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MSN: The Apprentice BlogMay 16 Sara Interview!She thinks that Raef is fantastic, describes Helene as "awful, unprofessional and lazy" and has no idea what an international car trader is, even though she's supposed to be one!
Want to hear all the Apprentice gossip straight from Sara herself?
Selena x
Selena Ledgerton Cooper
MSN Reality TV Blogger Don't miss a trick - Add MSN Reality TV Agent to your IM contacts
Messages...Hi Selena, I want to vent my frustration if you don't mind. I love the apprentice and tonight halfway through watching it my daughter's boyfriends parents appeared at my house AGAIN. I missed the rest of programme and am well p****d off. Thanks to your blog I at least know what happened.
Sonia x
Sonia, you are VERY welcome! I'm glad you are enjoying the blog and can only suggest that when the blog is running and the show is on, don't answer the door! Either that or open it for a second, shout YOU'RE FIRED at the top of your voice and then slam it quick! - Have fun! Selena x
Selena, I think that Sara was bullied in the house and picked on in thae boardroom. She was a bit useless to say the least but everyone has their bad days! I honestly think that she didnt deserve to go but Micheal did! Hassan Thanks for your comment Hassan and I have to say I agree. If the decision was down to me, I think Michael would have had his marching orders before Sara. Then again, I don't think she's been able to hack it from the start. I've never known anyone be so timid around the other candidates! Keep your comments coming... Selena x
Selena Ledgerton Cooper
MSN Reality TV Blogger Don't miss a trick - Add MSN Reality TV Agent to your IM contacts
May 14 Live BlogAre you ready for a LIVE blog?
Who will be fired tonight? Tonight the candidates meet Sir Alan in a church and it's a sign of things to come... The subject of the task this week is weddings and each team must create a wedding stand for The Wedding Show at Birmingham's NEC. The team to sell the most merchandise survives, they have to buy their stock first so they better get going! Lucinda is project manager for Alpha, Helene heads Renaissance and Sir Alan swaps Claire for Helene and Sara. Each team must select one other wedding item to sell as well as dresses...
Both teams travel out to research merchandise. They visit dress designers, confectioners, bakers, personalised lingerie, gift shops and more. Helene seems most impressed by the personalised lingerie and gifts, but unfortunately Lucinda has her eye on those too. The clock is ticking and time is running out for them to choose.
Both teams visit international designer Ian Stewart, his dresses are well known and he holds catwalk shows across the world. They also visit BHS to view their mix and match range of dresses and take a look at The White Rose collection of coloured gowns - Then it's off to taste the cakes!
Raef and Clare look at selling plus-size wedding dresses and want to include wedding cake as part of the package. Claire is concerned that plus-size dresses and cake wont be the best combination and Raef replies, "these girls are size 16 to 32 for a reason - THEY LIKE CAKE!" I wouldn't say that to your customers if you choose this option Raef! It's crunch time! Lucinda chooses to sell Ian Stewart's top of the range designer gowns and Helene opts for the mid-range coloured gowns. It's a real battle as both teams choose the lingerie as their additional product. This means that the company in question must choose which team they would like to sell on their behalf. Both teams wait with baited breath, but the lingerie company would like their products displayed alongside Ian Stewart's gowns and Helene's team miss out.
THE NEC >>
As the teams sell, sell, sell it appears that both of them got one item right. Helene flogs five of her mid-range dresses as they are just what this mass market are looking for, but Sara and Michaels cakes are bombing! (Well they are £600 each) On the flip side, Lucinda is having trouble shifting Ian Stewart's dresses. At between £1600 and £2500 each, it's a decision that is too much for most brides. Lee is on fire selling the personalised lingerie and gifts and after such success, Lucinda moves him on to dress sales to see what he can do - The girls just can't get them moving and he's a real charmer!
Over at the Renaissance stand, Sara and Michael do not impress the punters with their pushy sales pitch. Alex is the first to agree and confides to camera that Michael's telephone sales experience doesn't wash in person. "He's too pushy and speaks over people. He's used to the hard sell".
It's good news for Alpha though... Claire, Lucinda and Lee's dress customers return at the end of the day to order their top of the range Ian Stewart dresses - Score!
THE BOARDROOM>>>
Team Alpha stick together and commend Lucinda on her leadership skills - Sir Alan is impresed with her improvement. Reaf takes responsibility for choosing the high end dresses and Nick highlights both Lee and Claire as star sellers. Renaissance seem to be on the offensive from the start and Michael lashes out at Helene before he's so much as asked a question! "I think the major error was not sending two people to look at the dresses. I wanted to go with the high end dresses".
Margaret pulls Michael up and advises Sir Alan that he's not being completely honest. He said that the high end dresses would be too expensive for some and not the best option. She also reveals that Michael wanted to opt for the cakes... ALPHA MADE £5752
(DRESSES AND LINGERIE) RENAISSANCE MADE JUST £1925
(DRESSES BUT NO CAKES)
Sir Alan rewards team Alpha with a spa day.
