Ruth deserved to go

by Nicky on November 10th, 2009

The Diageo task was definitely educational to the public on what a unit of alcohol actually is! I have to admit I was a little off with my estimation! Whether I would use the contraption designed by the candidates is questionable. Neither one was practically easy on the eye but they did the job of measuring alcohol intake and encouraged enjoying alcohol responsibly. Well almost! “The young lads making cocktails and not getting hammered” (Geraldine) or the people measuring alcohol “when drink driving” (Breffny) will be thinking twice from last night’s show After those presentations so will Bill

My vote would have gone with the “Buddy”. The cartoon character would have to go and of course the design tweaked. In fairness to both teams one day to design and send a product to market which is also legally sensitive is tough. They would have never got it right and to do so would need serious market research etc. “Buddy”, right or wrong was somewhat innovative and Platinum took a bit of a risk which Bill wants to see. Platinum uses initiative by making the device sit on top of bottles, the colour was vibrant and I liked how it represented amber for continue with caution. They had method behind the madness, not just let’s look slick and cosmopolitan. There is nothing cosmopolitan about this product but it’s a necessity for our changing culture. Lucinda did a huge amount of work and it was such a shame the spelling errors came up as shadowed her hard work. You could see how disappointed she was and we were the same, sometimes the simple things suffer in the heat of the moment! Lucinda seems a very strong candidate.

Cú Chulainn tried but ‘Alco – measure’ was just the wrong name and the fact it was in 2 pieces made no sense, I can barely keep my car keys intact so ‘Alco-measure’ would have been lost in my depth of clutter within hours! Aoiffe’s olive branch to Geraldine was admirable but then she went for her in the boardroom, the jury is still out on their relationship. Are they threatened by each other? Each have opposite qualities and maybe they see that hence the constant clashing, or is it just plain old “I just don’t like you”? I had a pang of guilt after “You’re Fired” because I was inarticulate about how Geraldine was behaving. I said I was disappointed in her but what I meant was by continuing to be harsh on Aoiffe I think it is drowning her abilities on the show and people are more focused on their relationship, than her work on tasks. Aoiffe seems to have recognised this and hoped Geraldine would as I have confidence in her ability. I was glad Ruth was fired, there was debate she did not deserve to go in that task but it has to be judged by all round performance, she seemed to lack passion and innovation. I just could not see her working in Bill’s organisation. Ruth refused to appear on You’re Fired and I think this was a mistake. The public did not connect with Ruth and it would have been the perfect opportunity to have her say. Maybe she was scared of Brendan….little did she know he was more scared of her !

Hard to know who will be the next to go, will Breffny survive another week?

Nicky

Knowing the candidates…

by Nicky on November 6th, 2009

I love that we are really starting to know the candidates now! We can see some candidates shine where before they were in the background. All weaknesses are highlighted as they can’t hide behind people anymore. The Cadburys task separated the actresses from the true contenders. I still feel Sam was not suited to the Apprentice role but will the shows entertainment suffer? I don’t think so, she made me laugh at times but I was getting uncomfortable by some of her actions towards the end. Her rendition of “oh so pretty” on unseen clips makes that even more evident. I understand she wanted to play to her strengths but it was very well put on “You’re fired”. She expected the corporate world to adapt to her but not vice versa.

It is official Breffmania is no more…….since Monday it is Breffitis!! Breffitis is a full blown pandemic which has spread through Ireland like wild fire. On Meteor Apprentice Unseen Facebook page people have designed campaign posters for Breff…tagline’s such as “hope” and “we believe in Breff”…he has been superimposed in pictures as the 6th Beatle!! You have to see it to believe it! He was great on Monday, showed he had balls and stamina to stand his ground! He also recognised a good name and concept more than the others. Breffny has been described as John & Edward numerous times and it is not suggesting he is bad like them but only that he was the one underestimated and now most entertaining, people’s favourite and whether you think he is good or bad you want to see more. I do think Breffny has potential but has a lot to learn. The unseen clip he mentions his hair cut “smelling of the semi final”….what do we think??

