Shibby loses out as Sugar’s Apprentices meet at dawn
Just how do the Apprentices manage to be so peppy at 6am? Could it be down to the little motivational chats they give themselves as they stare into the mirror? “Looking good”, “bring it on”, “raring to go” they intoned. Suitably pumped up, they met their master in the genteel surroundings of Fortnum & Mason, Simply the Best presumably playing in their heads.
It was another food task, this time making and flogging bread and muffins. Lord Sugar talked of “turning flour into serious dough”. It’s a mark of how badly the contestants want to win that some of them managed a smile.
After the macho posturing and cat fighting of previous weeks, the boys and girls were mixed up. Apollo chose surgeon (and sometime comedian and impressionist) Dr Shibby as their leader.
As a self-confessed “business virgin”, he was keen to be taken seriously: “I’m passionate and I’ll smack your bums if I have to”. Talk about bedside manner.
Apollo went for Melissa. Given that her background is food, she seemed a good choice but she lacked a little something. Basic numeracy, perhaps.
Pitching to the catering team at the Park Plaza Riverfront, Melissa kept her client waiting for 15 minutes as she pecked desperately at a pocket calculator. All they wanted to know was how much each bread roll would cost. Eventually she settled on a figure: £1.82.
On the other team, Paloma was much more accommodating. Ignoring poor Shibby, she offered the same hotel anything they wanted, ignoring the fact that they’d actually have to make them at some point.
“We can absolutely guarantee that we will meet that deal tomorrow morning” she insisted after securing an order for 1,000 rolls. They managed to make 16.
Having lost the task, Shibby took Paloma into the boardroom and Lord Sugar’s attempts at creating harmony by mixing the sexes fell apart completely. “We’re on different wavelengths”, ventured Shibby. “Clearly – I’m a business woman and you’re a joke” retorted Paloma.
Also pleading her case was Sandeesh. In fairness, making muffins is a bit beneath her: according to her application she’s planning to propel Lord Sugar to world domination.
Perhaps savouring the thought of making the planet his boardroom, Lord Sugar kept her and dispensed with Shibby. And so the doctor left the building, his (business) virginity intact.