The Apprentice – Do we watch it for the business or the banter?

“You’re fired!” Lord Sugar predictably announced whilst pointing his finger at the first and unfortunate candidate in the 15 th series of The Apprentice. However, it was hard to tell whether his firing

was based on the fact that his beloved football team (Tottenham Hotspur) lost 2-7 to Bayern the day before the series started or whether his hot temper got to the better of him.

Even though the banter at points was a bit cheesy, it was still an impressive start to the

series. Yesterday was our first official time seeing the candidates work together and the lucky 16 were

shipped off to South Africa for their first task of the series. The diverse group each hoping to grab their hands on the deal of a lifetime seemed to be struggling to get on board with Sugar’s task. The show yesterday, highlighted their inability to coheres as a team as we were presented with various

hilarious arguments throughout the episode. Lord Sugar and his co-partners Karren Brady and Claude

Littner, enjoyed roasting the contestants as Sugar described them as “moaning Minnies, big- time Charlies,[and] half-pint Harrys”

The Apprentice in the recent series has edged more from a business show to a comedy as the candidates are more focused on impressing everyone with their banter rather than their business abilities. Nevertheless, it does make the show more enjoyable to watch as it allows us to see perhaps the less serious side of the candidates. This year we were given a more diverse and youthful bunch, the youngest

of the group (Lottie Lion) being 19. But we do have to question whether these contestants have enough knowledge and experience in the business world or are they all too premature for the process, hence the constant bickering and jokes?