SUGAR AIN'T SWEET
"Previewers are not supposed to tell you who is fired at the end of each show, so let's just say that this week the challenge is to set up photography studios in a shopping centre, both groups do badly and when it comes to the crunch in the boardroom, Sir Alan makes what is his most monumentally unfair decision yet."

Deary me. I expect we'll all be drowning in our own froth after this week's show if this preview is anything to go by.

Sadly I'm going to predict that Simon gets the chop this week after his team loses. I reckon Sir Alan will save a couple of blatantly rubbish contestants and fire Simon "because he asked for responsibility". This will anger me! I might even do the cliché "I'm switching off!" hissy fit. Citing.

Who do you think's out this week?

I already had written elsewhere that I think Simon could be in serious trouble this week. He comes into conflict with both Alex and Sara and seems to unravel as the task progesses. We are also only seeing what the editors want us to see and they could be showing Simon in a favourable light up to now for a reason.
Remember that Nick has already stated in the Sunday Mirror that Alex is no fool. I have a feeling that Alex is going to be the main topic of conversation on this board after Wednesday.

That doesn't sound good...

*prepares for forum meltdown on Wednesday evening*

I have a feeling that Alex is the one that should go on Wednesday but Sir Alan chooses either Sara or Simon to go instead

Nooooo, not Simon please can the Krycek Kiss of Doom for show/sport etc contestant/teams that I like for once not kick in this soon

Damn, I'm out this Wednesday so will have to trawl through a mountain of threads if this is true.

This is my first ever spoiler so I really hope I manage to disguise it!

I saw some one else on here suggest a completely different group of people in the boardroom this week. They give the impression there would be some serious beret related action.

PS I don't see Simon going - he would have to do something outrageous (e.g. sweat at Margaret) to get fired at this stage. Its about time Lindi (with her 24 hour undie hotline) and Michael went IMHO.

Lindi going wouldn't be thought of as an "unfair decision" by reviewers IMO.

Oh no, I had him down to be there at the very end

I think Lucinda will be fired this week.

I think we all could be looking at this incorrectly as the telling line is "Sir Alan makes what is his most monumentally unfair decision yet." This could mean anything, and if it's going to be judged as unfair as the Sazia sacking then it will probably be the person who we the viewer see performing exceptionally well in the task but, will be badly let down by Nick/Margaret when it comes to advising SAS as to what really happened, or we see Nick/Margaret championing the "victim" and SAS stubbornly going against their advice.

If it is .

I don't think the "unfairness" refers to the "quality" of the fired candidate,but could simply refer to the reason for their firing. He could fire someone as useless as Lindi for a petty reason when someone else in the boardroom gave an even more useless performance in the task.

But this is just me being an optimist, I guess. I think it's lovely Simon on the way out this Wednesday.

I was just about to post the Sunday Times "Spoiler" lol

You're all looking at this from the wrong angle.
It's clearly going to be who gets the axe. He's going to bring (they are at each other's throats). Therefore it's unfair as SA

Just my opinion but I would definitely consider it. It looks likely
(On Weds night we can all look back at this thread and see who was correct haha!)

Oh. I'm not really that bothered if this just happens to be the case.

I don't think s/he's really done much to warrant getting any further, though it does sound like a certain other someone is only being kept in because s/he seems to be able to piss everyone off and making amusing TV. Oh well.

I suspect Simon goes too. Alex is rather ....let's say, troublesome, in the task...

I hope it is not Simon!!! I always find it soo annoying when talented contestants are fired before the obvious dross. This year it is clear that Kevin, red-head Jenny, Michael, Lindi are not that great and they should be the next to get fired. It really irked me in previous years when the Raj, Ghazel, Syed, Tre avoided being fired either because they were lucky enough to be on the winning team/not in the boardroom or they did soo little that they couldnt be held accountable to anything.

Simon is one of my favourites.

I want to know how would it be unfair if the 'talented' Simon is voted off before other 'useless' candidates? Here is how I see it. We should not confuse hard working with talent. I think Sir Alan in his 'pep talk' with Simon in the board room last week tried to draw to his attention to what makes a good apprentice in his organisation.

So I am not prepared to romanticise any of my favourites at the expense of ignoring the cracks as they appear.

Who knows if it will be Simon-it could be some other 'useless' performer.

Babeth

I thought Tre was pretty good!

Tre was excellent.

I am dying to know who goes this coming week. I also read the Sunday Times preview - but that could mean anything. It could just mean that out of the three picked to come back into the boardroom, Sir Alan picks the wrong one in the opinion of the reviewer.

I too hope it isn't Simon - I don't know why so many of us are thinking it might be. No reason really, he has delivered so far and even if a person is the project manager of the losing team it doesn't mean they go. I have a feeling he will be project manager though, he wants to be.

But surely all we know is that in the opinion of the journalist who has seen the episode the sacking was unfair? So, whoever it is, it seems a bit harsh to assume that they deserve it, particularly as Sir A, much as I love him, has made loads of terrrible decisions throughout the series. I hope if it is Simon that it is undeserved, if you see what I mean, as I have taken to him so far and I wouldn't like to see him make a fool of himself on TV (though I know they've all put themselves up for this).

But we are only seeing what the editing team and producers allow us to see. So far they have given a very positive edit of Simon which would make his sacking so early in the series all the more shocking. Maybe this reviewer felt that Simon was one of the favourites and should not have gone. Then again it still might not be him. Something must happen in the episode that would lead the critic to think it was an unfair decision. The Radio Times critic does state that there are some serious rifts that develop in both groups in this episode and that someone finally snaps.

And the poster above who has since met Simon and Simon mentioned he was voted off "early" - well, week 4 is early.

From Margaret's interview on the candidates it seems that Helene, Lucinda Alex and Raef go quite far.

its a matter of necessary conditions though. An apprentice ought to be able to work hard, be reasonably competent and reliable and be able to manage normal people. Business skill, marketing imagination and really good ideas are what sorts out the people with those basics. In this show very few people have the basics and Simon is one of those. There's also not many people showing they have the add on virtues. Sara perhaps but she doesn't get good reviews from Nick and Margaret, Alex but he didn't impress SAS in episode 1.

Removing people who at least tick some boxes is premature when you have many who tick none.

The Kendra (US series 3) strategy makes most sense. Avoid leading early on as the most annoying and incompetent people are still around and will foul tasks up. Make intelligent suggestions that make your team win and you get noticed. Win one as PM around half way through. Win one near the end and convincingly beat the other finalist doing it and then ace the final task.