Renaissance are in the firing line and although Helene tries to defend her team, Sir Alan's not having it. Michael and Sara try to say that the cakes wouldn't sell because of price, but Margaret reveals that the feedback from customers was awful. "Most customers felt like they were being bludgeoned by Michael and Sara. It was a real hard sell and they wouldn't buy a cake from them".
Sir Alan is concerned that they had the wrong products to begin with and Margaret agrees. "They all have a reason to be fired".
Alex is sent back to the house... For his dedication, he's ensured his safety until next week. Michael, Helene and Sara are the final three. Michael puts the blame with Helene, "this is down to nothing more than poor product selection". Helene places the blame with Sara, "you talk at people. You don't read body language and you don't listen to them. You just speak at them". Sara tries to make exuses, "I didn't use the hard sell. I may have done for the last few sales, but I didn't pitch like I was selling double glazing". I agree with Margaret, it could be any of them tonight but I would rather it was Michael or Sara. They chose the cakes and then couldn't sell them. They were just too expensive and as the day came to an end, desperation kicked in and so did the hard sell. I think Michael should go, he has an ecuse for everything and always passes the buck.
Sir Alan can't take anymore bickering..
"Sara I'm tired of hearing that you do nothing. If you gave your customers the hard sell like you're talking to me now, I'd put your face in the bloody cake!" It's all too much...
"SARA YOU'RE FIRED!" Sir Alan can't hold his tongue with regard to Sara, "I thought to myself do I need someone who's like an air raid siren working with me?" Hang on, it looks as though Michael may be fired too... Michael can see what's to come and interupts before Sir Alan can say those three little words. He pleads for his position... It's not pretty! Luckily for him, Sir Alan's exhausted by all the rambling and waves his arms, sending them both back to the house. There's no double firing this week, but Michael is virtually on his knees and will have to raise his game.
Did Sir Alan make the right choice? Selena Ledgerton Cooper
MSN Reality TV Blogger Don't miss a trick - Add MSN Reality TV Agent to your IM contacts
Fancy A Live One?Join me tonight for the LIVE blog. I'll be here when the show airs and I can't wait to hear what you think of the latest task.
Who should be fired?
Leave your comments... Selena x Selena Ledgerton Cooper
MSN Reality TV Blogger Don't miss a trick - Add MSN Reality TV Agent to your IM contacts
May 12 Sneak Peek
Selena Ledgerton Cooper
MSN Reality TV Blogger Don't miss a trick - Add MSN Reality TV Agent to your IM contacts
May 09 Jennie and Jenny Bite BackQuick quiz...
Which Jennifer said what? "I actually knew that kosher meant 'legitimate' but I didn't actually know the specifics of how you would make a chicken in the market kosher".
"When you go into the boardroom, he doesn't really have the whole picture until you go in there and I felt a lot of bigger issues had been brought to his attention rather than just me losing control".
"I think he definitely has his favourites, but he has some favourites that are men..."
"I didn't have it in for Lucinda in any way whatsoever. What I did is I identified in task two that Lucinda's strategy or game plan was to undermine the success of her team in the hope that her project manager would get fired".
"I think Helene is definitely one to watch, she's a good girl. She's a bit quiet but it's always the quiet ones who are keeping their heads down and doing a lot of work who get through. I think Raef is one to watch as well - he could go all the way". "It won't impact on my career in any detrimental way. I'm a highly capable and intelligent business mind and I had a very successful career before coming into the competition and I'll be welcomed back with open arms to my organisation on Monday when I return from the show".
Did you get 6 out of 6?
Selena x Selena Ledgerton Cooper
MSN Reality TV Blogger Don't miss a trick - Add MSN Reality TV Agent to your IM contacts
May 08 Jenny and Jennie Fired!Well what a turn of events eh? It appears that Sir Alan's hot temper burnt out my internet connection for a while there and like fired candidates Jenny and Jennie, I wasn't impressed!
I have to say though, it was great to finally see a team really flourish under pressure as Lee's team did. What a success, they should be proud of themselves.
So... What actually happened?
It all began when Sir Alan sent the candidates off to Morocco to pick up his shopping. I know, silly isn't it - but it was a great task. Each team had a shopping list of goods that they must barter for and there could be no compromises either! PROJECT MANAGERS SHOPPING LIST Jenny Maguires leadership leaves a lot to be desired as she has no intention of giving a pep-talk or planning. She splits her team in two and sends them off to buy, buy, buy. Lucious Lee (sorry!) has other ideas... He calls ahead to discover which places are best to visit and also holds a meeting with his team to encourage and prepare them. Raef offers a few ideas and Lee makes an effort to keep Lucinda and Sara close-by after their poor evaluations from Sir Alan.
Off to shop...
