Somebody seperate the girls!

by The Receptionist on September 29th, 2009

After this week’s episode, I think we can all see it is time to separate the teams before the girl’s pull each other’s hair out. Everybody is talking about the fireworks between Aoiffe and Geraldine however did anyone notice Lucinda getting the dig in at Geraldine’s opinion of the billboards while in the taxi. Unfortunately for Aoiffe, she has been shown as the first candidate to really have a rant about someone, but something tells me it’s in her character to do so anyway.

I really did enjoy Lucinda and Aoiffe’s effort at trying to go up for team leader but secretly praying to themselves that someone else would take the job instead. Girls, come on, you are going to have to step up to the plate at some stage.

As for the presentations, fair play to Samantha for coming up with the concept but the music? I was half expecting 10 knights on horseback to ride in. Her ideas are a bit way out there for me. Poor Setanta died a death while the rest of his team stood mute.

Breffny can be safe in the knowledge that if his stint on The Apprentice does not work out, he can always get a gig on a Kleenex ad. Several stages last night I thought he was going to need the tissues. I thought his comment on how you can’t fool Bill twice was a classic as… eh Bref you already have?

And finally Donal, what can I say. I hated his negativity and his temper; however I did think last night he may have been a little unlucky. Stephen and Brendan obviously have a little “boys together” plan, and so Donal and Boardroom Bref were the obvious options to bring back.

The Receptionist

Ready, steady….Samsung flop!

by Nicky on September 29th, 2009

Ready, steady……Samsung flop! I was really excited about the second episode as there was a fantastic opportunity for the candidates to really showcase their skills. Having been there myself I wanted them to do well but unfortunately it was not to be. There was so much wrong with this task for both teams.
I was surprised to see how reluctant both Aoiffe and Lucinda were to push themselves forward for this task as they both would have been the most experienced. They had a great brand, an excellent product and a fantastic chance to do a really innovative billboard campaign! I personally would have jumped at this opportunity!
 
The girls started off well with Sam, (after last week’s shenanigans) surprisingly having a good idea! She was very positive and her energy was high, but she has to tone it down! Once you start having faith in her the singing and theatrics begin, which overshadow any business skills she actually might have. Aoiffe of course was quick to point out what an attention seeker Sam was, but at least Sam tried. I have seen nothing but negativity from Aoiffe, herself and Geraldine clashed throughout the task but I thought Geraldine dealt with the confrontation very professionally. The relay idea had potential but could have been developed further and been more innovative, it came across as being very safe. I know from last year how the time constraints can impact on you, and how the pressure can cause you to forget the little things, but it is so important to have a time line from the beginning of the task to avoid missing the smaller details i.e. casting times?! Attention to detail is key in these tasks and the aforementioned errors should never have happened! Meeting the photographer without confirming whether or not they had a picture of the phone? Black phone on a black background? This is all common sense and the fact that they could not recognise the significance of this is worrying to say the least. In order to learn you sometimes have to make mistakes, I know this too well, so I think Lucinda has good potential and led team well, but she needs to tweak the small things, sit back and think the task through in detail.
 
 The boys, what can I say, they were all over the place from the beginning! Not to have a concept by day 2 is shocking! How can you get anywhere when you don’t even know the destination! Booking models, venues etc… when no campaign was agreed was simply ludicrous. Communication between the team was poor, while the idea was boring and weak! Chú Chulainn ignored direction given from Samsung and I found it totally hilarious to see how surprised they all were by the negative feedback they received! They looked like they were selling a camera! “Live Enjoy Dream” L.E.D!!!!…..each week is more frustrating!!!
 
I thought that Bill went too easy on both teams this week and although the girls won they made fundamental mistakes which Bill should have been less lenient about. Surprise surprise the “boys of bad business-men past” lost and thankfully Donal went! He is full of hot air, lacks basic business acumen and in all honesty seems clueless to the “real world”. I was glad to see him go! I am still anxiously waiting for the tide to turn and to see some genuine contenders. In relation to the group so far, I doubt Bill looks in the mirror and thinks “They’re terrific!!”

Episode 2 catch up

by Meteor on September 29th, 2009

Creativity was the name of the game in this week’s task, when both teams were asked to create an advertising billboard for the Samsung Jet mobile phone.  Both Stephen and Lucinda were chosen as team leaders, however for someone with marketing experience, Lucinda was a bit slow in putting herself foward.

Samantha was the one to step up to the plate for the girls providing a concept early on in the day, while the boys struggled to come up with anything decent. In fact they were still trying to come up with the concept just before they went into production. Both teams had to present their billboards. The girls had quite a dramatic affair using a piece of music that Samantha decided to compose especially for the presentation. The boys waffled their way through their presentation and left out an integral part of the brief.
Back in the boardroom the boys were under fire once again. Stephen chose to bring Donal and Breffny back into the boardroom – déjà vu for the boys.  Stephen learned the hard way that you have to have a direction to know where you are going in any project. Breffny huffed and puffed in his usual style, but in the end Donal had to take the firing.

