I thought Kristina should win from the moment she fried the sausages!!

Nothing beats common sense.

It's interesting to read Naomi's blog on the last task she was involved in - the TV selling - and her comments about Simon and what he is like to work with.
http://www.naomilay.com/

SAS took a lot of flak for choosing Michelle last time and there is no way he's going to choose another blonde this time round.

Im 99.9% sure Simon wins it.

errrm.. Kristina isn't a real blonde you know..

About as much use as a Lighthouse in a desert -

Bright but f***ing useless

LMAO. Exactly!

Good point. Saira now has a career in the media, and she is a regular in the Guardian, she would not have gained that without The Apprentice. No idea what Tim is doing.
The Badger or Bust is on Sky and she gets PAs, higher profile than Michelle these days.

Simon has been a pr@t through the series, if he wins I doubt I will bother next time, but if Kristina gets a good job out of being second, I may reconsider.

I think Kristina will win but not because she is the most talented.

With Tim and then Michelle, Sir Alan didn't choose (IMO anyway) necessarily the better finalist but the one who had overcome the most disadvantage to get where they were in the business world. Sir Alan began life in a council flat and I think he chooses winners who have made something of their lives without having the benfit of a university education, well connected parents, money etc. Ultimately he likes grafters moulded in his image.

I think Simon has had too much of a priviliged upbringing for Sir Alan's liking whereas Kristina - single mother at 18?

Though after the Michelle "fiasco" of last year he may think differently this time.

Krsitina should win - but look at the last two series... Ruth should have won two and Saira should have won the first. Doesnt bode well

Ok, Simon was awful on the home shopping channel challenge but I think that was a one off. He survived it because he's normally very good. I really don't understand why people don't like him! He gets the job done but he can have a laugh at the same time. Nothing wrong with that!

That said, I think Kristina deserves to win!

Whit?!! Even if Simon somehow does win, I'd like to credit SAS with more sense. In fact, that is an insult to SAS and Kristina.

For me, Kristina is the clear winner, and I believed from the start that she really deserved to win the position of The Apprentice. However, the winners in most of these Reality TV shows do well for a couple of months, then fade into obscurity. It's the runner ups that have generally done well.

I know the series was filmed last year, but was the FINAL actually filmed then or more recently? Has the winner been sitting around for months waiting for the Final to be aired. Does anyone know?

He always seems to go for the younger candidate, and the one who will be easier to mould.

Kristina has a lot of common sense and can work well, but she's a strong willed female - something that Sir Alan has always seemed to go against. i.e Saira and The Badger.

Simon has all the traits needed to be a good employee for Sir Alan, as well as creases that need ironing out. He is more of an "Apprentice" than Kristina would be in that he has all the aspects needed to work well, yet needs the guidance to turn himself into a fully rounded businessman.

Simon has performed well in all the places that have a direct bearing on the job. I mean the guy managed to sell a massively overpriced painting to a guy with more money than sense, but couldn't sell on a digital tv shopping channel - yet behind the scenes he was able to pick decent enough products from what they had.

The chances of Sir Alan wanting his employees to work unaided on Ideal World is pretty low - but he's going to need them to have an eye for products, and be able to sell face to face.

Sir Alan screwed up last year with his choice of winner. He won't make the same mistake again. Why Simon is still there is a mystery to me and Kristina will have to have a total disaster in the final tak to throw it away.

Not sure if this applies this year. When SAS sacked Jadine, he said that he wasn't looking for someone to develop 'at this point in my business career' (this in response to Jadine's point that she wanted to learn from SAS as his apprentice).

Kristina fits this profile better. Ther job is hers to lose I think.

regards,
Paul

I think SA will be looking very closely at the personal qualities of the candidates and their level of commitment this year. If this years choice has come and gone from Amstrad by the time the next series starts, as with Michelle Dewbury, it will punch a hole both in the credibility of the show (assuming it has any) and in SA's own reputation as a judge of character (assuming he has one).

The worst scenario for the show would be for Simon to get the job and be presenting holiday slots on GMTV by the time the next series rolls around.

Kristina definitely has a better business brain than Simon, and I think she has more drive for it too. Simon is incredibly intelligent but would not suit Sir Alan's style of business. Although, having said that, I do think Simon has a certainly personality about him that Kristina lacks. I don't really mind who wins as I think they are both committed to the cause and should do a good job for Sir Alan.

Thanks for answering Good to know that you don't need to win to have a good career afterwards anyway. Because I have a horrible feeling Simon will win. I think SAS has given him far too many chances so clearly he probably wants him to win if he's brought him this far.

Simon might do well also though without winning... he could make a good entrepreneur, he's willing to take risks etc... but I don't think he should win.

After Michelle was chosen there were a lot of sneering articles in the broadsheets mocking SAS for being taken in by beauty over brains. You may think SAS doesnt give two hoots but he is a very shrewd operator and he doesnt want to sully his brand.

So I believe any female stands no chance whatsoever ths time round and i'll wager anything that Simon wins it!

So all blonde women are to be judged on the actions of a silly girl who blew her chances?

Kristina isn't the typical good looking twenty something that got SAS the flak last time. And oh....Ruth was far superior to Michelle in her business acumen and skills and that's the reason he got the sneering remarks because all through the show , Ruth was far better than Michelle. Kristina isn't weaker than Simon so that ideology is flawed.

See above!

Yes , and as I said , the beauty over brains statment doesn't apply as Kristina is clearly business wise superior to Simon when Michelle wasn't over Ruth.

There have already been allegations of sexist behaviour in the interviews so surely to reject a woman even though she's better just because she's blonde would emphasise that further and "sully his brand" more?

Ive also watched the whole serris and feel Kristina is the more suitable candidate for the job