Geraldine is also a favourite but unfortunately for her I think the relationship with Breffny is overshadowing her abilities. People are more focused on Breffaldine or her cat fights with Aoiffe. Production chooses to show anything related to this more than her contribution to the task. I think Geraldine has real talents and in fairness she has her own business. People do not realise the extra work, knowledge and time needed for a business to tick as opposed to be an employee. I am not comparing but it takes different abilities to be an entrepreneur, I feel Aoiffe underestimates her. Not only is there a personal clash but I feel maybe they are both sub consciously threatened by each other for whatever reason and this heightens friction.

I hope Ruth is the next to go as she has been my least favourite for some time. I don’t feel I know Ruth at all and she does not inspire me! Seems to lack passion and to make a good impression in business I do believe you have to bring personality and enthusiasm. I just don’t see this in Ruth! Aoiffe was as annoying in the Cadburys task but I do see something in her and like her as I like the others. I think she has just been misguided with the pressure of the show and the house. Steve needs to find a happy medium on where he wants to change/adapt but not lose himself. Bill is giving mixed messages and Steve could be a front runner so he needs to find his feet again and get back in the race. Lucinda always seems very calm and works diligently in the background, she tends to keep her opinions to herself unless constructive, and she could also be a front runner! Stephen is focused and I believe he would hit the ground running if Bill hired him but he needs to show more patience to others, he seems very self driven.

Monday’s task seems to be for Diageo. They could be doing anything! One thing is for sure though; one of them is getting fired!

Chat then…Nicky

I told you so

by Nicky on November 3rd, 2009

I can only imagine the taste of victory and the words “I told you so” could not have been sweeter for Breffny last night. I thoroughly enjoyed the Cadbury’s task and like many I was shouting my support through the TV hoping Breff could hear me. Ok so his management skills may need developing but in fairness to him Aoiffe and Ruth were being slightly melodramatic. Breffny was a man inspired, clearly determined not to allow a repeat of the previous weeks task which saw his good suggestions ignored to the ultimate cost of the team. He had said numerous times that as PM he was going with his gut and sticking with Blasta, they continued to hound him until they got their way and yes he did become frustrated. My patience would have been tested and I admire his guts for sticking to his guns, many would have crumbled under team pressure. I had to laugh at Brian Purcell’s air punch in support of Breffny!

I thought Blasta was great, not only did it work well on brief of being Irish but you could imagine a name like Blasta amongst famous chocolate bar’s such as Yorkie, Moro, Twirl…….Blasta! Chú Chulainn was on the right path with the Tri-colour Irish theme but the mistake made by both teams was not deciding a target audience and totally re-designing the wrapper. I can see why the teams wanted the bars to stay within the Dairy Milk family and not segregate a market but I think Cadburys were looking for a total re-design. My thoughts are maybe the Cadburys Dairy Milk family are big sellers for over 23’s and the teams could have targeted a new younger market or targeted the current market (should of found out who that is) but created a totally new variant. Something fun, bright and unusual. The name Blasta had the power to do this, really fun and explosive, sure it’s in the name! Again I think time was of the essence and they had to stunt creativity to finish within the time line. I was rooting for Chú Chulainn as they had good ideas but just went downhill in the presentation. Ireland is a modern growing nation and competes with any top European destination, and it felt very old Eire. The girls looked like old school “colleens” and the harpist (beautiful music) but would put you to sleep. As Breff and Geraldine mentioned the pitch needed passion and fun. Ruth to me is robotic and always plays it safe.

Rhubarb and Custard had more of a fling than a relationship as Ms Cadbury (Sam) sang her way out and is no more! I think Bill did make the right decision and Sam was out of her depth. I do admire her confidence and guts to put herself out there, I’m sure she is a great teacher but she is not an Apprentice. To be honest I think Sam would get bored of the corporate world, no panto’s allowed!! I was surprised how safe she went on the chocolate bar ingredients and wrapper design. She relied on the focus group to guide her too much which crippled her in the end. Stephen was trying to help and advise Sam but he needs to work on his communication skills in these situations. I did think he came across slightly negative and with a slight attitude so her automatic instinct was to shut him out. The Rocky Road idea would have been delicious, just went haywire. Pick an audience, pick a theme and go.

