Anyone who has been watching this series of BBC One’s Apprentice show with Sir Alan Sugar will surely be familiar with Tre Azam. That’s right, he’s the cocky one who loves himself more than anyone else ever could. Those of us are getting a little bit fed up with Tre’s mouthiness and ego will be in for a pleasant surprise tonight as Tre is left lost for words when he is given his latest task.

Sir Alan Sugar has arranged for the teams to sell pieces of modern art at an exhibition, but Tre gets cold feet when he realises that some of the pieces are rather racy, and even show bare breasts! Surely not!

When he first sees the pictures he is to sell he exclaims: Read more & comment »

As Sir Alan Sugar’s search for an apprentice approaches the half-way point, he decides to throw the candidates completely out of their comfort zones. He calls them to Christie’s, in London’s St James’s, where works of art regularly sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds. The candidates’ task is to choose photographs and then sell them in a fashionable east London gallery.

Natalie – a housewife with a business Masters Degree – is project manager of the Eclipse team. They are split on the best approach: should they go in for the kill or do artists and their customers prefer a softly, softly approach? Over on the other team, marketing consultant Tre objects to some nude photographs which his project manager, Kristina, has chosen.

If all goes well, the teams could sell thousands of pounds’ worth of photographs. One team still has to lose, however, and after a grilling from Sir Alan in the boardroom, one person in that team will get fired.

Wednesday 25 April
9.00-10.00pm BBC ONE

Dr Sophie Kain has become the latest victim of Sir Alan Sugar, and viewers of BBC’s TV show, The Apprentice last night will have seen her being fired in true Alan Sugar form.

After Sophie struggled with the latest task of selling lollipops to children (doesn’t sound too difficult does it?), Sir Alan said: “This is the real world love, this is not your scientific protons and neutrons. I’m wondering, have I got another one here who should really stick to what they know?…You’re fired!”

However, Sophie insists she was happy with the outcome of the meeting. She admitted to being “quite pleased” by her dismissal and added: Read more & comment »

After being the latest apprentice to be fired,  Gerri Blackwood has told the Daily Star that producers blocked up three of their house’s five bathrooms in a bid to get some of the contestants together.

Gerri stated:

“We all thought it was a bit bizarre that we were put in this huge mansion which boasted five bathrooms and yet three of them were out of bounds.

“One of the bathrooms was used by the film crew, but two of the others were closed off with ‘Out of Order’ signs on them. That left two bathrooms to share between 16 people. I am not sure whether it was deliberate or not but you can imagine they wanted us to share showers.”

Gerri Blackwood has become the latest apprentice to be fired by Sir Alan Sugar.

Gerri revelaed today that before taking part in the sow she had been offered a job with MI5, but turned it down for the chance to be Sir Alan’s Apprentice.

Blackwood said: “I’ve no regrets about turning down MI5. Five days before filming started it was made clear to me that it was one or another. I couldn’t choose both.

“I really thought about it, and for me there’s still no regrets.”

She said of Sir Alan: “He does exactly what it says on the tin. I thought that he’d not be as scary as all that and might be a bit of a pussy cat, but he’s not. I’ve got a large amount of respect for him.”

The teams have been set a back to basics task for tonights show. they are given £200 per team and told to go out and start a business from scratch. the team that earsn the most money, wins.

The girls decide that the best way to go would be to sell kisses on the street, but it semms like Sir Alan wasn’t too pleased with their business idea.

Sir Alan stated:

“It doesn’t sound too great to me. Sounds like another old profession I’ve heard of!” he says.

Naomi Lay also expressed her distaste at the prospect of kissing strangers saying:

“I don’t really want to be doing that. I’m a businesswoman, not a prostitute.”

But the others talk her around and they’re soon out on the street.

The boys, on the other hand, launch a gardening business and a pub DJ service.

The girls team suffered a bit of a setback during their task this week as they were left stranded while their driver was arrested.

Their driver was parked on a London road, waiting for the girls when the police stopped to ask what he was doing. He had been warned to reveal details of the show to noone, so he refused to tell the police who he was waiting for.

When the police searched his car and found numerous ladies handbags they arrested him for theft.

A show producer said: “As soon as the police saw the pile of bags which he wouldn’t explain he was taken to a police station and quizzed for three hours before he was eventually set free.

“By that time the girl contestants were stranded – and decided it must be part of their task.”

The source added: Drivers are given strict instructions not to reveal their involvement with the programme to anyone.

“It seems this driver just followed that to the letter, even when faced with a night behind bars.”

I hope he got a big bonus to make up for his embarrassment and inconvenience!

