The Apprentice 2024 – Week Eleven – Interviews!

Phil’s in the final.  Phil, who has lost 9 out of 10 tasks, is in the final.  The same Phil that has spent so much time waiting outside the boardroom that Alan’s receptionist is now godmother to his kids.  Let’s dive in…

It was interview week at Sugar Towers and the usual band of sycophantic sociopaths were lining up to drag our final five through their own personal four circles of hell.  In attendance as usual was Mike Soutar who still loves nothing more than ravaging a business plan and forcing people to drink their own products; Linda Plant who was oddly amiable this year, maybe even a little flirty?  Claude was also back doing his usual schtick of angrily answering his own questions before kicking them out of the door and Claudine Collins, whose job appears to be digging into the emotions of the candidates with her warmer, empathetic (comparatively to her peers at least) side.

Generally speaking, things were a little softer this year.  The producers came in for some flack last year following what had essentially become sanctioned workplace bullying.  This episode format is a product of a bygone age where the perception was that jobs were given to those in the nicest suits who could survive a really demanding interview.  The professional world has moved on from this in so many respects but the show hasn’t – still.  It’d be interesting to see a total shakeup of episode 11 next year to be more in line with what the modern interview process looks like.

Anyhow, what happened to our entrepreneurial dreamers this week?  Tre’s business plan of testosterone shots that don’t contain testosterone (because it’s illegal) was never going to land that well.  A product that’s lying about what it is feels like wafer-thin ice before Tre even sat down.  It became apparent that Tre hasn’t made it this far based on a stellar idea but more for his general abilities and natural charisma.  The interviewers all seemed to love him (did anyone else pick up Mike calling him “irresistible”?) but his product never really stood a chance – and I don’t think it was solely down to too much black pepper!

Flo was visibly the most nervous of the candidates but handled herself really well.  I’m still not sure what her business is – a recruitment firm I think?  She’s been quietly brilliant all season but just didn’t have the golden idea, nor the numbers to sell it to the interviewers.  There was also an issue with using a business name that’s already in use elsewhere and an overly ambitious plan that would likely see her bankrupt in four months.  It didn’t seem a tough decision to fire Flo but Sugar sent her off with a “please keep in touch” – I think he knew he needn’t worry about Flo succeeding.

Finally, Paul was fired because he found himself on an episode of Dragon’s Den and didn’t want to give up 50%.  Paul had quite the journey this week with his idea of a new kind of scrubs (clothing for medical professionals) roundly trashed by Sugar’s nearest and dearest.  They all told him the same thing – he has a lucrative cosmetic dentistry business and this should be his focus.  By the time he found himself in the boardroom, the plan had changed to setting up a second practice – but only 50% of the second practice was on the table.  Sugar wanted half of everything but Paul was shrewd enough to walk away, clearly knowing it was a bad deal.  Smartest thing he did in eleven episodes!

This meant that Rachel and Phil kind of defaulted to the final.  In terms of overall performance, Rachel more than earned her spot.  Her business idea of a gym is routine enough – simple but probably profitable (although I’m not sure about the “recession proof” comment).  She interviewed reasonably well too with the only major setback being caught out about already owning her domain names – which Mike bought first and sold back to her at a profit in order to make his excruciatingly pedantic point.  The thing is though, had Paul gone another way, I think Phil, despite everything, would have taken the second spot…

Phil owns a pie business.  More accurately, Phil inherited a pie business from his parents and is now looking for direction more than cash.  His pie business is doing pretty well too!  His best year saw profits in excess of £400K and his cash position is currently in the region of £800K……so why wouldn’t Sugar want half of that for a measly £250K?  As I said, Phil doesn’t need the money, he needs the contacts and mentoring to expand because he seems stuck on what to do next.

Are we beginning to see now why Phil’s seemingly been wearing body armour all season?

2 remain – and the smart money is on the one with lots of money…

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