Just curious, how many (if any) of the candidates from the show (not just this series) are "plants"?

For those of you who don't know what a "plant" is, it's basically an actor (or possibly a deliberately very poor candidate) chosen by the producers only to stir up controversy and make things more interesting.

I wouldn't quite go so far as to describe Karthik as a 'plant' but it wouldn't surprise me in the least if the producers said, 'Look guys, we need a bit of conflict here' the deal being Karthik would 'go off on one' on the clear understanding Sugar wouldn't fire him last night, on the understanding that he had agreed to play up a bit to create a 'talking point' It just felt staged to me.

Surely Karthik is, the one who wants world domination.

I do have similar thoughts on this, it seemed to come VERY out of the blue to the point of being massively jarring.

Not to mention it was never made clear *why* he wanted sole control of the editing of the ad, and there was no build up to it either. It literally came totally out of nowhere after he'd been little more than comic relief prior.

I've certainly thought so in recent years, and last night's evictee was almost in that category. Particularly as she admitted to not having watched the show, I don't know how Natalie got through the interview process to get selected for the series...

Jessica looks like a plant to me.

Did someone copy her BB application and send it to the BBC?

Sarah from series 10 must have been

Do they get paid? I'd do it

Don't know about plants but there are definitely a few planks this season,

Presumably either Karthik wanted to make sure he got sole credit for the advert, or -- and this is far more likely -- while he recognised it was awful, he actually had no idea of how to fix it and wanted to start again from scratch and hope something better emerged.

Is he a plant? No -- this is probably how he works every day as a sole trader IT consultant.

Perhaps none of them are actors, though it is likely that some people with no business acumen whatsoever are chosen to stir up ratings, Karthik and that Miss UK woman being examples. Most are likely people who have never started a business and would just like to be on the show for the kudos and nothing more. I know on other reality shows plants are more common, and I would've thought that Lord Sugar may have had something to say about the producers choosing to add a false candidate.

Interestingly, Lauren from a few series ago said that you "shouldn't judge the candidates too harshly" based on what they say in their introductions, and that it's just a facade to get onto the show in the first place. Make of that what you will, but it comes across to me that they're choosing people with vague business backgrounds who will talk themselves up well and rub others up the wrong way. They probably put in a few proper business people to the mix, but even they have to make themselves stand out, and if they don't, they're booted out for being too quiet.

As much as I like the show, it really is becoming more about the entertainment factor than the business factor.

Don't think he'd last five minutes in IT with that attitude. As soon as he started telling his clients to do what he told them, rather than listening to what they needed, he'd be out on his ear. He might cut it as the boss of his own firm but surely not as a sole trader.

And if they are - so what ?

I don't know about plants, there's certainly a couple of vegetables

I suppose the reason why there's so many media consultants, web designers, IT bods and posh boys who sell sausages to other posh boys at festivals, is that any genuinely good business person probably can't commit to weeks on a TV show.

I doubt that they're 'plants'. Just f*cking idiots.

On the plus side, they nearly all turn out to be quite likeable and pleasant when it's their turn to be on 'You're fired' which does tend to suggest some of the antics during tasks is more about getting noticed (because one of the things Karren, Claude, and Shuggs are hot on is people who are 'invisible').

The lot of them?

Can anyone honestly imagine spending all day in an office with those people, expecially as they could pick a fight when locked in a room alone.

I often get the impression previous colleagues filled out their application and spent weeks convincing the candidate to apply just to get them out of their lives.

It does seem that there are probably a number of plants/candidates who have absolutely no chance whatsoever of winning but have been selected just for entertainment value. If that is the case, with this being a competition to win 250k investment, isn't that kind of wrong?

Not really because the show is about Sugar - it is his show and, more to the point, his money.

So he can do what he wants.

He can choose any of the candidates. But the BBC want candidates who make good telly.

But there are occasions when some people clearly have no chance.

A couple of years back he dismissed someone after the interview round on the grounds the candidate had a business partner (brother I think) and said it was only for one person. That being the case, why let the bloke waste 12 weeks of his life if he was NEVER going to win?

I agree - and I am sure Sugar does also for the same reason.

But if there was any issue and Sugar said he was going to another station you know how would win.

I am a big fan of the BBC - both TV and Radio - but big as they are they could not afford to lose this programme.

They're all a bit Yucca.

Of course they could afford to lose The Apprentice! The BBC has just lost the GBBO which is an even bigger programme than The Apprentice has ever been. The GBBO is made by an independent production company and the BBC lost it to C4. If the BBC can survive losing the GBBO, one of their biggest ever progs (dunno which is - it's either Strictly or GBBO) then they would easily survive losing The Apprentice and Alan Sugar. The Apprentice just doesn't have the allure it used to have, that's why it was rehashed. So if it was cancelled it wouldn't be much of a surprise.

Despite it not being as you say his show and he can do what he wants. He can't.