The Apprentice 2017: Week 6 - "Bruges Tour"

The Rude Awakening & The Briefing:

·         5am, Liz answers the phone; going to the docks in Southampton, pack an overnight bag and cars will be 30 mins. (+50 to Liz)

·         Michaela, Sarah Jayne and Anisa play Scarf Wars (Anisa loses 40 points, Michaela loses 30, and Sarah Jayne loses 20)

·         Sarah/Saj/Harrison switch to Graphene, Anisa/Sarah Jayne/Jade switch to Vitality

·         Points for this section: +50 Liz, -20 Sarah Jayne, -30 Michaela, -40 Anisa

The Planning:

·         Sarah Jayne puts herself forward immediately, Charles volunteers but Andrew backs Sarah Jayne and the rest follow. Jade/Andrew/Michaela on sales team. (Sarah Jayne gains 40 points, and Charles 20)

·         Liz/Saj/Joanna/Harrison on tour, Liz as PM. Liz wants to go for a modern tour (Harrison has some misgivings) (Liz gets 40 for PM – can only assume she volunteered as nothing from LAS to say must be PM)

·         Sarah Jayne goes for a history tour, Andrew points out they need to be up on their facts and Sarah Jayne reckons Anisa will be good for the talking

·         Liz goes for a Segway tour, and chocolate tasting. She teaches them Flemish for ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’ (+15 for those language skills)

·         Sarah Jayne goes for horse and tram, and beer tasting (backs Andrew on that, he reckons it will be an easy sell) (Andrew gains 20 points for his idea being taken forward)

·         Liz decides to go for small manageable chunks for each person so that they can make a tapestry (huh?). She wants all 4 people on the tour

·         Anisa on tour, Charles on logistics (he takes his time and Anisa tells him to stop fannying about, Sarah Jayne is a bit worried about Anisa snapping but tells her that once they’ve worked out the logistics, they can help her on the facts) (Charles loses 15 points for Anisa’s outburst)

·         James starts selling tickets, 2 for £100 (Claude is impressed with his patter, but he’s not talking about modern Bruges it’s all Segway) (0 points for James as Claude both praised and critiqued him)

·         Andrew sells tickets for £87.50 each, sells it on the basis of the beer (Karren calls it a risky strategy). Anisa is ‘pissed off’ as she’s told them that she’s not good on facts, ‘we’ll help you’ but she’s not getting help.

·         Liz isn’t too happy that she can’t reach James via phone, but puts a positive spin that they must be doing well selling.

·         Andrew has sold 10 tickets, average of £82,50 each. Sarah Jayne decides to swap Andrew over to the other ST for the beer tasting, with herself moving to the sales team

·         James informs Liz that all of the tickets are sold – 14 for £50 each and last 2 for £40 each. Sarah’s worried that only a small portion of the tour is on Segway as that’s what they’ve sold it to the customers on, but James reckons they can manage expectations.

·         Points for this section: +55 Liz, +40 Sarah Jayne, +20 Andrew, +5 Charles

The Main Event:

·         Liz is worried about time, whilst Andrew starts off his tour with a bit of banter and a joke with the megaphone.

·         James/Sarah/Joanna go to negotiate price for the chocolate tasting, Liz gets her happy campers to say hello to the Square in Flemish

·         Charles gets his team lost, Andrew smooths it over but Charles reckons he’s got it.

