apprentice-exits

Just a brief history of the most dramatic Apprentice exits of all time

Remember when Katie Hopkins ‘stood down’?


The Apprentice is an endless fountain of drama. Every new series brings a fresh batch of candidates ready to squabble their way through 16 weeks of chaotic tasks and boardroom bust-ups. And it’s often the exits of the most notable Apprentice candidates that truly leave jaws agape.

Who could forget Katie Hopkins leaving, or *that* triple firing and when Paloma talked her way out of the boardroom and into the lonely back seat of a black cab? They’re both classic TV moments in their own right, but just two of a whole host of brilliant Apprentice exits. Here’s a comprehensive rundown of the most dramatic moments when candidates left the process:

Katie Hopkins ‘stands down’

Katie Hopkins is one of the most (in)famous candidates ever to set foot in the boardroom, going onto make a name for herself as a questionably opinionated TV personality. But who remembers the manner in which she left the Apprentice back in 2006?

In the semi-final, Lord Sugar sensed Katie wasn’t quite up for the competition anymore, prompting her to “stand down” from the process for childcare reasons. Luckily for Hopkins, it didn’t seem to dent her rise to fame.

Elle Stevenson didn’t care she got fired- she was just glad to make it home in time for X Factor

Back in 2015, Elle Stevenson was project manager on a DIY-themed task, but she failed to knock up a decent performance and ultimately led to her team’s defeat. But before she even had chance to decide who to bring back into the boardroom to face Alan’s wrath, Elle was fired.

Luckily she didn’t seem to mind, saying she would have fired herself  “given half the chance.” Elle also admitted there was a silver lining. “There was a TV show that I wanted to watch that was on afterwards,” she said.  “So I got to see that and I didn’t have to hang around and wait for them to battle it out.” Elle later admitted that the TV show in question was The X Factor.

That time Jenny got butchered after she mixed up her meats

In one of the most bizarre boardroom scenes Jenny C mixed up halal and kosher meats leaving a Jewish-born Alan Sugar with a bitter taste in his mouth.

When Scott was on the winning team but quit the process anyway

Back in 2015, Scott Saunders may have been on the winning team, but his poor sales performance led to a roasting at the hands of Big Al. “You are a very, very lucky man to still be here,” Lord Sugar said.

But as the others were sent off on their speedboat treat, Scott remained seated. He thanked Lord Sugar for the opportunity and quit the process there and then.

“I was umming and ahhing about whether I wanted to go into business with Lord Sugar,” he later told The Evening Standard. “Lord Sugar and myself, I don’t think it would have worked.”

Triple firing chaos

A double firing is a staple of every Apprentice series yet when it happens, it’s still shocking. But a triple firing? Now that’s drama. Back in series 10, Sir Alan took three scalps in this boardroom showdown.

Paloma ‘shot from the hip’ which backfired massively

Paloma found herself in the bottom three. Lord Sugar said she was “cool” and “doesn’t take no prisoners,” but he didn’t like the way she did this. Sure, she was on the ropes, but what she did next led to her downfall.

She basically just slagged everyone off, plucking from absolutely nowhere the idea that the two candidates either side of her had shit track records. Alex said,”How rude!” and looked like he was close to tears. Paloma said she was just “shooting from the hip.” Lord Sugar said: “If you’d have shut up a while back it may be someone else going. Paloma, you’re fired.” And with one waggle of a wrinkly sausage finger, Paloma was gone.

‘Okurrr’- Navid

While Navid left The Apprentice with all the grace of a true icon, he injected a bit of drama into his post-firing interview. “You know what? This playboy has not finished yet,” he said. “I’ve still got a lot left of me. Okcurrr.”

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