In a surprising turn of events, a contestant on The Apprentice has reportedly “quit” the show following a heated boardroom confrontation.
Although the scenes have yet to be broadcast, it’s believed that one candidate abruptly told Lord Alan Sugar, 77, “it’s not for me,” and exited the programme, leaving the billionaire tycoon utterly taken aback.
It’s suggested that the individual in question was on the brink of being fired but chose to preempt Lord Sugar, thereby forfeiting their chance at securing the £250,000 investment and mentorship. While the identity of the departing cast member remains undisclosed, it’s understood that a major row erupted in the boardroom after the teams were dispatched to Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare, for this week’s task.
The contestants were tasked with sourcing nine items in the renowned area, aiming to spend as little money as possible under severe time pressure. The business graduates would have been expected to leverage their entrepreneurial acumen to negotiate the best possible deals, ideally scoring a few freebies, reports the Mirror.
However, the pressure proved too much for some participants as they returned to the boardroom to face their destiny. As per MailOnline, tensions began to surface among the 18 hopefuls as Lord Alan Sugar scrutinised each situation to inform his final selection process.
A TV insider revealed to MailOnline: “The Apprentice isn’t for everyone and some of the candidates only realise that once they’re in the process. One contestant this series decided to leave the competition early telling Lord Sugar ‘this isn’t for me’.”
They continued: “It came as a total shock in the boardroom – some of the cast now believe the candidate wanted to avoid the potential embarrassment of being fired. They saved Lord Sugar the trouble and simply gave up the chance of becoming his next business partner.”
A source close to the departing contestant also pointed out that the individual had “realised that the show wasn’t the right process” and acknowledged that others were more driven to win the investment. It was considered that staying in the competition “wouldn’t have been fair” to the other participants, leading to the decision by the aspiring Apprentice star to bow out.