·         Sarah Jayne/Jade/Michaela on beer tasting. 60 euros for 10 people, Sarah Jayne brings it down to 50, Michaela wants to get some samples and bottles too, and manages to get the lot for 95 euros. Michaela reckons Sarah Jayne isn’t confident in making decisions by herself (-15 for Sarah Jayne)

·         James leads on chocolate, wants to get a % of the sales and scores 5% (Claude praises Joanna for clinching that deal and criticises James in the process) (Joanna gains 30 and James loses 30)

·         Liz concerned on time again, Claude describes her as being meticulous but sucking the fun out of it all. (again 0 points as both praise and criticism)

·         Charles and Anisa are still lost, Karren calls it ‘stupid beyond belief’ that they haven’t realised the entrance will be inside the building. Anisa tries to give some facts but she thinks she’s messed up and is reading them from a notebook (-30 to both Charles and Anisa for Karren’s remark, Anisa loses a further 30 – 15 for messing up the facts and another 15 for reading them from a notebook; she’s no Lauren Riley)

·         Harrison gives a talk at the Market Square, but is essentially BSing, Claude says the tour group are disappointed and wouldn’t be surprised if they ask for refunds

·         Andrew asks Charles where they are, Charles tries to make out that they’ve done it on purpose (not lost but couldn’t find where they were looking for), gets help from one of the group

·         Liz brings her team out for a quick talk, wants to get the punters out by quarter past, Claude says Liz is denying herself the opportunity of getting more profit by being too keen to head to the next area. (-30 for Liz)

·         James/Joanna/Sarah get some souvenirs to bring back on the ship, Michaela/SJ/Jade buy some cheap keyrings

·         Andrew leads the beer tasting and makes a cheap joke about Charles leading them an extra 5000 steps (Karren reckons Andrew hasn’t got enough beer to fulfil his promise of a skinful) (-30 for Andrew)

·         ‘To infinity and beyond’ oh god Liz. Claude on a Segway is something, but they only got 10-15 mins on them.

·         Anisa does some more reading facts off a notebook and getting confused, Charles tries to save her a bit, Karren says ‘if you’re giving out information, we can’t hear it at the back’); Karren says really bad prepared, lack of direction, facts were scant, will be complaints (-30 for Charles and Anisa again)

·         All over at 5pm: Vitality – keyrings for £6, Graphene – wash bags, Bruges bags. Liz tells people to turn to the right and pat the person in front of them on the back. Sarah Jayne asks her team not to turn on her, reckons she’s done it to the best of her ability.

·         Points for this section: +30 Joanna, -15 Sarah Jayne, -30 Liz/James/Andrew, -60 Charles, -90 Anisa

The Initial Boardroom:

·         Vitality – Sarah Jayne thought needed to step up after comments from last boardroom, Charles always the bridesmaid and never the bride as he puts himself forward every week and never PM, Sarah Jayne explains their decisions well, 9.50 per person at the beer place, 50 keyrings for 100 euros; Anisa praised having Andrew on board (Karren describes his banter as laddish), 30 min walking tour took 3 hours (+15 for Andrew from Anisa’s praise but he loses 30 for Karren’s remark)

·         Graphene – Liz thought the idea for chocolate was a group decision but LAS reckons Harrison had the idea and encourages him to take credit (Harrison seemed to be confused himself), Liz’s reign of terror, James and Sarah thought the Segway tour was going to be 60-90 mins, James admits didn’t want to talk to the planning team, Sarah’s idea for the 5% margin, spent 210 euros for 22 items. Liz gets asked if she sells wreaths in her florist shop (she does and a lot apparently). (Harrison and Sarah gain 30 points each, James loses 30 for admitting going AWOL with the other ST)

·         Graphene: spend £180.54, tickets/souvenir sales £1139.60, refunds of £156 = £803.06

·         Vitality: spend £107.64, £993 tickets/souvenir sales, refunds of £165 = £660.36

·         Treat is going punting in Cambridge: Saj asks what Liz knows about management (a dozen people over 3 businesses, Liz reckons she's proven that she's not a joke)

·         Losers Café: Sarah Jayne reckons all did a good job, Andrew blames Charles for the tour (Charles reckons the souvenirs lost it), Anisa told that her having an encyclopedia to learn is not an excuse (Andrew) and she blames Sarah Jayne (Charles and Anisa lose 15 each from Andrew’s criticism, and Sarah Jayne loses 15 for Anisa blaming her)

