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The Apprentice final - my thoughts


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Old 19-12-2016, 10:53
Salcy
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The show remains entertaining, but the format is now illogical seeing as it's for a project rather than a person. Imagine if, say, a young Dyson entered with his prototype vacuum, and he gets bombed out in the second week for having a bad day selling sausages. Makes no sense if you're aiming to invest in the best business plan. It's left to Sugar to either decide at the start which plan is the most viable and protect that applicant throughout the process, or sit back helpless as some of the best projects disappear because of the individual tasks. If this year's group really failed to consist of better plans than a naff novelty gift business and an unoriginal cake brand, then it's a pretty dire group.
Agree. And I thought he would have got more value out of Grainne. He could have just tweaked her business plan to just one part and it would have been fine. I don't think LS is as bothered about making massive money out of these businesses any more. He just quite likes doing the show, and he can invest in sole traders to make them a bit bigger and hopefully turn a bit of a profit. Alana is never going to be massive, because her whole business is based on locally made, handmade cakes.
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Old 19-12-2016, 10:56
owenmahamilton
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Did anyone else think it was a bit strange that someone arranged for Courtney to have some pitch coaching? I guess they wanted to make the final a bit more of a level playing field otherwise Alana would have won it easily. To me it seemed a bit unfair that he was given help from an outside source.
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Old 19-12-2016, 11:01
lammtarra
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The show remains entertaining, but the format is now illogical seeing as it's for a project rather than a person. Imagine if, say, a young Dyson entered with his prototype vacuum, and he gets bombed out in the second week for having a bad day selling sausages. Makes no sense if you're aiming to invest in the best business plan. It's left to Sugar to either decide at the start which plan is the most viable and protect that applicant throughout the process, or sit back helpless as some of the best projects disappear because of the individual tasks. If this year's group really failed to consist of better plans than a naff novelty gift business and an unoriginal cake brand, then it's a pretty dire group.
That's the point. Lord Sugar is not looking to invest in the best business plan. What he wants is the best combination of business plan and person who can actually deliver it.

Having said that, I do wonder if some years he gets to the final and then wishes he could take another look at that woman he fired in week two.

As you say, the businesses themselves are unremarkable for the most part. There is nothing innovative about any of the winners, with the possible exception of Tom. If Lord Sugar just wanted to enter the plumbing game or the cake business, he could simply buy into an established operator without this 12-week rigmarole. It's the people that make the difference. and by and large, the tasks do test real business skills, albeit under artificial time constraints.
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Old 19-12-2016, 11:17
lammtarra
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Never stopped Alan Sugar!!!
I know it's a joke but it is a common prejudice that Amstrad sold tat. It didn't. What it sold was cheap, integrated versions of high street technology. It meant the metaphorical "truck driver and his wife" could actually afford hifi or computers and then plug them in without a degree in electronics.

Was Amstrad's system as good as the more expensive versions? Probably not, but if you can't buy the top quality kit in the first place, the point is moot.
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Old 19-12-2016, 11:18
Paul Wilson
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Courtney's pitch was very good which was nice to see. The 'journey' thing I suppose as he was so hilariously useless at it originally.
Frances merely confirmed my view that she is very unpleasant. She took great delight in Alana changing the labelling, and it seemed at every opportunity she could, decided to throw it down Rebecca's throat.
Overall a nice enough winner, but it's a shame that the two of them started running down their opponents idea's at the end of the business. Having said that it seems like that's what this show rewards.
Oh and 'You can smile in here Paul they don't charge you' was the funniest moment of the series....
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Old 19-12-2016, 11:21
lammtarra
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Did anyone else think it was a bit strange that someone arranged for Courtney to have some pitch coaching? I guess they wanted to make the final a bit more of a level playing field otherwise Alana would have won it easily. To me it seemed a bit unfair that he was given help from an outside source.
Not really. It is realistic that someone should seek to correct a deficit, and probably the BBC did a valuable service by showing that such coaching exists. Taskwise, it is swings and roundabouts because while Courtney was being trained, he could not do anything else (and nor could Karthik who went along for the ride because there can only be two subteams).
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Old 19-12-2016, 11:27
Zarla
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I was waiting for Courtney to dry up but he pitched really well.
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Old 19-12-2016, 12:01
Mr_X_123
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Frances' business might have legs, and expansion is obvious since there must be other towns that have children in need of clothes

Frances' problem was hiding the two failed shops rather than being open and showing she understood why they'd failed and had learned from the experience. She compounded that with her handbag statement which at best says she is careless and at worst that she is careless about paying tax. Then Claude was unimpressed with her business plan -- commenting that Frances was missing her former partner who'd handled the numbers, and complaining of missing pages.