I am having one issue with Bill at the moment. Each week he seems slightly contradictory, to be honest it was the same last year and can be very confusing for the candidates. One week he says speak up for what you want and if you believe in it then put the foot down. Breffny and Stephen do this and one is a “bully” and the other not listening to his team. Then he calls Steve a push over and gofer when he tries to be less doctorial. The candidate’s behaviour is possibly going to extremes on Bills advice but with mixed messages and pressure to impress you can see why.

Nicky

Half way through!

by Nicky on November 2nd, 2009

The Apprentice is now at the half way mark! 6 more episodes before the final, I have really enjoyed it so far and being on the other side of the screen has been interesting. Viewers have had a mix of relief, shock and utter disgust by Bill’s fired choice and also the antics going on in-house. There is no lack of entertainment this year or lack of characters!

Definitely think the claws will come out and have a feeling some of this lot will do whatever it takes to nab the main prize! For me Ruth and Sam have got to go next. Ruth is so serious and is very good at acting like she is the most experienced, getting PM’s to latch to her for help but she is actually making some of the biggest mistakes. Snake in the grass is a bit harsh but I am wary of Ruth. I admire Sam’s creativity and confidence to put herself out there but my nerves are frazzled and now I find it quite embarrassing to watch. There a shows and jobs she would be fantastic at but the Apprentice is not it!

Geraldine is a favourite of mine and I am still rooting for her but I am becoming disappointed in her. She seems to be putting more focus on bitching about Aoiffe and criticising candidate’s relationships in-house. Geraldine is accusing people of not concentrating on tasks and flirting to get ahead. Is this not slightly hypocritical considering she is having relationship with Breffny? In fairness they have been guilty of messing on tasks as well! Aoiffe went for Geraldine in the boardroom and maybe it is retaliation but forget about others and focus on you…

Poetry may or may not be your thing but I was sent an interesting poem this week. Yeats it is not but comical it is. Here is a taster but become a fan of Meteor Apprentice unseen on Facebook to read all.

Breffaldine poem…

“Ya take Geraldine and shes from town,
And ya put her then with a culchie clown,
She grows up with her mates and max factor,
While he’s chewing straw and driving a tractor……………………………………….to see more log onto

http://www.facebook.com/apprenticeunseen

Below is a quick synopsis of the candidates so far in my eyes. Who will be next?

Ruth – Is too serious, I just don’t connect with her. Sticks by PM and blind sights them to thinking she contributes the most when this just isn’t the case. Should have gone this week

Lucinda – Seems one of the most competent and normal characters. Works well with any team members. I am backing her to do well.

Sam – She also has to go ASAP. I felt truly uncomfortable and embarrassed watching her presentation. She was talking to professional clients not 4 year olds.

Geraldine – Great negotiation skills and talent. I like her but needs to ignore gripe with Aoiffe and just focus on herself. Not afraid to speak her mind.

Aoiffe – Has learned a few lessons and seems to be getting stronger. Animosity between her and Geraldine continues; wonder if they are actually threatened by each other. She could now start becoming a front runner.

Stephen – Would like to see him as PM again, my instincts say he has the attributes to be an apprentice but something is holding me back. He is very quick to point blame and criticise.

Steve – Admirable how he listened to Bill and made effort to change management skills but for me a little too extreme. Let Sam do what she wanted for fear of the “bully” tag. He is a dark horse though.

Breffny –The current young Tom Jones of Irish TV! We all may have underestimated Breffmeister, interesting to see how he progresses. Think the candidates are now seeing him as a threat.

Nicky

Don’t forget to buy a ‘Luv’ Bear!

by Nicky on October 27th, 2009

Bingo! All my Christmas pressie dilemma’s are over. “Luv” Bears all round for my household. Innovative or not I will be buying one because not only are they cute but the 3 T’s charity is an amazing cause that I hold very close to my heart. Anyone reading this please consider a trip to your local Spar to buy “Luv” Bear, many families across Ireland will benefit from your €2.99 purchase and you can put a smile on a loved one’s face.

