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The Apprentice UK – You're HiredWas the right candidate chosen as Sir Alan’s apprentice?After twelve entertaining weeks, the fourth series of The Apprentice UK saw Lee McQueen win the opportunity to work for Sir Alan Sugar. However, was it the right choice?
By looking at the entire series as a whole it was obvious that there was only one person who should have won: Claire Young. She was the late favourite but was just piped to the post by her teammate in a final task which involved designing and launching a new fragrance for men. Why Claire Young Should Have WonOver the course of the series Claire changed from a loud mouth who constantly strived to take control (constantly annoying Sir Alan in the process) to a fairly laid back, encouraging person who proved to be one of the most determined and hard working on the show. She truly shone when presenting and pitching ideas and certainly made key contributions to each task. If The Apprentice is about choosing someone who has shown that they can adapt to changing situations and learned from experience, then that was Claire. Okay, she was brought to the boardroom for half the series but that’s what usually happens to the bigger characters that make their presence known. Although in the first few tasks it was justified due to her unprofessional attitude, she took Sir Alan’s criticisms to heart and turned into an inspirational team leader. “That’s What I’m Talking About”That’s not to take anything away from the winner. In terms of all round entertainment, Lee was the star of Apprentice series four. His occasional referrals to himself in the third person, the pterodactyl impression, his constant shouts of “that’s what I’m talking about” when his team did well and his rant about bin bags were the best moments of the twelve weeks. It didn’t make him a winner though. When discussing his chosen apprentice on the ‘You’re Hired’ special which aired after the final, Sir Alan said: “I thought about how many times he was in the final three in the board room and he was never there. He seemed to give it his all, contribute and was a team player.” Sir Alan Gets It WrongThere’s no arguing with the opinions of the man himself, but it appears that on this occasion his judgement was clouded by Lee’s passion rather than his ability. While being an all round decent bloke and a very good seller, Lee showed he was prone to losing his temper and isn’t the best at presenting himself or the products. Although he’s a nice guy and deserved his place in the final, he did stumble in places and would be better suited on NutsTV than at Sir Alan’s side. An Unusual End For a Great YearIt was unconventional ending right from the start. In a bizarre twist of events, Sir Alan chose four candidates for the final instead of the traditional two. This was perhaps a sign that in this series the candidates were an improvement on previous years, or it was a simple ploy to boost ratings; who knows? Claire and Lee were easily the better team and worked together well, while Helene and Alex spent too much time arguing. It was a shame the previously impressive Alex managed to fall at the last hurdle due to small fault of his own. Helene on the other hand was responsible for some of this series’ lowest scenes, as her constant bickering and negativity almost ruined this enjoyable series. She shouldn’t have made it passed the third week, nevermind to the final four. But that’s television. Even though the wrong choice was made, at the end of the day it was still a good series overall and is a benchmark that will be tough to reach next year.
The copyright of the article The Apprentice UK – You're Hired in British TV is owned by Steven Cookson. Permission to republish The Apprentice UK – You're Hired in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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