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The Apprentice discussion thread >>>9.00pm, 4th April, BBC1


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Old 05-04-2007, 13:22
planetnokia
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Rory's mistake was in actually trying to put into practice what he had read in "The Fools Guide to Project Management".
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Old 05-04-2007, 14:21
williams96
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Originally Posted by The Prumeister
That's all well and good but this is a competition and if it was an athletics contest and he'd stood there saying 'I can't be bothered' he would have been disqualified.
And? I never said he shouldn't have gone, I was saying he wasn't 'playing a card' but was being honest. I think that point has been lost somewhere.
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Old 05-04-2007, 14:59
oulandy
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Originally Posted by The Prumeister
How on earth was someone like Rory selected for the show? He was insufferably pathetic, had no leadership skills, no people skills and seemed as thick as a plank. His style veered between unnecessarily autocratic and bumbling incompetent.

I did feel a twinge of sympathy at the end - fleetingly - but I'm seriously questioning the selection process for this programme. Is this really la creme de la creme of British business :confused:
You are right about Rory: he had no idea how to work with people and his brain seemed to work only intermittently, like a lightbulb flickering on and off. I did wonder how he got selected, but he is not the only one of whom I have wondered that: last week Tre and Jadine instantly marked themselves out as people who could not be the apprentice.

This week there was an even more stark example: Ifti. If you look at his pronouncements about himself in contrast with the sorry reality - a man who could not even awake himself sufficiently to start a marathon let alone finish it, how on earth did he ever get selected? Talk about Walter Mitty! And by the time of the boardroom he'd turned into Walter Mitty with catatonia. Stll, he revived sufficiently by the time of his departure to exit with the immortal cry 'A billionaire by fifty'. Yes, of course, Walter!

When you read Sugar's pronouncements about the calibre of last year's contestants and his determination to select better quality this year, his embarrassment at the fiasco of this year's bunch of dim fantastists can only be imagined - that's if he genuinely has any remaining capacity for embarrassment. It's hard to know whether to laugh or cry.

Sugar reminds me of a Big Brother contestant: think Sam, for example. Everything he says is something that you just know is about to be comprehensively overturned. The same is true of the contestants, most of whom it seems to me, especially on the male side this year, speak the most deluded drivel that I have ever heard - think Ifti, think Andy or add in your own preferred example. There is a vulgar word for it beginning with 'B' and Sugar is the example-in-chief of how to spout it. If he doesn't resign after this sorry spectacle, he has not a shred of credibilty left in his claims that this is a business programme rather than a reality TV show.

It has become clear over all three series that the criteria for selection have had little enough to do with ability or business and the programme has demonstrated an inability to deliver the right result even when, despite its best efforts, it does accidentally stumble across ability. It's a programme with an agenda and it is certainly entertaining in a grim kind of way, although it is beginning to repeat itself with its selection of stock characters and types.
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Old 05-04-2007, 15:29
NightHawk123
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This week's episode wasn't great with only a few stand out candidates all for different reasons.

Katie did really well as project manager IMO. Her leading of the group and presentations were very good.

Has anyone noticed how few business minded candidates there are this season? Very few people have stood out as having a a sound business mind and it seems like they chose the people out of making good TV rather than making a good business programme.

Rory deserved to go. His choosing of the strap was ludicrous. To him the strap looked better to sell than a blanket but the concept behind the idea was just plain stupid as very few people would dare to walk around wearing it! His managerial style was also a little strange as he was acting more like a teacher leading kids rather than adults.

Tre is very argumentative and finds it very hard to work with other people. Saying that, he does talk alot of sense even if it doesn't come out right. Hopefully he would take SirAlan's comments on board but judging by next week's clip, it doesn't seem like he is! He also should have shook Rory's hand instead of walking straight out as he came across as very arrogant and unprofessional. However, he does make good TV and if he wasn't there, The Apprentice would certainly be boring so far.

Jadine's still bleating on about the Eclipse brand but some comments made by her were right.

Simon had a good idea with the blanket and why he backtracked about it in the boardroom only he will know.

Ghazal seems like she is only there for her looks. It was uncomfortable viewing watching her freeze while giving the presentation!

Last edited by NightHawk123 : 05-04-2007 at 15:33.
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Old 05-04-2007, 16:08
Cyrilg
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Originally Posted by Miss Poppy
don't agree. I think he'd be a rotten salesman. Too aggressive and pushy. He'd alienate the buyer, wouldn't let them get a word in and would probably swear at them and insult them if they rubbished his product.

I agree - I'm always surprised when people say that pushy, aggressive people are 'good at sales' - my instinct when dealing with a sales person like that is to hang onto my purse and make a dash for it.

But maybe I'm in the minority, and a lot of people do get browbeaten into buying cars/sofas/saucepans or whatever that aren't right for them, because of pushy salespeople.