Renaissance kick off proceedings with a weird husband and wife tactic… Jennie M and Alex role-play and Alex is frustrated when Jennie takes it too far, "I'd rather buy it here, my feet are killing me." Meanwhile, Jenny and Michael leave to buy a cowhide... They snaffle it for £50 from a stall and are more than chuffed, “that’s a quarter of the average price”. Unfortunately for them, Raef and Helene bite the bullet and tolerate a stinking tannery – theirs was just £15. I guess that little bit of extra effort paid off and THAT is what Sir Alan is looking for! I’m a little concerned that more wasn’t made of Michael's attempt to cheat! When the teams had to go and buy tennis racquets they visited the same upmarket sports shop and Michael tried to bribe the assistant! "We don't want them to get their racquets today. We'd be very happy to pay you to delay the return of their tennis racquets". Thankfully the shop assistant was an honest soul and wouldn’t go for it - Bad form Michael, bad form! ... And it didn't stop there for Michael. Thanks to the team’s lack of preparation, they had little clue about the areas culture or where best to purchase their items. When they spotted a Kosher chicken on the list, Alpha were well prepared and visited the Jewish quarter. Lee and his team had no problem picking one up from there. Sadly, Renaissance chose to stay in the Moslem souk – Big mistake!
After hours of searching Michael and Jenny found a meat counter with live birds and asked for one to be killed and blessed for them. What on earth were they thinking? Culturally and ethically that’s just not on and that’s not a kosher chicken! I felt so sorry for the Moslem stallholder who was trying his best to help them and I cringed as Michael tried to sign a cross to show him how to bless the food. If I’m totally honest, I had a feeling that Lee’s team would win this week – it was obvious. Just watching the task you could tell. Even in the final minutes they fought and fought and Jennie’s rabble just looked flustered. As the task came to an end, the whole market closed for prayers but Lee’s lot continue to battle for the last thing on their list. They advised the locals that they would pay for any old juicer and it worked! Job done! Meanwhile... Jennie’s team are too busy trying to swap an incorrect item to worry about finishing the task! If they had taken more care in the first place and bought a green mosque instead of a white one… Sir Alan won’t be impressed I’m sure. THE RESULT Nick reveals that Alpha have spent £413.61
Margaret reveals Renaissance have two penalties and two disallowed items, so their £449.60 spend is now £603.59.
Alpha are overjoyed and look forward to a hot-air balloon ride tomorrow! Sir Alan reveals that the team have racked up £155 in fines. "The tagines were the wrong brand and the chicken wasn't kosher". Sir Alan couldn’t believe that Jenny didn’t know what a kosher chicken was. "At 36 you've never heard of the terminology kosher and you don't know that's associated with Jewish people - I'm flabbergasted!"
He then turned on Michael, who had said he was a good Jewish boy. How could he claim to have no idea about the chicken? Sir Alan told him, "If you're unsure we can pull your trousers down and we can check". Ouch!
As he turns back to Jenny, she tries to say that she has no knowledge of these cultural differences. Sir Alan can take that, but he loses it when she tries to pass the buck again… "You've tried to lay the blame on your team-mates you were running around with. It's no good. Jenny, You're Fired, Goodbye..."
Jennie M explodes after the result and defends Jenny by pointing the finger... She calls Claire "a Tasmanian devil" and Michael, "a liar and cheat".
Sir Alan doesn’t like the fact that Michael cheated, but he makes allowances. "I can't have people in my business who lie and cheat but I think you are a bit over-enthusiastic. I have to reflect back at myself at your age, and my own over-enthusiasm".
This enrages Jennie; "If that's the kind of person you have in your company then fire me now". Silly, silly, silly… Sir Alan will not be intimidated and is quick to silence her, "Most mistakes this team has made have come from someone who I believe is out of control. Jennifer, you're fired!"
What a show! I can’t believe that Jennie told Sir Alan to fire her. Did she really think he’d take that lying down? Talk about getting big for your boots! The right two left if you ask me. It could have easily been Michael too, but I think Sir Alan has a soft spot for him and sees himself there. Then again, is that really a reason not to fire him?
Do you think Sir Alan got it right? I think this has been the best task yet! Leave your comments... Selena x Selena Ledgerton Cooper
MSN Reality TV Blogger Don't miss a trick - Add MSN Reality TV Agent to your IM contacts
May 07 Apprentice Blog UpdateDue to unforeseen circumstances, there is no live blog at the moment. Selena will update as soon as she's able to get online. Apologies for any inconvenience.
MSN Editor Coops Two To Go Tonight!How do you fancy some hot gossip?
Well... Let's just say that you should tune in for tonight's episode because not one candidate will be fired, but two! That's right, two of Sir Alan's wanabees are up for the chop and they'll only find out who after their trip to Morocco.
Who will fly home with their tail between their legs?
See you tonight when the show airs for the LIVE blog... Selena x May 06 Sneak PeekIt looks like it's going to be a battle of wills in Morocco...
Some of the team members can't even bring themselves to talk to the sellers and others are too busy arguing about strategies.
Renaissance have to tolerate Claire screaming about snakes and some of the others are concerned with the 'smells' and cultural differences.
Meanwhile, team Alpha have their own problems... Raef suggests that they don typical Moroccan outfits to help them fit in, but Lucinda doesn't want to know. "I don't think that's a good idea. They will see through the gap that my eyes are blue and they'll think we're taking the p***"
She could have a point!
Join me tomorrow for the LIVE blog. I'll be here when the show airs and I can't wait to hear what you think of the latest task.
Who should be fired next?
Leave your comments... Selena x
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