works by an American called Wilson Harrell. He was an Entrepeneur in the 50's and 60's - the time era of "Mad Men" and was a great character as well as a successful business owner.
He suggested going to a local shop with your "new product" and putting some on the shelves. If they sell out, you know you have a winner - if not , then cut your losses.
You could do the same with a shopping channel these days.

But in launching the company in the final task it actually dawned on Joseph that some things would not work in his plans, so he made changes.
Vana's business also had faults but she chose to ignore them or try to cover them up

Im sure there are people applying with good business plans, but they won't be entertaining so will not be elected.

Every winner since the new prize came along has been doing what they already do and in or near London.

He seems not to want the risk of new moves....

And beause the corporate high flyers are not there, he doesn't get the people who can adapt to different tasks and sectors............which means most tasks end up being pretty dire unless one of the people with basic retail and selling sense takes over.