Should Craig have been fired?

by Nicky on September 25th, 2009

Only a few more days to go and I have the itch for more Apprentice action, I love it because I can enjoy this year as opposed to watching through one eye, afraid of what I might see next. I can continue  my  role as a couch expert!
 
There has been a debate all week whether  Craig should have been fired?   Yes he should! He seems like a  nice guy but he lost control of his team and could not regain it. There is limited time to make an impression and unless Bill  can see the fire in you,  your time is up.  Craig lacked the passion  and leadership qualities required to win,  so for Bill he had to go.  There were no risks taken from either team  in this task.  They could have  easily charged more for the ice creams and if this failed drop  them as the day went on.  Last year we sold bananas for €1 no problem and made a huge profit from  the  fruit selling task. With all the hype the teams had surrounding them,  they had a captive audience and could have demanded more. €415 profit between 8 people isn’t going to rock the economy or their wallets!
 
 So what can we expect from the next episode? From the clips  at the end of the first episode  I predict an advertising task of some sort,  it would be great to see their creative side and  whether or not the candidates can work as a team, take all ideas on board  to achieve  the best result or  simply think of number one to take  all the credit!  I can see fireworks between Aoiffe and Geraldine! If the brilliant unseen clip “battle of the drama queens” is anything to go by, Aoiffe will be a feisty one! If  it is an advertising task Sam will  undoubtedly  invent an infamous jingle but I really think she should choo choo  her way out of the Apprentice!  I would like to see more of Jennifer as she was very quiet last week,  hard to tell  whether  she is  a real contender or not. Girls are the stronger candidates for me so far and I have confidence in Maria, I hope to see her grow  throughout the series. Steve did shine last week, he is the hot runner voted by you all and at the moment I agree. 
 
My advice to them would be to pull up their  socks,  as they aren’t doing themselves or the country any good as Irelands 14 future business brights. Each team needs to focus,  pay more attention to detail and understand the task – READ THE BRIEF. All 14 seemed far too  relaxed in the boardroom, leaning back  in their chairs as if it was a Sunday afternoon, interrupting Bill, overall very nonchalant! We were almost afraid to breathe last year and took it very seriously!  Bill will not tolerate  this and I can see them  all getting a quick boot  up the backside if things don’t change. Candidates,  this is not a holiday! All said  and done I can’t wait to see them on Monday
 
Until Tuesday! Nicky

My thoughts on this year’s candidates!

by The Receptionist on September 25th, 2009

As the week draws to a close, it won’t be long until the second task on Monday. Last week I was majorly impressed with Steve, not just for his gorgeous strong blue eyes, but for his confidence in jumping in when needed. Geraldine also shone for me, she got right into the selling and wasn’t embarrassed selling on the streets. If you hadn’t had a chance yet to view some of the unseen footage, make sure to take a look at Aoiffe laying into the poor performance man, wanting to hold his show in peace. The claws are certainly out. Can’t wait to see more of this feisty side.

What on earth will Sam bring to the table next week? Are we going to be forced to listen to more childish tunes and ridiculous theatrics? If she would only calm down for a second maybe she might come up with something decent.  Some of the girls have been very quiet and I am hoping to see more of their personalities this week. I particularly think Jennifer now needs to speak up.

Dying for the next episode

The Receptionist

Could Geraldine overtake Aoiffe in the fashion stakes?

by The Receptionist on September 23rd, 2009

I suppose when you are in the house, you are tired and there is the urge to just let yourself go.

But has anyone noticed how Aoiffe is constantly made up? Whether it is five in the morning or five in the afternoon the makeup is perfectly placed. If only I had that motivation. Usually a quick brush with the sun shimmer keeps me looking human.

So when I tucked into my Saturday magazines, I was surprised to find it was Geraldine that was standing out amongst all the contestants in the fashion stakes. From this photo, it is apparent that she can seriously turn on the style.
So if Aoiffe is doing herself up for future free passes to Krystle, she will need to up her game against this one.

The Receptionist

Episode 1 Catch-up

by Meteor on September 22nd, 2009

The first show of The Apprentice got off to a flying start with both boys and girls selling ice cream in Dublin. After deciding team names, Chú Chulainn for the boys and Platinum for the girls, they set about their first task. The girls took a strategic approach and were off selling way before the boys, who were still fighting over which was the more popular ice cream.

Ruth and Craig put themselves up for project manager. Craig showed to be a weak team leader and was soon being overruled by the more vocal Steve. Samantha also proved very vocal indeed. It appeared the girl could just not stop singing which led to Jackie pointing out that there was no room for theatrics in business.