Back to business. Ok so neither product was hugely innovative and there was so much they could have done but it was a big task with a lot of aspects. The problem with a task like this is, there is barely enough time to get through the logistics. The motions of building a creative idea can get lost. Panic sets in to finish on time and I think this is where both teams fell down, they took the safe option but I know from experience that this task is harder than it looked to us watching at home. Bill was not a happy camper!! He was especially annoyed with Brendan and his team for the jelly beans. The important thing to do at the beginning of these tasks is take your time to go through concept, idea’s and pro’s or con’s to each, making sure to eliminate any stumbling blocks from the onset. They chose a brand which already existed; the first thing would have been to check brand guidelines before designing your product and then checking? At least with Shelton’s store there was so much range and teams allowed re – design as they wished. The cracker could have been really good had Brendan researched properly as Bill did, I feel he was really cautious of doing well in this task that he didn’t want to take the risk but this could have won it for them. Very surprised he brought Aoiffe into the boardroom; I wonder if this was a tactic? Thought she would back him up against Breffny compared to other team members and help save his place? Bill’s intuition gave the boy with 9 lives another shot and what is interesting is I think we all underestimate Breffny’s potential. I agree he does not always contribute a huge amount to a task but he can have the winning idea and in the boardroom makes total sense. “Delegating job’s correctly, knowing people’s strengths and pushing his intuition and gut instinct more” This being the number one piece of advice from Richard Branson, Donald Trump and our own Bill Cullen. Brendan obviously has talents as he is an experienced entrepreneur but I don’t think the apprentice was for him.

“Luv” Bear wasn’t overly innovative either but I thought Steve’s team did a good job of building the product concept and marketing proposal. They seemed to work well together as a team and Steve is acting like a true apprentice already by listening to Bill and changing his management tactics. For me a little too extreme, seemed to allow Sam do whatever she wanted with fear of being called a “bully” again. Note to both teams, PLEASE do NOT allow Sam to present again. I have to admit I felt truly uncomfortable on my couch watching her present, which seemed to be targeted at 4 year old children as opposed to professional clients. Stephen seemed like a background character in this task but I admire his ability to always speak up. Lucinda did very well again. She seems to have the ability to work with all the characters in the house.

One aspect that got lost for me and Spar on the product, Point of Sale material and in store theatrics was the focus on the charity and client which is so important when pitching for a campaign. The 3 T’s cause would be a major selling point for folk to choose one product over another in Spar but high insight is 20/20 as Brendan’s says.

For me Ruth has to go next, she would have been my choice this week to be honest. My gut says there is something contrived about her and she seems to constantly work directly with PM avoiding boardroom but not really contributing positively as she has led PM to think. Time will tell!

Nicky

Will the next Apprentice be doing jazz hands?

by Nicky on October 23rd, 2009

All of Ireland still seems to be in shock about Maria being fired. Nobody felt she deserved to go and it was totally unjustified. What were Bill’s reasons? Was she fired for not performing well or were there ulterior motives? I feel it was more than just her performance on the Meteor task. Could they have already decided she wouldn’t be hired so any excuse to get rid of her? Maria reminded me of Brenda so Bill may have thought the same and needed more diversity in his new Apprentice. Bill claims he is not influenced by production but how true can this be when this happens, it’s just as much about the TV show now than a job! If it wasn’t he could find an apprentice off the television!? Maria also kept a very low profile on the show so from an entertaining point of view may not have been the most exhilarating character for a viewing audience. I don’t necessarily agree with this because it was a similar situation for us last year but viewing audience seems to be split in 2, those who believe it should be all about the job and the entertainment is secondary and those who want a highly entertaining show every week and find boring when the big characters leave. I am in the first category, regardless of the opinion any of us have on tasks, I know how much people give up and how they put themselves in the firing line to participate in the Apprentice so the candidates deserve kudos and the full opportunity to continue on in the competition for their skills.

We are definitely starting to see the true colours of the candidates as numbers whittle down. We saw Steve taking a dictatorship role last week which was surprising .Sam definitely had valid points on creativity and in her argument towards Steve but disappointed such a loaded word like bullying is being thrown around so easily in the boardroom. Sam wrecked Steve’s head and he switched off like many a man, “I hear you but choose to ignore you” tactic, a regular offence in my household! I am not condoning the behaviour but “Bully boy” was slightly extreme. I wonder if a new double personality Steve will unfold because Maria claims in an unseen clip that “Steve isn’t all that he seems”….Interesting! Lucinda now seems to be the favourite to win; I have seen potential in her from the beginning and hope she does well. Our good old Breffny definitely has 9 lives, he reminds me of John & Edward of the XFactor, love him or hate him you want to see more of him. He puts a smile on my face every week.