·         Points for this section: +30 Harrison/Sarah, -15 Andrew/Anisa/Charles/Sarah Jayne, -30 James

The Losing Boardroom:

·         It was boring – were sold a pup, down to the beer. Charles implies sales team to blame (commentating after the horse has bolted according to LAS and Andrew reckons it’s a running theme). LAS praises other team for commission on sales, wonders why they didn’t do it (Michaela says had no choice given how the tour was sold). Andrew seems to think Anisa should have trained herself (she and Charles disagree). Anisa feels set up to fail (is Anisa short for anaesthetist). Andrew asked about his laddish behaviour – he says just trying to make light of a bad situation. Andrew criticises Anisa and Charles for getting lost, they say ‘well you were too busy mocking us’. Sarah Jayne brings back Andrew and Charles. (Charles loses 30 for LAS’ remark, and he and Anisa lose another 15 for Andrew’s criticism; Andrew and Charles lose 60 points each for being brought back)

·         -15 Anisa, -60 Andrew, -105 Charles

The Final 3 Boardroom:

·         Sarah Jayne: ‘oblivious of mistakes’ (LAS) ‘did right thing to go to souvenirs but bought the wrong ones’ (Karren)

·         Andrew: ‘lacks professional approach and acts like uni student’ (Karren) ‘sold the most’ (Claude)

·         Charles: ‘bull in a china shop’ (LAS) ‘skilled at hindsight’ (Karren)

·         LAS says will take into account performance over the last 6 weeks

·         Andrew – you had one job and you got us lost (to Charles), Charles blames Andrew. Sarah Jayne says overpromising the beer – Andrew says never said numbers. Whole thing was an embarrassing situation

·         Sarah Jayne – appointed herself PM as wanted to prove herself and hasn’t, Charles – ‘Mr Hindsight’ but what did he do right?, Andrew – already spoken to about attitude. Thinks won’t ever be a business partner and has boxed himself into a corner. Wonders what Sarah Jayne does – moved self over to convenient place, has been there for last 6 weeks and Sarah Jayne is therefore fired. Charles told to stop being a commentator and told to go back to the house. Andrew says will go in with a more professional attitude – ‘last chance is an understatement’ but gets told to go back.

·         Sarah Jayne doesn’t believe down to her, says Charles should have gone. Anisa says Andrew got a roasting but Charles should go (Michaela agrees), but Harrison reckons Charles will deffo be back (Michaela – ‘you haven’t worked with him’). Liz seemed happy to see Andrew!

Roll Call and Points Tallies:

Eternal Uni Student: Andrew (-85)

Get out the Violins: Anisa (-160)

Moving Wallpaper part 1: Bushra (0)

We’ll Get Lost Together: Charles (-175)

Lots of praise, Literally: Harrison (+30)

Was she actually there?: Jade (0)

Doing him down……: James (-60)

……to prop her up: Joanna (+30)

Reigning with Terror: Liz (+75)

Does she have a positive mode?: Michaela (-30)

Moving Wallpaper part 2: Sajan (0)

Hermione Granger: Sarah (+30)

A Firing of Convenience: Sarah Jayne (-10)

Points Rankings:

1.   Liz (+75)

=2. Harrison/Joanna/Sarah (+30)

=5. Bushra/Jade/Sajan (0)

8. Sarah Jayne (-10)

9. Michaela (-30)

10. James (-60)

11. Andrew (-85)

12. Anisa (-160)

13. Charles (-175)

Strictly Come Dancing 2017: Week 7 Review

I am so so sorry that this is as late as it is; I had planned numerous times to do a full rewatch but I kept falling asleep beforehand, so it's going to be a 5 thoughts based on just the dances again I'm afraid (week 8 will be back to normal).


Alexandra & Gorka - Cha Cha Cha - "I Got the Music in Me" (RECYCLED SONG ALERT! - Lulu & Brendan in series 9)

1. The thumbnail cracks me up, really, that face is as if she's sat on a washing machine doing a spin cycle (not that I've done it myself but I've heard it's a very pleasant sensation)

2. Speaking of faces, I would have liked it more had she not channelled Davood and had her mouth open most of the way through, you're not impersonating a goldfish now Alexandra!