It is hard to avoid the suspicion that Frances was in it for fame rather than business, but in any case, she needed someone to run the accounts side.
Nah. All that is overlooked if her plan was likely to yield a big return. How many shops would she be able to open for £250K and how much would that increase her profits?

If she became a national retail chain then sure, he might see his money back, but that would cost a lot more than £250K. She didn't have a business that £250K could improve enough to make a return. That is the bottom line. Not her fault really, just the nature of the game.
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Old 19-12-2016, 12:09
Cats_Eyes
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Yeah I think Alana actually picked a team that genuinely wanted her to win, so I was pleased that worked out!

I think Courtney mucked that up royally the minute he picked Sofiane though, who really did not seem to give the slightest care in the world about anyone but him.
I have to say that when Alana picked Frances I feared the worst because I thought there might have been a few sour grapes but it soon became evident that Frances really wanted Alana to win and she was a big help to her so fair play to her.

All her team wanted her to win ( Rebecca was not much cop but she did try ) so Alana chose will and personally I am over the moon that she made it.
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Old 19-12-2016, 12:29
The Rhydler
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Oliver's a nice guy isn't he, a gentle soul, all episode he couldn't get a word in edgeways, but his bold decisions, against what his PM asked for, were key to the professionalism of the product and went a long way to her victory.

He was so pleased when Sugar praised him.
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Old 19-12-2016, 12:39
Mr_X_123
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Courtney's pitch was very good which was nice to see. The 'journey' thing I suppose as he was so hilariously useless at it originally.
Frances merely confirmed my view that she is very unpleasant. She took great delight in Alana changing the labelling, and it seemed at every opportunity she could, decided to throw it down Rebecca's throat.
Overall a nice enough winner, but it's a shame that the two of them started running down their opponents idea's at the end of the business. Having said that it seems like that's what this show rewards.
Oh and 'You can smile in here Paul they don't charge you' was the funniest moment of the series....
Oh come on. Frances took great delight in winding up a walking ego. That doesn't make her "very unpleasant". Some people need to get real. It is a show about running businesses, not about living together and all getting along.

And ultimately Frances was right. Rebecca's headstrong views were derailing Alana and only Oliver's intervention (possibly instigated by Grainne and Frances' warning) saved the day. Rebecca was a typical marketing person. Read a lot of textbooks and has very strong opinions but often can't understand how to translate things into reality. She was quite rude and deserved the ribbing she received.
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Old 19-12-2016, 12:46
lammtarra
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I have to say that when Alana picked Frances I feared the worst because I thought there might have been a few sour grapes but it soon became evident that Frances really wanted Alana to win and she was a big help to her so fair play to her.

All her team wanted her to win ( Rebecca was not much cop but she did try ) so Alana chose will and personally I am over the moon that she made it.
To be fair to Rebecca, it was she who picked the Ridiculously Rich name based on Alana's throwaway description of the cakes, and argued for it as combining quality and luxury.
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Old 19-12-2016, 12:54
Mr_X_123
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To be fair to Rebecca, it was she who picked the Ridiculously Rich name based on Alana's throwaway description of the cakes, and argued for it as combining quality and luxury.
Yes Rebecca picked the worst idea going and stubbornly forced everyone to go with it.

The thing might have worked if the business was actually about ridiculous rich quality cakes with superb ingredients...but it isn't.
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Old 19-12-2016, 14:30
tle041
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Plus having the word Rich in the name would probably eliminate nearly all consumers who are health/weight-conscious. She should be going with something that points to the high-quality homemade, small-scale, boutique nature of the business that will go with the made in Wales tagline instead of the overindulgent/very rare splurge route.
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Old 19-12-2016, 14:52
nattoyaki
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Did anyone else think it was a bit strange that someone arranged for Courtney to have some pitch coaching? I guess they wanted to make the final a bit more of a level playing field otherwise Alana would have won it easily. To me it seemed a bit unfair that he was given help from an outside source.
Karren also saved his video by pointing out it was online not phone ordering. Makes me wonder a bit.

...
Overall a nice enough winner, but it's a shame that the two of them started running down their opponents idea's at the end of the business. Having said that it seems like that's what this show rewards.
...
Indeed.