Monday nights show will be the 6th episode, pretty much half way through. That is always a major turning point; you will notice a difference in the candidates as well. All candidates get tired at this point and energy starts to lag but the realisation that you have made it to the half way mark boosts your confidence and people really start pushing themselves.

I had to laugh when I watched the clip of a bird doing their business on Sam It may seem like “one of those things” to most but what a lot of people don’t know is the same thing happened to Brenda last year. The very first task selling fruit Brenda was doing a piece to camera and bam she got hit on the face by a flying friends business!…We have never laughed so much and gutted it never made the screen, probably the fact the scene was so shaky because cameraman could barely stand! We laughed about it being good luck and our Brenda was the winner, could this be fate?!! Uh oh could this mean Mary Poppins will take over the Glencullen Group? Imagine it, next year’s Apprentice will be a musical drama with Bill & Jackie doing jazz hands!

Nicky

The wrong girl was fired

by Nicky on October 20th, 2009

I was looking forward to this week’s task as a Meteor advertisement was always going to be a great challenge. They had the opportunity to be creative as Meteor are always open to the talk ability factor and being a little different, humour is a large selling point for the company. Both teams seemed to be on the right track according to Meteor but I thought they both looked quite amateur. There is little time, a lot to organise and coordinate in these advertisement tasks but something was missing for me with both teams. The teams had little resources to make the ad look more professional but I think they had quite a few vital mistakes, for instance – not enough product placement, renaming product from “broadband” to “to go” and no branding throughout the ad. Also I am so familiar with Meteor ads that comparing cannot be helped, but I appreciate that it is unfair to the candidates. I find myself quite frustrated this week as I cannot identify a true opinion of this task, maybe it is the candidates themselves?

One thing I do know is this was the first week where I absolutely did not agree with Bill’s decision on the fired candidate! Maria! I can’t believe it! Fair enough she has been a background character on the show but has always exposed good skills and potential. In my opinion and in the opinion of ex candidates, she was a front runner. Geraldine and Breffny seemed to do little but mess, which was comical. After Breffny’s hysterical comment “Bill it was in my brain and wouldn’t come out”, instead “I was standing there like a model”, Breffny probably was the right choice for Maria but in fairness I probably would have picked the same two in her position. It is easy for us to judge now but at the time there was much emphasis and blame for losing the task put on Sam and Steve. They were both as bad as each other, Bill was a bit dramatic calling Steve an intimidating bully but Steve should have digested Sam’s idea’s better as she had valid points. I think he underestimated her because she is a teacher. He reminds me of Shane last year, “dog with a bone” if his idea is not adhered to. In saying that I can see Steve’s view. Sam can be so irritating and I wish I had never pleaded for her to start singing again, I can’t even watch the TV when she starts. The behaviour of both team members in the presentation was awful. Maria should have intervened in their playground spats as PM, which I am confident she did, though we may not have seen it on screen. Both Steve and Sam are adults and are responsible for their own behaviour. Was this a justified reason to fire Maria? No! Steve has shown potential in past tasks, Sam has not and really what has she got to offer?

This was last chance saloon for both Aoiffe and Brendan and the PR expert won the PM role, to the obvious distaste of Brendan. I wonder if it was fair to continuously accuse Brendan of being negative out of jealousy. Brendan knew he had a lot to prove and a gripe Bill has is not showing authority and standing up if you do not agree with something, could this have been it? The problem was he had no ideas to back it up. In fairness to Aoiffe she did well, her team were under control, they seemed to be given good direction and she showed leadership skills by confronting Brendan and putting him in his place. Why did the actress had to have a cork accent though? Lucinda really shone for me this week; she has always worked well in the background but really embraced her role and worked to her potential. I do think the panel are a little hard on her in the boardroom compared to others. I feel this is a tactical move to be hard and push those they have faith in, so one does not become complacent and fights back. This is a good turning point for Aoiffe and has catapulted Lucinda; I hope they keep it up.

