The Apprentice: Girls lose out to boys again
They may have been at loggerheads about which which product to create but the men won the latest task on The Apprentice.
It was the second victory for Team Phoenix who successfully sold their new kitchen product – an eco-friendly waste bin called Eco press.
And with another loss for Team Stirling, the ladies waved goodbye to 20-year-old Maria following a dispute over the figures for their bath-friendly product.
As the boys were treated to a night out at top London restaurant, The Ivy, it was clear to see that they had put their squabbles behind them – well almost.
After being told by Lord Alan Sugar that they had to create a ‘useful household gadget,’ the men were instantly keen on coming up with an appliance for the kitchen.
Duane was quick to raise the subject of recycling, and despite there already being similar products on the market, team leader Azhar was eager to go with a ‘food squashing bin.’
But when it came to the sub team broaching their ideas with members of the public, in particular a group of chefs, it was Adam’s second idea that proved popular.
The blonde businessman was keen to design a pair of marigolds that featured various different scouring pad and sponges and could be used to clean any appliance.
The majority of the chefs voiced their opinions saying that they would most definitely purchase the product, but this still didn’t convince Azhar.
As the sub-team headed over to the designers, Adam’s frustration was evident: ‘We’ve invented the bin!’ he joked.
However, Adam was certainly grinning when the men discovered they had won the task after receiving 10,000 orders from high street retailer Lakeland.
But before their victory was announced, Lord Sugar said to them: ‘Perhaps you can explain to me what it actually is – it looks like something you would put nuclear waste in. Is it for vegetarian dwarfs?’
But the boys were the last ones laughing when they were having a good time at The Ivy – a treat from the boss – but was clear to see that cracks were beginning to show within the team.
‘Thank you Duane for the baby,’ the men said as they raised a glass, but team leader Azhar couldn’t resist making a comment about himself being the project manager and didn’t thank Duane at all.
Meanwhile, the girls were more than happy to speak their minds as they awaited their fate in the local café.
After coming up with a new bath time accessory/toy called Splish Splash, the women thought they ‘had it in the bag.’
However, they failed to impress Lakeland with their bath screen which was intended to make baths mess-free and more fun for young children.
But yet again, the group had ignored the feedback that they had received from the general public.
After visiting a mother and toddler group nearby, many parents voiced their concerns about the product and seemed more keen on their second idea – a tap cosy.
But as Team Stirling headed to the designers, they panicked that the favourable product wouldn’t be universal and would prove difficult to design and ended up going against the advice and reverted back to the bath screen.
And although online giant retailer Amazon were keen to purchase 7,000 units, they weren’t impressed with the girls pitch.
Team leader Jane was leading the way and told the buyers that if they bought one million units then they would certainly sell them – but this juts made the group a laughing stock.
‘You should have seen their faces,’ Katie said as they left the room. ‘I don’t want to be laughed at.’
But the women didn’t improve there as their second pitch to Lakeland resulted in no purchases whatsoever meaning they’d lost the task by a few thousand.
Following a heavy bitching session in the boardroom and in the local café, team leader Jane opted to bring back Jenna – who was partly in charge of the figures – and loud Maria because ‘she didn’t pull her weight.’
As the three women began fighting for their place in the competition, Jenna and Jane suddenly began going against Maria and announcing that she had fallen asleep during the task.
‘I didn’t fall asleep, I was thinking,’ she protested – but Lord Sugar wasn’t convinced.
‘There’s no rule that says I only have to fire one of you,’ he told them. ‘I am bitterly disappointed. You all have your own businesses yet you failed.’
However, the restauranteur didn’t appear too bothered about leaving the show and insisted that she will still own five restaurants by the time she is 25.
‘I’ll make my own money and do it myself,’ she laughed as Jenna and Jane headed back to the house to join the remaining 14 contestants.
