Sweet success for some: a review of The Apprentice 2018, episode 10
“You’re fired”. The two words that have become a household phrase. What individual coined this fiery statement? Lord Alan Sugar, when he crushes the dreams of yet another young hopeful looking for the substantial investment of £250,000 in their business plan.
Unlike other years, this year has really impressed me — not with the calibre of the contestants, but the filming, the tasks, the comedy and the overall production of the show.
The Apprentice has always had a strong and consistent structure: start with the task, see the teams create an action plan, watch the teams carry out said plan (usually poorly), straight into the boardroom for a barrel-load of abuse, and then the climax — who's next on the hit list?
The episode started out with a familiar sight, an aerial view of the Canary Wharf skyline. This shot has always impressed me; it sets the scene and adds a serious tone to the show, unlike its counterparts which are usually more light-hearted.
Lord Sugar surprised the contestants this week by turning up to the luxury inner city house at the crack of dawn, to greet the unexpectant individuals still half asleep.
The contestants had to create their own chocolate product, in which both teams had good original ideas, but — as we have seen many times before — the final product was “lacklustre”.
During team Typhoon’s pitch to the Co-Op, they decided to open with a dancing number and tried to include the three steely-eyed businesswomen who were not impressed. At all.
Now, this situation is awkward anyway, but the decision to leave out backing music and focus the cameras on the reaction of the businesswomen was genius — I have rarely witnessed a more cringeworthy moment in my life.
Recently, Lord Sugar’s comedic puns and insults have been accused of being scripted, but this time his words seemed to flow naturally: “If I was a chocolate, I’d be a rich one with a hard centre.” It was met with a quiet chuckle from the contestants, and I’ll admit I found it reasonably humorous.
Overall, I really enjoyed this episode. There were some great camera shots, excellently timed backing music, and the comedic effect hit the nail on the head.
With just five contestants left to go, who will be pointed at next by the business behemoth?