Friendships/relationships, however you wish to describe the relations between candidates, one common theme throughout the show is these guys are certainly ruthless! Nothing will stand in the way of the top prize. Bill Cullen’s Apprentice! I agree with keeping the eye on the prize but let’s hope integrity is not totally lost along the way. This is a huge bonus in business and strong value for Bill.

Until Friday!

Nicky

Who will be Bill’s victim next week?

by Nicky on October 16th, 2009

All week, people have been going nuts for the Apprentice. The show seems to have solidified itself as everyone’s must watch and it rules Monday night television. This time last year was the very same but not to this level. I am sure the heightened professionalism of the tasks and production has been a major factor but business show or not, the gossip and entertaining characters play a huge part. Those may frown on this but we cannot deny many work places 11am tea break is, Aoiffe and Brendan; “affair or not?” Breffney and Geraldine;” no way!” I think viewers are even missing Mary Poppins (Sam) song of the week!! Compose again singing Sam. Please!

So Jennifer left us all with a bit of a cliff-hanger on Monday and wasn’t giving away much on ‘You’re Fired’. I decided to do some digging as I was curious why she would spill; I felt it was slightly unprofessional. With an eagle eye I watched the Brendan and Aoiffe unseen clip. I noticed they had a contrived way of avoiding the subject at hand and Brendan was clever to pretty much keep stump, letting Aoiffe do all the talking. I don’t think what Aoiffe says is always bitchy, it’s more her manner of speaking, sometimes very school yard. I’ve decided it’s not Jennifer’s nor our business, it’s between the relevant parties. Partners or not.

Many people have their favourite candidates and potential winner decided. Geraldine seems to be a front runner but if last year is anything to go by the finalists is often hidden at the beginning to heighten the shock factor and keep viewers on their toes. Will this be the case this year? Below is a quick over view on my opinion of the candidates so far.

Geraldine – Showed good Project Management skills and seems to be improving. She is very determined. Currently favourite with the public. Crazy laugh though!

Aoiffe – She has not shown for me yet, certainly getting attention but for the wrong reasons. She has a lot to prove.

Brendan – In fairness he was a hard grafter on the B & Q task but seems to shy from responsibility. I imagine he will step up to the plate this week.

Sam – Has definitely toned it down and seems to be working away in the background. Need to see what she can really offer as an apprentice. I do miss her singing.

Steve – Works well as part of a team and eager to take on challenge but we need to see his ability as a PM soon or he will fade into the background. Maybe distracted by his love for Breffney

Maria – Always shown good skills but seems to be coasting as we see little of her. Like to see her as PM so we really can see what she’s made of.

Stephen – He is very competitive and honest which I like, has no problem speaking his mind in the boardroom. He may be a dark horse.

Ruth – She is the mammy of the house, suggesting tea and giving out to those fighting. My gut tells me there is something contrived with her though.

Lucinda – Didn’t see much of her this week and can’t think of much to say about her as she is not standing out. She is a quieter character. Her face after “immigrant” comment was priceless.

Breffney – Breffmeister, Breffmonster, Breffmania…the world is becoming Breffmad! His naivety is comedy. Love him or hate him he will be remembered.

Who will be the victim of Bill’s finger point this week? The floor is open to a few weak candidates but we never can tell. Monday is the Meteor task; no doubt it will be a cracker. The ad mentioned a TV advertisement, Meteor are renowned for very innovative funny ads so the candidates have a lot to prove. The meteor clips during The Apprentice crack me up, “I’ll say when I am ready, ok, action” Love it!

Catch up with you all Tuesday!

Nicky

Jennifer bows out

by Nicky on October 13th, 2009

What an episode!! Before we discuss the task I have to mention the big purple elephant in the room that shocked me last night. Aoiffe and Brendan having a relationship or an affair? True or false? Time will tell, I did not see it coming but now I see what Bill meant by “surprise surprise Brendan agrees with Aoiffe”. We need to question whether it is relevant to the process and if it was said in slight bitterness from Jennifer. I could understand if Brendan and Aoiffe had ganged up on Jennifer but they both fought their own corner so I didn’t understand the relevance of Jennifer spilling the beans but that’s TV folks! I was delighted to see the unseen clips after Jennifer’s revelation for a bit of gossip. Do NOT miss them!