3. Lots of sass, great footwork, excellent arms; I'm still waiting for that dance from Alex that will make me get up and clap and go 'wow!'. It's been close a couple of times (this one included) but hasn't quite got there for me yet.

4. That said, I did feel that she was off balance a few times and so I couldn't give a 10

5. A little overmarked to my taste, but given what I said before, I would give 36 which is still a good score.


Mollie & AJ - Foxtrot - "Call Me Irresponsible" (RECYCLED SONG ALERT! - Letitia & Darren in series 5)

1. At least it's not Bublé, but seriously, hasn't Mollie been on in the first 3 almost all the way through? It's as if TPTB want her out.....

2. She had the straight arm thing going on again, naughty Mollie!

3. Yep she messed up on the end of the pivot section and the end was a little scruffy; but I struggle to see what was so wrong with this in the eyes of the judges.

4. Her footwork was good (apart from that little hiccup aforementioned), hold good (apart from the straight arm), and AJ has choreographed a lovely routine (and I find most Foxtrots a little boring to watch)

5. I think I would have given 30 for this.


Joe & Katya - Charleston - "Alexander's Ragtime Band"

1. *standing ovation*

2. I knew it would be good from seeing him do swivel on It Takes Two during the week, but I didn't think it would be this good!

3. Fabulous mix of technique and comedy, whoever choreographed this should get an award, the routine was that marvellous.

4. Only one small hiccup that I could see, but how this didn't get 10s I do not know.

5. Because there was only one mistake (for me anyway) - has to be a 39.


Gemma & Aljaz - Salsa - "Sun Comes Up"

1. Ooh no, not a fan of this.

2. Gemma was lacking in energy from the start, even before the hesitation going into the first lift. I understand that she was injured, but the routine just didn't seem fast enough for a Salsa (although I don't think the song helped....)

3. Nice to see Ashley Taylor Dawson's Paso Doble saloon doors get another airing though.

4. And I did like Gemma's sass at the beginning, but then she just completely lost it and was kind of going through the motions

5. I'm really not sure of how to place this, so I'll go with a score of 26 (which iirc is what the judges gave her anyway)


Aston & Janette - Viennese Waltz - "Who's Loving You?"

1. Well I can answer the title of the song: not the British public or the judges (this week anyway)

2. Haha the thumbnail has Aston without his afro on!

3. This dance is basically Janette overacting, and having an awful hand position on Aston's shoulder.

4. I was that distracted that I struggled to really watch Aston, but then I do hate contempowafty Ballroom routines (I blame Artem, he got the ball rolling with Holly and then Natalie took the mick)

5. Again, difficult to place this but just for the sheer overacting taking place of all else, it can't have been that good, therefore will give 22.

Ruth & Anton - Paso Doble - "The Shady Dame from Seville"

1. I think this is one of those that I'll rewatch again and again, if only for the comedy.

2. In all honesty, one of Ruth's best dances, she's developed into such a good little performer.

3. The stalking kicks were awesome, must be said, and she was trying with the shaping.

4. Loved how when Hayley did her opera-bit, how it was choreographed for Ruth and Anton to be like 'stuff it, we can't compete with that'

5. I think it was better than her Tango, and a little better than Gemma so 27 for me.


Debbie & Giovanni - Tango - "I Gotta Feeling"

1. Not a 40, much as I love this couple, nope, nuh-uh, no siree.

2. What I do have to give her credit for though, is the staccato and sharpness, she did really have that down.

3. Her right arm did seem to shake a little at times, and I thought her posture was slightly off when they were coming down the centre towards the front.

4. Great routine from Gio again though, he's working wonders with Debbie. I also liked how the band slightly changed the start of the track to have more percussion in there, felt that really worked.

