There are clearly deluded candidates selected purely for entertainment value, just as X-Factor shows auditions of completely untalented people who are actually selected for a TV audition because they are so bad. But I don't think they are "plants" as such. "Plant" implies some kind of fix, with the plant fully aware of their role in the show.

As for Karthik, he's clearly there as an arrogant character to stir things up. But he also appears to have good business skills behind his loud exterior. I think he could do well when he calms down.

That's an insults to Yucca's, which at least contribute something to the world with oxygen and looking decorative.

And they make surprisingly good Christmas trees.

That's got nothing to do with nothing really - the candidates who took part in the first series had never watched it either - primarily because there was no previous sseries to watch...


Or give up their actual job to appear...

The BBC have lost many programmes and none by choice because unfortunately they are not able to compete as all their revenue is only through the licence and other channels make better bids - and that pains me because the BBC has always been, and still, is my preferred channel.

So, they can ill-afford to lose another - such as The Apprentice - because although I agree it is not what it was it still does very well.

Sugar can do what he wants because if he goes elsewhere there nothing the BBC can do about it.

I like many of your posts and agree with any of them but on this point we will have to agree to differ.

Anyone who wishes to go any TV programme should prepare by watching as much of it as possible. There are too many wannabees now who simply want to be on TV, whatever show it is. That's why you see the same losers on more than one show...

In all honesty, I don't think any of the contestants are plants. They are all told to ham it up to the max in their entry VTs, plus the show (especially in the early days) seems to prefer to show the bad things the candidates do instead of anything good. This makes it seem like some of them are a lot more incompetent than they actually are.

True. I saw 'sausage man' on Dinner Date once! He doesn't strike me as your typical wannabe, but there you go.