Ok so back to business. This task was an absolute breath of fresh air. Instead of advertising campaigns, presentations and Apprentice lingo we had manual labour, grafting and tempers flaring from exhaustion. Two run down houses were provided and with €2500 B & Q voucher they had to transform the properties and increase the rental value. This was simply to see who could provide maximum return on investment. This task was not based on who could destroy and repair the most, as with only 2 days to purchase, transform, clean and redecorate, it was mainly about project planning, time management, budget management and team management.

This was Jennifer’s time to shine as she has been under the radar so far and with her experience in organising budgets for large scale projects such as the Port Tunnel this was an excellent task for her, but she was very disappointing. Team Platinum got very frustrated, but of course Ruth was sticking by her PM. I maybe a bit cynical here but I feel this is a tactic to avoid the boardroom rather than supporting her team. How on earth they spent so long in B & Q when they needed as many hands on deck goes beyond me? I would have logged onto B & Q website where there is a reserve and collect service, it calculates your budget and all products online.

Chú Chulainn won the task by an increased value of €67 over Platinum. Mistakes were made in this team but I felt some were justified considering the circumstances, time restraints etc. Neither team are professionals seen on TV shows such as “extreme makeover” home edition. Bill wanted to see team management and team work. For this reason I thought Geraldine did a very good job. She always seemed to have a plan, was very focused and gave the team clear direction. She had high energy and motivated the team. My only criticism is her mention of class issue again on the apprentice unseen clip. That is product of your surroundings and parents and not helping Geraldine’s case against Aoiffe.

We are seeing the same candidates shine lately; I would like to see Steve, Brendan, Sam and Aoiffe lead. Steve and Sam are good team players but do they have what it takes to be PM. Brendan and Aoiffe are happy to criticise but shy away from direct responsibility when it comes to PM; can they put their money where their mouths are?

This will be an interesting week.

Nicky

Is this the start of Breffmania?

by Nicky on October 9th, 2009

This week has been a busy week and I am surprised how much I am loving the show! I thought it would be too strange for me to watch but it’s actually nearly more intriguing because I have been there. Our year was so different though!

I had the pleasure of appearing on “You’re Fired” last Monday which was great fun! It provided a great opportunity to have good banter and throw around opinions (controversial or not) on the show of the moment. Some may ask if I was a bit hard on Setanta but better to be honest then sugar coat it, he was able to take everything in good spirit and I thought he really redeemed himself taking full responsibility for his actions. I know how difficult the pressure is and I can have more sympathy for certain other contestants for being the victim of a TV show but how Setanta spoke to everyone throughout all tasks was unacceptable and there was no reason for it. The unseen clips are brilliant for the inside track, I don’t think there is no love lost between the girls and Setanta as they all call him chauvinist and Geraldine’s clip called “not in his clique” makes me laugh when she quotes “how did such a big ego fit into such a small man”

Breffny seems to be the man of the moment, love him or hate him, everyone is talking about him. I personally really like him! He makes me laugh and what’s great about it is he doesn’t mean to! Setanta said he was a breath of fresh air for the house and everyone loved him. I do think he lacks any experience and should probably not be in The Apprentice but he’ll certainly be one who will possibly learn the most. Remember “Bill is the man of yesterday and you need a man of tomorrow, The Breffmeister” Like it or not Apprentice viewers I think we all need to prepare for Breffmania!

This weeks task seems to involve serious manual labour, we’ll get to see Stephens’s guns really at work now. Can see the guys getting really stuck in and interesting to see if the ladies put their backs into it, come on girls don’t let the side down. The teams can’t hide behind Apprentice vocabulary in this task, its grafting! There has never been a task like this and I’m really looking forward to it!

In the meantime I’m thinking as I lost out by an inch at last years Apprentice, I might apply for the chance to be the Meteor Apprentice, I reckon I’m probably too old and they wouldn’t want me Amazing opportunity though so best of luck to the entries!

Talk again on Tuesday

Nicky