5. I think I would have to give this a 36 to match Alexandra, they were on a par for me in terms of mistakes.


Jonnie & Oti - Salsa - "Turn Me On"

1. That boy can lift! Still can't believe the guy is a year younger than me at 24.....

2. That reminds me, I remember when this came out back in the early 00s, man I feel old.

3. Is the Salsa one of those dances where you're meant to have your weight forward a bit? If so then I can understand what the judges meant about his upper body being good, otherwise, HUH? His footwork was much better than his upper half!

4. Not a fan of the choreography (Jonnie needed much more to do), but I will say this, he was really enjoying himself, no acting coach needed for this routine.

5. I would say on balance, a score of 24 seems fair.


Susan & Kevin - Jive - "This Ole House" (RECYCLED SONG ALERT! - Michael & Natalie in series 10)

1. I must admit, I did watch the famous Michael Vaughan & Natalie Lowe Jive to this song, and I don't really get the hype about that one? This one I did though!

2. They do look like rejects from Hairspray though with that hair, has to be said.

3. KEVIN WASN'T OVERDANCING?!? It's a Christmas miracle! (Come early)

4. No this routine was fun and entertaining with some good technique in there too. Props to Kevin. Susan was picking up her feet and keeping up with Kevin in all of the kicks and flicks (which doesn't normally happen so she did well). I do get what the judges said about her needing more retraction, but considering this should on paper have been an awful dance for her, she's come up trumps I think.

5. Score-wise, hmm, I'll put her just ahead of Mollie I think and give her 31.


Davood & Nadiya - American Smooth - "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)"

1. Parent Trap music! (The one with Lindsay Lohan back before the drugs got to her, she did a passable English accent too, fair play to her)

2. CLOSE YOUR MOUTH DAVOOD! *sigh* Sorry I got a bit Shirley-like there. Ahem. Yes he was doing his goldfish impression again. Sadly.

3. "The Bum Lift" though, that was stunning. Full kudos to him for being able to do that.

4. Footwork and frame were great, Nadiya has finally learned that traditional choreography can be good (aside from that bit on the floor at the beginning, that was a little weird), let's hope she keeps it up.

5. I think I'll have to put him with Alex and Debbie, so 36 it is.


My Leaderboard:
1. Joe & Katya - 39
=2. Alex & Gorka, Debbie & Giovanni, Davood & Nadiya - 36
5. Susan & Kevin - 31
6. Mollie & AJ - 30
7. Ruth & Anton - 27
8. Gemma & Aljaz - 26
9. Jonnie & Oti - 24
10. Aston & Janette - 22



RECYCLED SONG ALERTS this week: 3 (1/3 of the dances, naughty little pixies)
RECYCLED SONG ALERTS overall: 27

The Apprentice 2017: Week 5 - "Lord Sugar's Birthday"

You know the drill by now (Vitality, Graphene, Advisors, LAS), here's the treasure hunt task that we look forward to every year:

The Rude Awakening & The Briefing:

·         5am, a shirtless Ross answers the phone (50 points to him)

·         They’re going to a primary school?

·         Anisa wants a couple of the boys to come over, your wish is their command!

·         And here’s Jade vs Joanna starting again…… god help Jade as we already know Joanna is PM

·         Bushra takes over from Joanna in the ‘Cannot Wear a Coat Properly’ game (30 points lost for Bushra)

·         James gets his wish to move over to Graphene

·         No one plays Scarf Wars this week, but Joanna did have some ribbon showing from her coat (-5 points for her for not cutting it off)

·         It’s the Treasure Hunt task, yay!