The BBC Reports:

We witnessed an Apprentice first this week with the double firing. Booted out of the competition were black belt martial arts expert Ifti and the bankrupt entrepreneur Rory.

First to go was Ifti, who seemed to have run out of steam. Looking at Ifti’s dull eyes and blank expression in the boardroom was quite a change from the excited Ifti we saw exclaiming that ‘this is the life’ on entering the Notting Hill house in week one.

He appeared to have withdrawn into himself, admitting to Sir Alan that he contributed nothing during the task and missed his wife and son. After being fired, he sloped out of the door looking quite relieved to be going home. Read more & comment »

Michael Parkinson ranted about The BBC;s Apprentice show, featuring Sir Alan Sugar, calling it “vulgar” and “distasteful.”

“I have an aversion to that programme,” he said. “I find it distasteful. It’s full of vulgar, loud people, who, for all the wrong reasons, are dobbing each other in.”

Speaking about Sir Alan, Parky added: “When he tells someone, ‘You’re fired’, what’s funny about that? You’re fired. There’s nothing funny about it.”

In theory I do agree, but it really does make great telly!

Paul Callaghan and Katie Hopkins have decided to escape the wrath of Sir Alan Sugar and call off their brief fling.

The pair had infuriated Sir Alan by getting together while filming for the BBC’s latest Apprentice series. Sir Alan was adamant that contestants should not mix business with pleasure.

Seems like they now agree.

Sir Alan Sugar becomes so angry with his apprentices in next weeks show, that he loses his temper and fires TWO of the incompetents.

This is a first for the show and The Mirror reported today that Sir Alan fires the first loser and then says to the remaining pair: “I’m telling you now – as unusual as it is – one of you is still going to get fired.”

He reportedly adds to the unfortunate team members: “I told you never to underestimate me. And don’t try to second guess what I’ll do.”

I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes at that meeting!

Andy Jackson has become the first person to be fired from Sir Alan Sugar’s newest series of The Apprentice.

The father of three gave up his job as a car sales man to take part in the show, but the 36 year old lasted only one week after displaying weak leadership skills in the first group task.

Andy insists that he has no regrest about taking part in the show and stated:

“I’ve had knockbacks in my life and it’s about how you pick yourself up.

“I was working 12 to 13 hours a day, six days a week, as a car sales manager and I needed a change. Going on The Apprentice was an absolutely superb opportunity.”

Sir Alan Sugar has revealed why Andy was the first to be shown the door.

In an interview with The Mirror, Sir Alan said: “[Andy] broke the golden rule of retailing – position, position, position. How many more times do I have to say it?

“In his own field, Andy is one of the best car salesmen in Scotland, that’s why he got on the show. However, The Apprentice takes experienced and confident people out of their comfort zone. Clearly, Andy was right out of his and he lost it.”

Sugar added: “He was a very nice man, proud of his family and his achievements – and he should be very proud that he beat 10,000 applicants to get on the show. But he had to go.”

The Sun is running a story today, claiming that Jadine Johnson, a contestant in this years The Apprentice on BBC1, is too fragile to take part in the show.

Jadine, who will come under intense scrutiny during her time on the show, is reported as a former mental health patient who was sectioned under the mental health act four years ago.

Some mental health charities have spoken out against the BBC’s choice of contestants, A MIND spokeswoman said: “We would want to ensure that proper psychiatric assessments are carried out on the show.”

But a spokesman for the BBC1 show was adamant that all the contestants had been properly screened.

She said: “As a part of the selection process all candidates are seen by an independent qualified psychologist to assess their suitability for participating in the programme.”

Sir Alan Sugar has very publicly blasted the contestants from last years series as being ill prepared and not up to scratch. In fact he told the Daily Star that he only agreed to take part in a third series if the Apprentice’s were of a much higher calibre.

He said of the contestants: “You’d have thought…they’d have done their homework, seen every programme, looked out for certain things to do and not to do, in certain tasks.

“(But) in the second series, they didn’t even know who I was, some of them, or what my business was: what I do, what I’ve sold, what I make, so there you go.”

Lohit Kalburgi
Age: 25
Qualifications: Bachelor Of Commerce
Career: Telecoms Manager
Home town: London

Profile: Lohit is a cool rational thinker with natural flair. He was born in Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) and has since travelled widely, becoming a resident in five different countries. He gained a Bachelor in Commerce and Science from Auckland University, New Zealand. His first real office job was sorting mail at a telecommunications company when he was 17, but he resigned after three hours because it was too boring. He started a company when he was 16 making commemorative towels.

He says: “I would like people to see me as the nice guy – my game plan is to be myself and get on with things.”