Apprentice wanted: Back Stabbers Only (The Apprentice)

Member Name: HS28

Product:	The Apprentice
Date:	08/04/09 (440 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fantastic enetertaining show with a great format

Disadvantages: Some irritating candidates you will want to fire

**The Apprentice on BBC1**

Well heres my ten pennies worth about the UK Apprentice.

Well we are off again onto season 5 of the brilliant TV programme the Apprentice. Sir Alan is back as arrogant and miserable as ever trying to seek out that elusive diamond in the rough to join his global empire as his latest apprentice. Although we are on show number 5 the format doesn't disappoint.


**What is the show about?**

The UK apprentice is based on the US version which has Donald Trump as the super rich businessmen seeking to employ an apprentice in his empire. In the UK version Alan Sugar famous for Amstrad among other things is the rags to riches businessman who each year seeks an apprentice to work for him.

There are 16 applicants who make it to the show but the show attracts thousands of applicants which are cut down to 16 for the show. (although 15 this year as one scaredy cat dropped out before the show began) These people are vying for a job and really it's a gruelling 12week interview process. In the main it is a competition that lasts 12 weeks and each week a candidate is fired until you are left with the chosen one for the job. The price of course is a job with Sir 'Miserable' and a 6 figure salary too.

Each week there are two teams who are set challenges and the name of the game is to make the most profit to win the task. Each team chooses a name in week 1 where they are split as girls and boys. Later on they get mixed up by Sir Alan to spice up the competition and rows! Tasks in the early stages include setting up laundry businesses, selling coffee, becoming caterers etc. Later shows move away from practical activities such as advertising and there is a good task which is a gruelling interview task by friends of Sir Alan where the candidates CVs are ripped apart. Sir Alan though has two trusty aids Margaret Mountford and Nick Hewer who shadow each team and report back their own findings to Sir Alan. These two are comic geniuses and are often on the tale of those who hide and duck out of responsibility in the team.



**And we are off?**
It's like the human version of the Grand National and each week is a horse falling at the hurdle. In week 1 we meet the budding apprentices who after 5 seasons are quite media savvy and have game plans at the ready. At first the candidates seem innocent and team players and first they are split into girls and boys teams and have to come up with a name. The names they come up with have been funny over the years. Sir Miserable briefs them at the start of each show of today's task and the teams always know that if they make the biggest profit they will win. The teams have to choose a leader for each week to be in charge of the task. In the early episodes the savvy ones will often keep quiet and not freely nominate themselves waiting for the egocentric or stupid ones to say ''ill do it''. The reason shying away is if you are the losing team the leader has to go into the boardroom with two people they feel are to blame for losing to face Sir Alan's wrath. One thing never to do is lose Sir Alan money as you are sure to really set the dragon off.


**The Boardroom**
Once the task has been completed all candidates have to make it to the board room to see who won the task. They get fined if they are late so all attempt to make it though there have been some exceptions to this in earlier series. Both teams say whether they thought their leader was a good un or a bad un. But remember if you slate your leader you are likely to be dragged in for the showdown should you lose. Sir Alan then hears form his aids Margaret and Nick on the teams and who were the stars or work shy ones. Then we hear who made the money and the losing team get told to come back and endure a wait in the local cheap and nasty café where they spend their time blaming each other for their failures. The winning team of course get a super treat which can range form cocktails to balloon rides. The losing leader has to then choose two unlucky contestants to join them. If you are savvy you pick the ones who can't defend themselves or are good at shooting themselves in the foot. The poor threesome then faces the wrath of Sir Alan. Some are bold and dare to interrupt him and wind him up even more (silly people). He listens to them say their piece and they will often argue and turn on one another. Then we get the result one poor sod is told ''Oi your fired'' and off they trot to the waiting black taxi. Some poor fools beg at this point but most accept and off they trot.


**Nick and Margaret the comic duo**

These two are fantastic and quite comic. As I said earlier their job is to be spies for Sir Alan watching over each team and reporting back to him. They comment back in the boardroom on how they feel the team did, what they made and who pulled their weight. They also sit in with him in the showdown before he tells which poor candidate needs to get in that little black cab and go home or rather ''Oi You're Fired'' Margaret is funny for putting her head in her hands when the over cocky candidates step too far out of their comfort zones and talk absolute rubbish. Kate Walsh in episode 2 did a great example of this and poor Margaret was nearly bashing her head against the desk. Nick is harder to work out and often makes strange facial expressions. You can never tell what he thinks and bemuses the candidates. He seeks out those who try to hide and stay in back unnoticed hoping to sneak through each task. In one episode he said to Nooral - I made it my business to watch you.


**The Candidates and the Backbiting and the Bitching**

The candidates do vary in ages and you always have a young one, a one considered past it. You then get those who have countless number of qualifications but no common sense or those who left school early but have become successful entrepreneurs. You also get the bare faced liars who will put anything on their CV forgetting that Sir Alan will eventually twig and challenge them about it. Everyone who watches this will find certain candidates are just too cocky and get on your nerves and they always escape the boardroom! But you always hope Sir Alan has a brain and will figure out the truth about them. I sometimes end up screaming at the screen get rid of them or what an idiot but no one listens.

What I think makes the show watching those budding apprentices do anything to win and stamp out the competition. As I used to work in Retail I fully get what backstabbing and bitching is like and the contestants deserve prizes for their efforts in this. They lie and cheat and manipulate one another. Some even dare to manipulate Sir Alan of all people, watch season 4 and see how Michael gave it a try. The whole point of completing tasks in the real world is to work as a team. Well not in the apprentice the idea is to make your leader look incompetent and pretend you said the decisions made were wrong should you end up losing.

The show will give you a look at where they live and the candidates will give one piece interviews about how fantastic and super they are as well as slating one another. Katy from series 3 was brilliant viewing for this!


**If you are hooked**

The real gem of this show is the after show ''The Apprentice -You're Fired'' where the losing contestant joins Adrian Chiles of the One Show for more humiliation. That is a great show to tune into straight after and he has a panel and unseen footage. The is a classic absolutely comic example which refers to one of this years contestant James McQuillan but I wont spoil it for you. You can also visit the Apprentice Website to see more about this years show and the candidate profiles and even try betting on who will get fired this week.

Well it is Wednesday today and that means at 9pm it is on the Beeb (BBC1) and the after show with Adrian Chiles is on straight after at 10pm on BBC2. It's not too late to start watching this year's series as there have only been 2 episodes so far and you can use I player if you miss an episode. Watch it whether you like business or entertainment as it is as good as ever.

Summary: One Fiery Boss and One Job with too many back stabbing applicants