The Apprentice Thread 2014

Love the series will be watching soon!  Agree with the comments about it being ruined by the "best idea wins".  Similar to Dragon's Den - The show used to be about inventions but lately a lot of invest in my business is becoming the norm.

Some big egos on display. Pride comes before a fall.

Although I saw tonights episode of self-indulgent egostistical pricks(oops I mean The Apprentice) and ill watch the series, but for me the best business competition ever was Granada's Flying Start where a businessman had to prove through paperwork, guts and business plans that their business was the worthy winner of the money that was "invested" to the winning company.  None of these stupid tasks but all about their business and how they would use the money!

Wake up people. It's not a "business competition". Anyone with a half decent business idea wouldn't go anywhere near the likes of the Apprentice or that other farce Dragon's Den.

Both are shows for losers who can't fund their ideas through conventional means like loans, Angels or VCs and if they are prepared to throw away vast chunks of equity just to get on telly they really have got problems.

The entertainment value of such reality TV shows is in laughing at how stupid/ignorant/deluded/desperate they are.

So don't try to make out it's in any way a serious business programme. It's not. It's a freak show.

Angels and VC's....?

Is that Dan Brown's new one, set during the Vietnam War?

Have you noticed that nearly everyone who appears on the show seems to lack any semblance of warmth or humanity. Let alone humility.

boltonbonce wrote:Have you noticed that nearly everyone who appears on the show seems to lack any semblance of warmth or humanity. Let alone humility.

...or business sense....

wanderlust wrote:

Both are shows for losers who can't fund their ideas through conventional means like loans, Angels or VCs and if they are prepared to throw away vast chunks of equity just to get on telly they really have got problems.

I'm guessing Levi Roots would beg to differ.

Ridiculous post. 100% of a small company with limited contacts or 70% of a company with the contacts Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden etc can bring.

Idiot.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

wanderlust wrote:

Both are shows for losers who can't fund their ideas through conventional means like loans, Angels or VCs and if they are prepared to throw away vast chunks of equity just to get on telly they really have got problems.

I'm guessing Levi Roots would beg to differ.

Ridiculous post. 100% of a small company with limited contacts or 70% of a company with the contacts Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden etc can bring.

Idiot.

He gave away 30% of his money to the leeches?

No wonder they are all so loaded if mugs like that come along every week.

Contacts mean nothing to the determined. A good idea and a modicum of sense gets "contacts" buzzing around every time.

Maybe one in 5000 make millions after appearing on DD - which is statistically low for entrepreneurs so it is more likely to be the kiss of death than a springboard to a better place.

And as for Apprentice - as far as I know the only careers it has spawned have been media careers or consultancy careers based on being a media personality. Most winners were sacked or faded into obscurity.

wanderlust wrote:
He gave away 30% of his money to the leeches?

No wonder they are all so loaded if mugs like that come along every week.

Contacts mean nothing to the determined. A good idea gets them buzzing around every time.

So you're posting from your Monaco mansion having sold your business for £100m?

Here's another reason why DD is so shit:
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/article-1640358/Dragons-Den-The-rejects-that-got-rich.html

Plus Trunki which is responsible for annoying kids riding suitcases in every airport despite the dragons telling the guy that it had no future.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

wanderlust wrote:
He gave away 30% of his money to the leeches?

No wonder they are all so loaded if mugs like that come along every week.

Contacts mean nothing to the determined. A good idea gets them buzzing around every time.

So you're posting from your Monaco mansion having sold your business for £100m?

Who the hell would want to live in Monaco? I'd need to sterilise my brains before I'd even consider it.

wanderlust wrote:

Plus Trunki which is responsible for annoying kids riding suitcases in every airport despite the dragons telling the guy that it had no future.

You made that last bit up because I watched that old episode recently. He didn't get investment because there was a 3rd party involved and he couldn't make it clear how the future would work. 4 of the Dragon's liked the idea.

People shouldn't make stuff up on the internet.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

People shouldn't make stuff up on the internet.

http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Flying_Start_(1)

This is how a business competition should be done!!!

I think ITV should bring it back.

Ok Grandad.

bwfc71 wrote:http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Flying_Start_(1)

This is how a business competition should be done!!!

I think ITV should bring it back.

To be fair to Nat, getting contestants to dress up as a hotdog and stumble around in the street frightening innocent bystanders is a far more objective indicator of business acumen.

All the Apprentice needs to regain it's lost popularity is Stuart Hall to really bring out that Jeux sans Frontieres competitive edge. Believe he's busy though so presumably had to turn it down.

Best bit of the whole series tonight at 9pm, the interviews. Claude Littner is my hero.

I'll be glued to the screen tonight.

I'm glued to it when Roisin Hogan is on the screen.