The Apprentice: Caravans!
Saturday, June 15, 2013
The current series of The Apprentice has drawn many a comment about it's big personalities and lack of their "business acumen" in places. The number of times I've shouted at the TV in mock despair is more than the number of times Jason has made us go "aww" plus the number of times I've mentioned Alex and those eyebrows. But this week, things changed.
I was lucky enough to attend the filming of the aftershow You're Fired!, which meant I got to watch the episode the Monday before the show aired. Which also meant having to keep schtum about what happened and who got fired. At this point, I should probably tell you to stop reading if you haven't seen it yet... And that if you haven't seen it yet, you should.
So, the candidates are given a selling task. Sell, sell, sell! They have to choose a big ticket item to sell sell sell, alongside two other, cheaper ones. The week before, I saw the preview/trailer/ad and thought - yawn..caravans! I couldn't have been more wrong if I tried. Milkshake man Kurt and Mr Neil Clough were project managers, featuring products such as electric bikes (no pedalling required so why is it a bike?), a folding camper, a retro campervan and a boat roof thing. Instead of going with what was known to sell most, Kurt went with the retro campervan as what he personally liked most. After his team lost grandly, Kurt's defence was to blame his earlier decision..so yeah, still his fault. They sold a massive zero campervans, despite Leah's last minute attempt (after being drafted in as "eye candy". The look on Natalie's face was the look of "I can't believe I'm not considered eye candy!" despite them having no knowledge of it at the time. But she claims she could've sold loads, as she "works in recruitment". Connecting the dots for that one is a tad difficult.
But on the other team (and I forget which names they both have), they go with what sells, and indeed...sell. Note at this point that I have used the word "sell" almost as many times as Lord Sugar did in one minute. The show was stolen from the word go by loveable Jason and his more-than loveable giant teddy bear. His selling techniques worked extremely and somewhat surprisingly well with the target market, the over 50s, making the first major sale and bringing us that lovely heartwarming 2 seconds of TV with the lady whispering into his ear. How sweet.
And from that moment on, it was a massive victory of £30something,000 compared to a teeny thousand-and-something. The highlight? Jason being asked to return to the boardroom where Lord Sugar put in an extra word about being impressed and such. That's when, in the studio audience, there was the loudest "awwwwww". Jason's used this episode to rocket to the forefront as not just a one-trick pony (his "one-trick" being peeling onions in the kitchen) but as the candidate the public will remember for series to come. I just can't help wondering what his business plan exactly is. Guesses, anyone?
Back in the firing line, Kurt's risky strategy of not picking the product with the better track record costs him dearly...and he's out. But (cue shocked faces and gasps in the audience), Shugs ain't finished just yet! After being in the boardroom three times, the finger is pointed again and it's a double firing show as Natalie is also out. Some can accuse Kurt of playing tactics and picking Natalie as the weakest link, but they were both fired so, y'know.
From even before we saw the show, I had an inkling Kurt would be given the boot. Why? I saw a chap in the audience who looked just like him! (An older version; his dad, I'm thinking.) But a double firing is even more exciting - almost as exciting as the previews for next week's online dating advert task!
More Apprentice chat next week,
Bev x
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