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What Happened?
Last week I was surprisingly happy with the episode that unfolded. It was an interesting, complex task that required genuine brain power. The Apprentice built my hopes up slightly. Maybe the second half of the season will be stronger? After week 9 there is a strong possibility that the show may have saved itself.
So what happened in week 9?
Lord Sugar tasked the candidates with another food task. Remember the burger task? Dreadful. This one is slightly different in that the teams must create a brand new recipe kit. This task requires marketing strategy and an understanding of a tasty dish to cook. Harrison Jones project managed Vitality and Sarah Lynn led Graphene.
How did the teams approach the task?
In terms of the quality produced by both teams, “Food Box” was an absolute disaster on such desperate levels. It was unforgivable, what we had to witness. We are a slave to our couches because we cannot let go of Lord Sugar’s egotistical TV show. Vitality went for healthy food. Harrison somehow convinced himself that making a chicken curry was the route to go down, whilst poor Michaela Wain nervously cooked the dish. I am pretty confident that they just made it up on the spot and luckily it tasted good. You have to question what was so healthy about it? Zero vegetables.
As for team Graphene, they went for gourmet. Very risky if you have no idea how to cook that type of food. Their concept was not actually a bad idea, but executing it was obviously too hard to muster because, in the end, they burnt their risotto and salmon. I could almost smell the crusty sapphire through the screen. I almost imagined Gordon Ramsay standing over them, smashing his fists into the mashed fish.
What blunders occurred in “Food Boxes”?
Blunders? More like meltdowns. Firstly, what the hell is going on between Jade and Joanna? The tension was unbelievable. I could understand Jade’s frustration that her colleague would not shut her persistent mouth about the word “root”. I had to agree that Joanna was more of an irritant than support. If it was me, I would have sent her out of the room and brainstormed by myself. This provided eye-catching TV as both women decided to have a full-blown argument. If you want to understand the definition of passive aggressiveness, then watch this episode of The Apprentice.
The next meltdown is between James and Elizabeth. Now, I am not sure if there is some kind of weird relationship between them, but I cannot fathom the dynamic. Why can James not just say “no”? Elizabeth once again has the dark horse wrapped around her finger. The reality is, she is a control freak, and even when it comes to cooking, and making sure the heat is right, she cannot let go.
The best candidate for episode 9?
James – he is still the dark horse. I will explain why later.
The worst candidate in week 9?
The entire pitch delivered by team Graphene was an absolute s**t show. What the hell were they doing? If you have a panel of food experts ready to hear you justify a gourmet risotto here is rule number 1: Do not make Donald Trump jokes, and definitely do not make a weird, almost sexual script about two characters called Salt and Pepper. It was an absolute disgrace, and as Karen Brady stated it was toe-curling. There is no worst candidate, just a bad team altogether. After that pitch, they all deserved to be fired.
How was the boardroom?
Episode 9 probably produced the best boardroom to date. Everyone was out for each other but the standout moment was from James. The reason why he was the candidate of the week was for his outrageously on point statement to Bushra:
“Bushra, you’ve done nothing in 9 weeks”.
That off-hand statement hurt to the core. She knew it, the boardroom knew it, and it was completely uninterrupted. Well played James. It was no surprise that Bushra, the quiet candidate who did absolutely nothing, got fired this week. The one thing that irked me to my bones is that Lord Sugar clearly has a soft spot for Elizabeth McKenna. I have a sneaky feeling that my prediction is wrong and she may snatch this. I hope I am wrong because I find her incredibly infuriating.
Is The Apprentice turning a corner?
It is but not because of anything intelligent. The candidates this year are still poor excepting James. If he was on the show a few years earlier he would not look as strong. It is turning the corner purely from an entertainment perspective. The blunders, arguments, tension and shockingly unprofessional moments are saving season 13 and most probably keeping its loyal audience for next year.
Keep watching?
We are here for the long haul. Crushing our soul week by week. A part of me wants it to be over but another part of me wants to see more indescribable errors.
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