·         Points for this section: +50 Ross, -5 Joanna, -30 Bushra

Initial Planning:

·         Saj and Charles put their hats in the ring, Michaela backs Saj and he is elected PM; Harrison STL with Andrew and Sarah. (40 points for Saj, 20 for Charles for volunteering, 15 to Harrison for being made STL)

·         Joanna interrupts Jade again, and also interrupts Liz. Bushra made STL with Elizabeth and Jade (the 2 people who Joanna cannot stand) (15 points to Bushra)

·         Retro car aerial, scarlet doeskin, monogrammed handkerchief, rugelach (Charles knows what it is), Amstrad computer, 1947 item, bricks and mortar, and a Tottenham scarf are 8 of the items, who knows what the other 2 are

·         Karren criticises Graphene spending an hour planning and still not knowing what 2 of the items are and dividing items randomly (-30 for the team)

·         Ross wants to group items by theme (or location I think he means) but Saj wants them both to start from outskirts and work their way in

·         Points for this section: +40 Saj, +20 Charles, +15 Harrison, -15 Bushra, -30 Anisa/Jade/James/Joanna/Liz/Sarah Jayne

The Hunt:

·         Claude criticises Charles being Jewish and yet trying to find rugelach in a Turkish supermarket (there's always one Claude) (-30 points for Charles)

·         Joanna: ‘is Lord Sugar even Jewish?’ *facepalm*; she does find out what rugelach is, and decides to handle the entire pitch herself not wanting any interruptions. James jumps in to get the rugelach and birthday cake for £23 (when the seller initially wanted £35 for the rugelach alone) (-20 points for Joanna for sheer stupidity, James gains 15 for the negotiation)

·         Saj and Michaela get the cake and rugelach for £50 and Claude criticises Saj for looking in Hampstead where prices are high (-30 points for Saj)

·         Liz goes on the pitch for the monogrammed handkerchief, she manages to get £14.50 for it compared to £30 originally, but she kept trying to get it reduced and Karren criticises her for time-wasting. (-30 for Karren’s critique, but she'll gain 15 back for the negotiation)

·         Bushra has a go at Liz (what else is new), and Joanna manages to source an Amstrad computer (-15 for Liz)

·         Sarah gets stamps from 1947 for £5.50 (down from £7.50), Harrison tries for the Amstrad computer but the other team have clearly called ahead already. The seller says she’ll go with whoever gets there first (she’s obviously watched this show before). Joanna’s sub-team get there first, the seller tries to fob them off, but James saves the day again getting it for £88 (instead of £120). (Another 15 points to James, and Sarah gains 15)

·         Saj swaps the items over so his ST will get the Amstrad computer and Harrison’s ST will get the Tottenham scarf instead. Ross thinks this is a bad idea, and when Michaela goes into a store to get the monogrammed handkerchief (for £10 but not embroidered), he asks whether they should be getting it embroidered but gets shut down by Michaela (-15 for Ross)

·         Sarah Jayne gets the aerial, whilst Joanna wants James to use his rapport with the bakery shop owner to get the Tottenham scarf (which he manages) (James gets another 15 points)

·         Saj sources the Amstrad computer, but it will be a struggle to make it back

·         Bushra goes to pitch for the bricks and mortar, Elizabeth steps in to get the deal but Bushra criticises her for being unprofessional (both as an aside and on camera) (no points as the 15 Liz would have gained are taken away by Bushra’s comments)

·         Harrison’s ST struggle to get the bricks and mortar due to the merchants being closed, which Andrew blames Harrison for; Ross doesn’t think they’ll have enough time to get the computer, but Michaela and Charles have a go at him ‘if you have any better ideas…’ (-15 points for Harrison and Ross)

·         Anisa gets the scarf for £30; Bushra sources the doeskin but they’re worried about time, Joanna says to go for it as she reckons she’ll be late anyway; Bushra gets the doeskin for £5 (down from £10); Sarah gets the scarf for £11. All of Saj’s team get back on time, but none of Graphene are there. Bushra’s ST are there for 7.45 but Joanna’s ST aren’t (which Jade is not happy about) (Bushra gains 15 points)

·       Points for this section: +45 James, +15 Sarah/Bushra,-15 Harrison, -20 Joanna, -30 Charles/Sajan/Liz/Ross

