The Apprentice - Series 7

[Lineker]

Starts Tuesday 10th May on BBC One, followed up the next day in its regular Wednesday night slot.

The Apprentice is back and this time the stakes are even higher. With one contestant set to win an investment of £250,000 into a start up business of their choice, you can bet there are going to be some serious sparks flying in the boardroom.

What’s different this year?

This year will see the contestants fighting it out to win a £250,000 prize fund that will be invested into their own business. The winning contestant will be able to choose what type of business they wish to set up and will have the backing and mentoring of Lord Sugar, with each taking a 50/50 stake in the company.

Series 7 features 16 contestants – each week they will be divided into two teams, with one selected nominated Project Manager. The teams will go head-to-head in a series of tasks selected by Lord Sugar that will see their business skills tested to the maximum.

The two teams will then compete against each other under the watchful eye of Karren Brady and Nick Hewer, who will report their findings back to Lord Sugar.

After completing the task both teams will return to the boardroom to find out which team has won. Winning the task is usually dependent on gaining the most profit.

The winning team will be rewarded with a treat while the losing team’s Project Manager will select two other team members to accompany them back into the boardroom, where one of them will be fired.

The three candidates will then put their case to Lord Sugar who will then decide who will be fired and leave the competition for good.

Meet the candidates.

Vincent looks like he'll be this series' Stuart Baggs. And Ellie looks like she just completed an eight-year stretch in Holloway prison.

On a side note, Chris Bates is now working as an Investment Analyst for former Dragon's Den panellist James Caan's private equity company Hamilton Bradshaw. Not done too badly for himself after all.

[Walker]

Ellie's profile reads: "Once chased a burglar out of her house at 17" . It made me laugh.

Helen Louise Milligan looks like Abe from the Oddworld series.

No one catches my eye on an impressive level based on their profiles, but I look forward to this series. Should have a nice dynamic going into it since candidates are looking for much more than a job out of it. I also look forward to the inevitably hilarious business ideas.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Wahey! Vincent lives in Canterbury! Gotta support someone who lives in my hometown.

Otherwise I may be supporting Jim. No lookers amongst the women this year.

[Pesci]

Kind of hard to say who I'll be supporting through their profiles since they're all no doubt chatting shit. Can't wait for tonight, though. I'll probably even give the second half of Man City/Spurs a miss just to watch it ASAP.

[Jimmy]

I'm going to miss it because I'm at the cienma, which I'm actually gutted about. Might watch it on Sky + when I get in, though. I love The Apprentice, and the new dynamic should be interesting, because people will have to prove they have a responsibility to run a whole business succesfully and we'll avoid all the 'I dont see where you in within my business' etc.

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

I'll no doubt be rooting for one of the females, because generally I cant stand most of the guys that have been on. I think the only male I've liked was Arjun from the Junior version. I'll watch over tonight to see who appeals to me, not sure I'll like any of them as much as the lovely Stella from last season though

[therockbox]

This is pointless without The Brand. Nothing is topping him, ever.

[METALMAN]

Edward was such an oaf and he said "roll with the punches" far too much. I thought I was listening to Van Halen on repeat. He should have been kept in longer so he could be really humiliated.

Um...it did amuse me when Leon was asked why he thought they should get rid of Edward all he could say, out ot the hundreds of reasons available, was "he's an accountant".

that Melody is annoying and she has an annoying voice.

And it is a shame the team names didn't end up as Galvanised and Ability. An awful shame.

As for Ellie, "she looks like she might snap the legs off kittens."

those are my only observations thus far.

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

Certainly wasn't bothered to see Edward go, simply not good enough to win this show.

Just wondering, how come it's on again tonight? I take it that this is just a one off and it's not twice every week?

[Sir Alan LCSugar]

I chortled at Edwards awfullness. I like the look of Jim, as per usual the girls are already bitching about eachother. No one stands out to me though.

[Walker]

No one but Edward could have went. He had a dreadful episode. Shame though, he looked like he could have been hilarious down the road.

Oh God, Edna gets all my hate and then some. Susan will share some later, most likely, but right now it is focused entirely on her.

Leon and Gavin also seem like pricks, but I'm going to give them more of a chance.

Vincent is going to be brilliant for a few weeks, then annoying. That is how guys like him normally work on this show. Can't see him lasting too long.

As for who I like? Tom, being he is the most wonderful brown-noser and you know that'll be one major factor in his eventual firing, and Glenn, because he looks like an elf version of a friend of mine.

I couldn't possible pick a winner at this stage though. I imagine he or she is floating in the background without me really noticing them yet.

[Pesci]

Favourites so far are Leon, Susan, Jim and Glenn but not really in any particular order. Leon purely for "Leontrepreneur" and laughing at Edward when he was all like "I'm the youngest here... and the shortest!".

[Jimmy]

Edward had to go, what a total knob. He was just awful. It was like he'd never been in business or watched The Apprentice before. It was shocking, really.

Quite liked Tom, Gavin, Jim and Susan from the first episode, but that could all change pretty quickly. Nothing really stuck out to be other than Edward being a bit of a twat, Edna being incredibly irritating and I think Vincent will be a laugh.

[DavidMarrio]

Edward flapped it big time haha. Squeeze the balls out of it oh wait the juicers broke now haha. His reasons for why he shouldn't be fired was funny as well. Poor guy he would have been funny for a few episodes.

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

How the ladies won with that utter shit app is beyond me, but I'm certainly happy that they did

[therockbox]

Jim is the fucking Boss.

[Sir Alan LCSugar]

Sir Alan is trying hard to find bad things about the boys team. There wasn't many to my mind.

[DavidMarrio]

The boys app was garbage but the girl's app was horrendous. How that won the challenge baffles me, just goes to show the shite people will download haha

Fair firing IMO, Alex just hasn't done anything whatsoever if you aren't going to make any impression or make a noise you just aren't going to cut it.

[Katsuya]

I'm guessing that being on Wired > being on two smaller reaching websites.

[Jimmy]

Yeah, how Sir Allen said that had nothing to do with that seemed kind of stupid, too.