Craig as project manager found it hard to make decisions and was the reason that the boys ran out of stock half way through. Meanwhile the girls were selling heavily, with Geraldine showing her family street trading skills and “getting rid of the lot”.

Back in the boardroom, where it was revealed that the boys had made the lesser profit, the girls were sent off to enjoy a lovely meal while the boys were forced to face Bill’s interrogation. Bill was not impressed with Donal’s negativity and lack of smiling, but in the end it was Craig who was sent home.

Is it The Apprentice or X-Factor?

by The Receptionist on September 21st, 2009

First episode over and what an interesting bunch we have this year. For a split second I thought I was watching Mary Poppins, when Geraldine strutted on screen wearing her long red coat and holding her little black umbrella.

Little did I realise there were more theatrics in store with Samantha grabbing every opportunity to sing or perform. The girl is obviously looking for some sort of record deal– “The stand where the magic happens”. Seriously Samantha are you sure you’ve got the right show, this is the Apprentice not the X factor.

What a great task to settle the candidates down, surely it can’t be too hard to sell ice-cream on a hot day! But the boys did manage to discuss the ice-cream for hours. I was screaming at them to hurry up before they actually melted. Felt sorry for our judge Brian who looked like he was sweltering in the heat in his suit and could do with a cornetto himself. I’m sure Jackie was delighted to have her linen trousers on.

It’s Breffny versus Aoiffe in the Apprentice fashion wars. Breffny with his luminous pink tie for the boys and immaculately presented Aoiffe. Noted Aoiffe on bended knee using her womanly ways to try and sell the ice cream – is this something we are going to see more of?

As for poor little “kick-on” Craig, pushed forward like a lamb to the slaughter. The other boys on the team spotted him a mile off. Of course they were going to encourage him to take on team leader because they knew he would fail miserably.

I always felt the girls were going to win, they were definitely working as a team, although let’s see how long that will last for. I’m sure it won’t be long before someone sticks a sock in “The Duracell Bunny’s” mega phone.

Gotta run!
The Receptionist

First task is over!

by Nicky on September 21st, 2009

The first task is always the most nerve racking and now that it’s over, the candidates are bound to settle a little. From tonight’s episode it was obvious that the candidates were both anxious and dying to impress. The boys let their nerves get to them by jumping straight in, guns blazing. Spending three hours debating over ice creams was complete madness! Well done to the girls, who were more organised.

Putting oneself up for team leader on the first week is always a risk. However I think in this incidence, the boys were delighted to put Craig forward as it was obvious from the outset that he was just a little bit weaker than the other guys. It was apparent that Breffny had been studying last year’s tapes as his first idea of ice cream in suits was exactly like last year’s fruits and suits. He will need to get a bit more original if he is to survive.

No candidates really shone for me this week, but out of a poor bunch Steve and Geraldine were the strongest. Throughout the task Steve completely took over as project manager, but not in an overpowering way. It was more because they desperately needed a leader and Craig was not up to the task. Geraldine was straight to selling. Of course selling is in her blood with her family being street traders, but she definitely had a way with the customers and was the one to discount the ice cream as time was running out.

I can say from the outset I do not like Donal – he is negative and aggressive and sure to be a bad apple in the boy’s team.

Samantha really needs to bring something more to the table rather than her singing. As Jackie said her theatrics will not get her anywhere. I did think of comparing her to Joanna from last year’s show however she makes Joanna look like a pussy cat.

Nicky

Welcome to the apprenticeunseen.ie

by admin on September 17th, 2009

It’s that time of year again when 14 excited candidates put themselves in front of Bill Cullen in the hope of winning their dream job. And this year, Meteor is proud to be a part of it. What’s even more exciting is that we will be providing viewers with all the latest action from the series including exclusive clips you won’t find anywhere. So if you are already a major fan or are a completely new viewer remember to visit us here daily so you don’t miss out on any of the action! And for those of you who love to join in, we have our very own Apprentice Predictor. Every Monday night during the show, you can cast your vote for who you think will be fired. Plus you can join the live chat board to post your comments and feelings on the show and you can also vote on various apprentice polls that will be held throughout the week. So go on – let your voice be heard!

Check out Nicky O’Callaghan’s blog – A past candidate, and runner up in the 2008 Apprentice, Nicky will be on hand to give us her thoughts on how the candidates are doing.

For some lighter entertainment, our Receptionist will be with us daily to provide us with all the inside information and update us on anything extra going on in the house.

And also don’t forget, if you are a Meteor customer, you can view more exclusive clips from The Apprentice on your mobile – simply go to the Meteor homepage and follow the links.

Enjoy the show and remember, keep in touch and tell us what you think.