I don't see myself as particularly shrewd or good with money, incidentally(I wish!) - it's just that pushy sales tactics do have the reverse effect. I wouldn't buy anything from Tre!
When I say a good salesman I mean he would be effective. I bet he could sell better than Rory or Ifti. He has that cut-throat instinct - and a lack of scruples. He is the kind of bloke who would do well in a commission-based job. I agree that to me he would be too pushy and aggressive. But I think he would do a very good job with others - he did well selling his coffees.
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Old 05-04-2007, 17:01
The Prumeister
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Originally Posted by williams96
And? I never said he shouldn't have gone, I was saying he wasn't 'playing a card' but was being honest. I think that point has been lost somewhere.

Your original point:

An opportunity of a lifetime still doesn't mean you won't get home sick just as quick. Some people are climbing up the walls with just 24 hours away from their children.

This seems to me to be excusing him 'resigning' from a competition.
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Old 05-04-2007, 18:16
williams96
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Originally Posted by The Prumeister
Your original point:

An opportunity of a lifetime still doesn't mean you won't get home sick just as quick. Some people are climbing up the walls with just 24 hours away from their children.

This seems to me to be excusing him 'resigning' from a competition.
Incorrect:

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s...&postcount=395

There you go.
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Old 05-04-2007, 19:23
The Prumeister
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Originally Posted by williams96


I apologise - I missed that post.
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Old 05-04-2007, 19:35
pammi_i
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I'm sorry, but the "missing the kids" thing sounds awfully wimpish for someone who is aiming to be a high flyer. It's close to "missing my mum" in my books. If he'd said "my kids are missing me and can't stand me being away", then fair enough (although kids are remarkably resiliant and would almost certainly be able to stand a bedtime story read by mum for a few weeks!), but he said it like it was his problem. If he can't even manage that then he had no business being on the show. What if he had to go away on business? Tut.

Last edited by pammi_i : 05-04-2007 at 19:36.
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Old 05-04-2007, 20:01
Jamie181
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I'm sure the kids were just a convenient excuse though. Probably more to do with feeling out of his depth, not being able to handle the pressure... etc Must be strange being locked up in a house with all those type-A personalities and having your every move be filmed. If he said that, I could understand.

It's just to say "I miss my kids" after about three or four days, and to act like he was leaving for their sakes... It all just sounds a little hokey to me.
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Old 05-04-2007, 20:55
Esensuelle
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Originally Posted by Jamie181
I'm sure the kids were just a convenient excuse though. Probably more to do with feeling out of his depth, not being able to handle the pressure... etc Must be strange being locked up in a house with all those type-A personalities and having your every move be filmed. If he said that, I could understand.

It's just to say "I miss my kids" after about three or four days, and to act like he was leaving for their sakes... It all just sounds a little hokey to me.

I think you're spot on, I think this 'missing his kids' line was a bit of a cop out, of course that's only my opinion, but how do we know that he was being completely truthfull about missing his kids? Perhaps it was more to do with the fact that he realised that he was out of his depth.
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Old 05-04-2007, 21:54
foxyred
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Originally Posted by rosieeee
Yes he does remind me of Sayed - although Sayed seems like an angel in comparison.
Sayed's only saving grace was that he was quite good looking. Tre for me has no redeeming features at all
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Old 05-04-2007, 22:09
williams96
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Originally Posted by The Prumeister
I apologise - I missed that post.
No problem.
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Old 05-04-2007, 23:26
Tissy
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This is worse than last year for getting to know all the contestants.
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Old 06-04-2007, 11:51
S.T.A.R.S
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just been wondering this but what phones are they using on the apprentice is it the iphone?
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Old 06-04-2007, 11:59
jazz_joe
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Hey i was wondering, did anyone else see the preview of the 3rd episode? With Natalie being groped by an old man? It is clear that if the girls team loses, shes a GONNER
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Old 06-04-2007, 17:40
Lula Mae
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Just seen the showdown which I had taped. And I've got a bit of a soft spot for Rory now If only he hadn't been such a plank when managing them this week... And of course he would still be there if he hadn't been manager. It seems the thing to do is to avoid that role, at least for the first few weeks.
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Old 06-04-2007, 20:09
planetnokia
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Originally Posted by S.T.A.R.S
just been wondering this but what phones are they using on the apprentice is it the iphone?
I'm guessing...but I thought they might be using a Blackberry.
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Old 06-04-2007, 21:44
tonystamp
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Rory was a totally arrogant prat and he said Tre had an attitiude problem? He was so false and painful to watch and I was so glad he was fired! I'ts not surprising he's bankrupt really! And when he said to them when he was talking to take their blazers/jackets off. that was ridiculous
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