The big finish. I'm sure you know who became Sir Alan Sugar's apprentice last night, but here's what happened. The last task involved launching a new men's fragrance (priced £29.99) to a room full of experts from Givenchy, Roja Dove and Estee Lauder.
The finalists were split into 2 teams by Sir Alan, and then had their numbers boosted by some ex-candidates: Alex and Helene led Renaissance, choosing to work with Raef, Kevin and Jenny M. Lee and Claire headed up Alpha, choosing to work with Simon, Jenny C and Michael.
The stage was set. But in 3 days' time, who would be smelling of success?
Helene is happy to have been partnered with Alex, but tensions soon arise when they struggle to come up with a fragrance name. Alex and Kevin arrive at a design company to discuss the creation of their bottle, which becomes nearly impossible without a brand name to direct their thoughts. Alex and Helen irritate each other on the phone, unable to choose on a name from a shortlist that includes "Enigma", "Trust" and "Connect". Eventually, a radical design for a bottle with a detachable segment for portability. This inspires the name "Dual".
Lee and Claire are doing much better, quickly settling on the name "Roulette". Claire and Michael host a focus group with a group of plumbers over what the fragrance should smell like. Meanwhile, Lee directs the campaign's advert, coaching two sexy actors through a James Bond-style casino scene.
Helene also goes to a fragrance house and decides to make "Dual" a mix of chocolate, candyfloss and vanilla. Nick isn't impressed with Renaissance so far, specifically Helene's dithering, although Alex seems to be leading the way with bottle design and naming. Alex becomes increasingly annoyed by Helene, who is trying to look calm and confident about their pitch, but is having the exact opposite effect.
Lee certainly isn't confident. A previous task proved he's not a good pitcher, but success in the final task rests on him delivering a confident pitch to 150 experts. Claire lends her support, but is secretly worried Lee might crack under the pressure and ruin her chances of becoming the new apprentice.
The launch night arrives. Helene and Alex are up first with "Dual". Their advert is appropriately slick, the pitch goes with a hitch, and the unique design of the bottle really impresses one industry expert. However, there is a concern the bottle would cost far too much to produce en masse. Alex plays down the financial concerns during the Q&A, but manufacturing costs is actually something his team never considered.
Claire and Lee get through their pitch well, as Claire shoulders most of the burden. Their Bond-style advert is a world away from Lee's "Atishu" fiasco weeks earlier, although concerns are raised that "Roulette" and the name's link to casinos might actually be promoting gambling.
But, broadly speaking, both launches go extremely well. The teams are called to Sir Alan's boardroom. Sir Alan raises the issue of "Dual" and its prohibitive cost to create, telling Alex and Helene: "the man from Givenchy told me that this design costs three to four times more to make than a normal bottle. You will have no money left for advertising!" They are forced to admit they lost sight of the financial side of the task. Unfortunately, that oversight, Nick's comments about how they were a shambles in day 1, and the fact "Dual" smelled pretty awful (and similar to Helene's real fragrance, too) means Sir Alan fires team Renaissance from the show.
So it's down to Lee and Claire for Alpha. Simon speaks up for both finalists, saying they were equally excellent throughout the task. The team leave, Sir Alan discusses things with Nick and Margaret one last time, and then Lee and Claire return to hear their fate...
Claire states her case: ""I came into the competition with a huge amount of drive. I was going at 100 miles and hour and I was going to cause an accident. What I've learned is to become more calm and considered. I feel that I have got all the pieces of my jigsaw together that I'm ready to do anything."
Lee does likewise: "Sir Alan, you should hire me because I've demonstrated over the last twelve weeks: my sales ability, my management ability, leading by example and man-management. I have managed three tasks which I have won. I have consistently delivered throughout this process. This makes me in my opinion, your next apprentice."
Sir Alan agrees that Claire has made significant improvements since her early weeks on the show and proven herself a gifted saleswoman and pitcher. But could he work with someone like her? She's also been in the boardroom a number of times, which is never a good thing. On the other hand, Lee has never been brought into the boardroom during the entire series. It's quite an accomplishment and surely counts for something. Indeed, Sir Alan gives his final statement: "it's been a long journey, as you know, and at this final hurdle I have to make a very serious decision. Claire you have some great attributes and Lee you're very convincing. You are very, very convincing. I've concluded -- Lee, you're hired."
Congratulations, Mr. McQueen! Despite atrocious spelling, several naff ideas, lying on your CV and doing a "reverse pterodactyl" impression during a job interview, he managed to snatch success from Claire at the last minute. The strange this is: I really can't complain. I've thought Claire would win for the past few weeks now, but I can't argue with the fact Lee's never been brought into the boardroom, and he would probably benefit the most from apprenticeship. So I'm happy with the outcome.
In some ways, the night's sister shows (You're Fired and You're Hired) were more entertaining than the final. Helene looked pretty hot and pleasantly humble. Alex also came across well, although still sounded genuinely bitter to be defeated at the last hurdle. Indeed, I can't help thinking it would have been a different story if Lee had been partnered with Helene. This wasn't the time for petty recriminations, so Alex and Helene put on a united front in defeat -- although I suspect Alex knew he had his work cut out with Helene (clearly the weakest of the four) on his team. And with self-deluded Kevin, too? Defeat was inevitable.
On You're Hired, Claire was a graceful runner-up. Apparently she's already been offered a job by Karren Brady, the Birmingham City Managing Director who interviewed her in last week's episode. The presence of Sir Alan was the best thing, as he keeps himself in the shadows throughout most of the series, and is undoubtedly the best thing about The Apprentice. I was pleased to see Sir Alan show his lighter side during the final, too -- with some funny remarks to the four finalists over a posh dinner.
Lee, properly shaved for once, also came across incredibly well. I agree with Sir Alan that he was the best apprentice of the two, when you stop to think about it. He may have been involved in more cringe-worthy moments than Claire, but these just lodged in your mind and distracted you from his positives: enthusiasm, charm, energy, drive, focus. He was flawed in ways most of us are (we've all lied on our CVs, for example) and, with the benefit of hindsight, it seems silly to have expected a comfortable win for Claire.
Mind you, did anyone else squirm when Adrian Chiles turned our attention to last year's winner Simon Ambrose, in the audience? When asked what Simon was up to 12 months later, Sir Alan delivered some spiel about a hazy project Simon's been involved with, showing very little enthusiasm. Up in the audience, Simon looked extremely uncomfortable -- almost as if he expected Sir Alan to use this opportunity to say "I made a terrible mistake last year. What's more, I've still got to pay the little twerp £100,000 a year, otherwise it'll look bad for the show." Or, who knows, maybe Simon's genuinely doing a great job.
And that's it for another year. Congratulations again to Lee, who I think will do a great job. He's certainly got more spark and attitude than the previous 3 winners, and seems like a genuine guy you could work with. It's a running joke that Sir Alan chooses the wrong winners, but it was a win-win situation with Claire and Lee. Even as someone who had almost resigned himself to seeing Claire get hired, I actually started to side with Lee during the task and particularly in the boardroom. His mute, astonished reaction when being told the news was a bit anticlimactic, though!
So, was Lee "that's warrum talkin' baaht!" McQueen the man for the job?
11 June 2008
BBC1, 9.00 pm (The Final)
BBC2, 10.00 pm (You're Fired!)
BBC1, 10.40 pm (You’re Hired!)