Initial Boardroom:

·         Vitality: admit they didn’t initially know what the scarlet doeskin was (I wouldn't and I'm a Politics graduate so I think we can forgive them for it), Andrew reckons Saj gave good direction initially (+15 for Sajan)

·         Graphene: Joanna asked why she put Jade and Liz with Bushra (we ALL know why), James explains how he got the rugelach and scarf, Sarah Jayne called ‘no fireworks no disasters’ by Karren, Bushra criticises Liz and Jade for not giving her much backing. (Sarah Jayne loses 30 points for Karren’s comment, Liz and Jade lose 15 each for Bushra’s criticism)

·         Vitality: £82.50 spent, 3 items missing = £347.53 fine, = £430.03

·         Graphene: £210.70 for all 9, £100 late fine = £310.70

·         Joanna starts happy crying after winning, treat is to go to a 1940s bar

·         Joanna says she feels amazing and relieved that she can justify her past actions (really, you think this justifies you being a whiny bitch previously? No love, just no)

·         Liz shades Bushra (-15 for Bushra)

·         Loser Café: Sarah says going geographically was the wrong move, Saj reckons ST should have been able to source their items, Ross says Harrison is to blame for their team not getting the computer, Andrew blames Saj for setting them up to fail with the strategy being off (-15 for Harrison and Saj after Ross/Andrew’s comments)

·        Points for this section: -15 Bushra/Harrison/Jade/Liz/Saj, -30 Sarah Jayne

Losing Team Boardroom:

·         Harrison says not planned correctly from beginning, was asked about his plan – says still looking to source items while travelling, LAS says about they were outside builders merchants but went off to get the computer, Harrison says they at least gave themselves a chance of getting the computer. Saj blames ST for not telling him they were struggling to get their items; Ross gets asked what he did ‘I knew that you’d ask me that’ – meant to lead logistics, apparently he’s useless because he didn’t clinch a deal, he claims not getting the computer was the problem; Saj gets criticised for choosing to avoid the late fine over getting the computer; Charles argues with Michaela over the pitch of the cake; Sarah blames Saj for failure of task, Saj ‘can’t hold everyone’s hand’, brings back Harrison and Ross (Harrison doesn’t initially lose anything as he did make a good point about them giving themselves a shot at getting the higher-value item in the computer by forgoing the bricks and mortar, but he does then lose 60 for being brought back. Whole ST (Harrison/Sarah/Andrew) lose 15 for Saj’s blaming them. Ross is potentially right in saying that not getting the computer was the problem, so he won’t lose anything either at that point, but will lose 60 for being brought back. Saj loses 45 (30 for the critique over avoiding the late fine, and 15 for Sarah blaming him).

·         Points for this section: -15 Sarah/Andrew, -45 Sajan, -60 Ross, -75 Harrison

Final 3 Boardroom:

·         Ross: ‘more academic than a doer’ (Karren)

·         Saj: ‘good talker’ (LAS) ‘talked a good game but didn’t carry through’ (Claude)

·         Harrison: ‘Sarah was directing things’ (Claude) ‘worked hard’ (Karren)

·         Harrison says got 3 of the 4 items in the end, Saj says he should have had initiative to get the bricks. Ross would love to know why he’s the failure but LAS reckons he’s done nothing, Ross brings up when he was PM in week 2 and blames Harrison for not getting the computer; Harrison says picked as STL twice. Ross says ‘not just a technical person, have versatile skill set’ (seems like if you’re clever you get criticised for it). Saj says ‘here to be mentored’ and blames Harrison. (-45 for Harrison, and -15 for Ross)

·         Summary: Saj ultimately responsible as PM and lack of communication and strategy is poor, Harrison talks well but not impressed at all and not successful as STL, Ross maybe a genius and unfair to lay the blame on someone who did nothing but wonders if really made for business, Saj’s explanation for being here not good enough, but Ross a fish out of water and whilst he wishes him all the best and good luck he is fired. LAS says early-ish in the process and they caught him on a good day.

