The show we all know and love, The Apprentice, has returned to our screens a year later and is now on week two. It feels completely bizarre watching all the new hopefuls, experiencing the nerves, panic and excitement I did last year, but I can’t say I envy them, I am very glad to be watching from my sofa this time around!
For those of you that tuned in as eager as I did last week, you will have seen I made a small re-appearance in the boardroom. I have to admit; it was just as scary being on the other side! It has only been a year, but there were so many memories in that boardroom, several of them completely traumatising, that being back was just as nerve-wracking.
That first time in the board room had to be one of the most terrifying experiences. You don’t get to meet Lord Sugar beforehand and you haven’t spoken to the other candidates at that point. You are thrown into the lion’s den without a clue what to expect, the look of terror on the candidate’s faces is very real, and I did feel sorry for them. I must admit it was a great feeling being able to leave the boardroom this time without having to do any more tasks or face the threat of being fired.
In only two weeks we have seen some strong characters already! In the first stages it can sometimes be a battle of who can shout the loudest, who can draw the most attention, and who can prove themselves straight away. The best is when you get to see these people project manage, it either makes or breaks you! Harrison for me is someone I would love to see project manage. He comes across like a strong character, to be able to convince someone to not bring you back to the boardroom on week one shows a level of manipulation, but it would be great to see what he is like as an actual leader.
Then on the other hand you have Charles, I really hope that he will be one of the characters that just listens to what Lord Sugar has to say. My one piece of advice for anyone going to the Apprentice, listen to what he says! He knows what he is talking about and it really helps you grow thorough the process. When Ross told Lord Sugar to let him speak, I cringed in my seat! Lord Sugar is not going to want to work with someone that tells him to be quiet, it was a brave thing to do, but I think Ross was very lucky to survive!
Week two is definitely when they up the ante! The task on designing hotel rooms was fantastic and there were so many funny moments! Elizabeth was completely hilarious; I would love to meet her. It reminded me so much of our Jeans Advertising task we had on week two; everything went wrong, it was completely awful. Week two definitely seems to one of the hardest, probably to shock the contestants and I honestly think I would have struggled with their task, to be honest; I wouldn’t have wanted to stay in either of those rooms! At the end though, I think breakdancing Jeff was the right person to go, sometimes it is far better to admit you have messed up and will learn from your mistake than try to throw someone else under the bus.
Watching these poor contestants battle to try and win just reminds me of how much the public don’t get to see, I would love the critics work from 4am to midnight to create a product under all the stress and deadlines you have. It is such hard work! But I suppose it makes good watching, and I will admit, I am enjoying it much more knowing that I will never have to do it again! Hang in there 2017 Candidates, the first few weeks are the hardest, but I definitely found my swing of things after a while.
I think the two tasks so far have been incredible. The creativity of the production team is amazing. If I could choose any other career it would definitely be task creation on the Apprentice. I am also very excited to see next week’s episode is all about robots, love a technology challenge. It seems much like last year’s virtual reality task I had last year, basically, way over my head!!
I can’t wait for next week already. Too early for me to say who my money is on, what about you?