Plus having the word Rich in the name would probably eliminate nearly all consumers who are health/weight-conscious. She should be going with something that points to the high-quality homemade, small-scale, boutique nature of the business that will go with the made in Wales tagline instead of the overindulgent/very rare splurge route.
But that's the very nature of the product.
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Old 19-12-2016, 15:14
meglosmurmurs
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This series was probably the most likeable group of candidates in a long time. There wasn't really anyone I disliked as they displayed a lot of very human qualities and flaws. Infact it felt like each candidate could have been a different personality trait of the same person.

I was almost certain Alana was going to win, not so much because of her edit but because of Courtney's. One common theme in the show is that they like to make it clear why the losing finalist doesn't win and Courtney's had negativity sent his way when the show could have glossed over it, especially when they recap the previous week's task.
However, it was exciting to have that little bit of doubt at the end as the edit worked hard to give Courtney a redemption. It was nice that they let Courtney end the process on a high. I even saw on twitter that both Team Alana and Team Courtney were trending. I think Courtney has more fans now than he has had at any point during the process.

The awards on You're Hired were a bit silly but I appreciate that they are a great way to give other candidates the spotlight in quick succession and then move along to the next bit without the show plodding too much. Was worth it just to see the shoulder to the face hug between Paul and Oliver, it perfectly sums up their characters in that moment.
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Old 19-12-2016, 16:00
Nobbyspiles
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Both the finalist's businesses seemed a bit small scale, perhaps I'm being a bit of a cynic but I wonder with the BBC "losing " bake off to channel 4 they see some mileage in Alanna's baking business becoming some sort of replacement ?

Mary Berry isn't getting any younger, so there's going to be an opening in the fairly near future.
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Old 19-12-2016, 16:23
SULLA
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Did anyone else think it was a bit strange that someone arranged for Courtney to have some pitch coaching? I guess they wanted to make the final a bit more of a level playing field otherwise Alana would have won it easily. To me it seemed a bit unfair that he was given help from an outside source.
The pitching was irrelevant, It was just filler.
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Old 19-12-2016, 17:19
djfunnyman
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Delighted Alana won but Courtney was much improved. His pitch was good and deserved to be in the final
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Old 19-12-2016, 17:38
gemma-the-husky
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I was bored with the whole series. However I thought the final was a much better idea than a random "design a festival" experience. I thought he could have picked either one at the end. Both equally good.
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Old 19-12-2016, 18:45
Cats_Eyes
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Plus having the word Rich in the name would probably eliminate nearly all consumers who are health/weight-conscious. She should be going with something that points to the high-quality homemade, small-scale, boutique nature of the business that will go with the made in Wales tagline instead of the overindulgent/very rare splurge route.
No it wouldn't - the people who are "health /weight- conscious" would be the first to eat them.

Fact !
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Old 19-12-2016, 19:01
Cats_Eyes
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Not really. It is realistic that someone should seek to correct a deficit, and probably the BBC did a valuable service by showing that such coaching exists. Taskwise, it is swings and roundabouts because while Courtney was being trained, he could not do anything else (and nor could Karthik who went along for the ride because there can only be two subteams).
Not in a final it's not because it gave unfair advantage imo.

Alana was worried about pitching but got no help.
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Old 19-12-2016, 20:27
nattoyaki
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Not in a final it's not because it gave unfair advantage imo.

Alana was worried about pitching but got no help.
I'm not sure about that (partly what I was wondering in my post above, perhap s hinting too subtly).

There is always this nonsense at the interviews about how 'if you think that was tough just wait until the final' whereas they are actually largely successful and suddenly praised at the end to high heaven (e.g. Claude saying Courtney was the star of all of all the tasks on 'You're Hired' - was it his doppleganger on the watersports task then? ).

I have little doubt that both candidates receive just as much guidance for the final so that it's not a disaster. In fact I wouldn't put it past the BBC to film multiple takes until they get it right, with two complete edits in the bag until Lord Willy Wonka has made his mind up. We just saw Courtney helped along because he lost imho.
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Old 19-12-2016, 20:41
Chris1964
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I was bored with the whole series. However I thought the final was a much better idea than a random "design a festival" experience. I thought he could have picked either one at the end. Both equally good.
I thought the first half of the series was pretty lacklustre but from episode 8 especially I thought it picked up and was something nearer what it was at its best.

Happy with Alana's win. She seems pretty grounded and I hope that she goes on to make a real success of her business.
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Old 19-12-2016, 20:48
Puddin
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So pleased or Alana. Although I couldn't stop shouting at the TV when they were thinking of brand names... Surely Sugar & Spence was the obvious choice?!?!
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