·         Ross knew this task wasn’t the one for him, that’s why he got fired

·         Michaela says Ross is 100% the weakest of the 3 and would be devastated if Saj and Harrison didn’t come back. (-15 for Ross)

·        Points for this section: -30 Ross, -45 Harrison

 

My thoughts on strategy and the boardroom:

·         With this task, it’s better in the long run to spend a bit of time planning and then heading out, rather than trying to source on the fly. If I were PM, my team would go over what each item was, whether it is a high-end, middle-end or low-end item, and what sort of place you would be likely to find it. Look to divide the items up by location (so neither ST is going here, there and everywhere) and then try to source at least 1 item before leaving. Make the high-end items the main priority (so the Amstrad computer for this year) and go from there. Ask the ST to call you periodically, and let you know progress (whether they’ve found any items or if they are struggling for any). Ensure (or try to) that on each ST there is someone who knows London geography reasonably well, and someone who is decent at negotiation.

·         Saj was kind of in the right ballpark in terms of grouping the items geographically, but he should have done it based on where you’re most likely to find them and not going to the outskirts and then working in. It’s better to stay in a closer proximity to your finish point as much as possible so that you then avoid the late fines (although if Graphene were any indication then the late fines wouldn’t matter).

·         Speaking of the late fine – as it was only £100, I’m guessing it’s a flat £50 fee for any ST who is late? It didn’t sound as though the candidates knew what the late fine was, otherwise I think Sajan would have gone to get the computer anyway and damn being late.

·         Also, how do they work out the fine for not getting the item? We know Vitality didn’t get the computer or the bricks and mortar (I’m not sure what else they missed) – but it was nearly £350 in fines; even if you divide that equally by 3, that would come to around £116 for the computer alone (and seeing as they didn’t tell us on the 3^rd item, I’m guessing it wasn’t a high-end one, and I doubt the bricks and mortar would have been that sort of money either) which is just short of the amount that they lost by, therefore Ross was completely correct in saying that the problem was not getting the computer.

·         I felt quite sorry for Ross this week, he made some good points but he got shut down every time (I thought he was right on the handkerchief too – as far as I’m aware monogramming a handkerchief would involve embroidery of some sort (I am aware monograms can be printed too), so I don’t know why Michaela was so snappy with him on that). It is amusing how every time someone academic goes on the show they get mocked for it (LAS would hate me then, as I’m a graduate and my degree is in Law & Politics; I also happen to be a former member of Mensa so a triple firing for me).

·         One more thing, if you get asked specifically to look at one thing, I don’t see why you should be criticised for not doing something else (ie Ross being asked to look at logistics and being criticised for not doing any of the negotiations) – you follow the direction that you’re given surely?

Roll Call and Points Tallies: 

Where was he?: Andrew (-15)

All She Did was Get a Scarf: Anisa (-30)

Opinions are like……: Bushra (-45)

Taking Credit where it’s NOT Due: Charles (-10)

Faulty Computer: Harrison (-125)

Bored Now: Jade (-45)

Saviour of the Task: James (+15)

Do Not Interrupt Me, Ever: Joanna (-55)

Haggle, Haggle and Haggle Some More: Liz (-75)

Bang Bang, I Shot You Down: Michaela (0)

Bang Bang, He Hit the Ground: Ross (-70)

Geographically Challenged: Sajan (-50)

Directing the Action: Sarah (0)

No Fireworks & No Disasters: Sarah Jayne (-60)

And the Points Rankings for this week:

1. James (+15)

=2. Sarah/Michaela (0)

4. Charles (-10)

5. Andrew (-15)

6. Anisa (-30)

=7. Bushra/Jade (-45)

9. Sajan (-50)

10. Joanna (-55)

11. Sarah Jayne (-60)

12. Ross (-70)

13. Liz (-75)

14. Harrison (-125)