The Apprentice... my thoughts

Well, as promised, here it is - a comparison of my initial thoughts on the candidates from The Apprentice (placed in square brackets) with what I think of them now.

Alexa Tilley: [Bland, useless] About right; for a 'Management Consultant', she couldn't manage a garden fête.

Ansell Henry: [Genuinely nice guy, will be good to see how he develops] Again, this assessment proved to be accurate - indeed, Sir Alan explicitly stated that he was a '...very fine fellow.' As well as being personable, he showed himself to be a good salesman. I wish him well.

Jo Cameron: [Not 'working at a fast pace' as she puts it, just damn histrionic and insufferable] I did warm to Jo. She showed that she was a decent person with business sense by opposing the 'sex to sell' policy adopted by the girls in the first episode and then the awful cats calendar idea. Unfortunately however, due to her manner, her sound criticism was not listened to by the rest of the team.

Ben Stanberry: [ineffectual and intrinsically weak - was right to go] Well, what more can I say? He didn't have the chance to reveal more of himself.

Karen Bremner: [Intelligent; not sure if she is the apprentice Sir Alan wants though] This showed itself to be spot on - although capable, there clearly was a 'culture clash' with Sir Alan (i.e. although good, her approach wouldn't have suited Amstrad).

Mani Sandher: [Again, nice guy - plus, he's clever (apparently has a BSc in Physics!)] I liked Mani, I was sad to see him go so early. Perhaps it was the same as with Karen, although intelligent and capable (as he proved by successfully managing the girls) he wouldn't have got on with Sir Alan's 'rough and ready' management style, where 'divergent' and 'convergent' phrases haven't been heard of.

Michelle Dewberry: [A tart, inexperienced] Well, where to start! My initial thoughts now look woefully incorrect and judgemental. Although I liked her nearer the end, I agree with Margaret - she definitely is a 'cold fish.' I sense that Sir Alan felt an affinity, as he did with Tim, over their similarly hard backgrounds.

Paul Tulip: [I think he's one to watch] Hmmm... a difficult one. Although Paul proved he was certainly an excellent salesman, his arrogance got the better of him at the interview stage. I was disappointed: I thought he was intelligent, motivated and had a good sense of humour, but oh well!

Nargis Ara: [Didn't really stand out in episode one] And for good reason - she was a fool. I've never laughed quite so hard as when I saw her pitching the cats calendar; an excellent lesson in how not to present.

Samuel Judah: [Not sure at the moment] Sadly, Samuel lacked the aggression and drive to achieve in the tough environment. He seemed a nice guy though, I hope he goes on to things more suited to him.

Ruth Badger: [Fat and just too 'bitchy' to win] How wrong I was! I really like Ruth in the end: she proved herself to be driven, organised and, to a certain extend, charming. A natural saleswoman, she showed she could sell just about anything: raffle tickets, cars, flats etc. Its quite interesting to note that she improved her game as someone of the weaker women were picked off. I would have liked her to win.

Syed Ahmed: [Greasy, arrogant and a bullshitter - Sir Alan will sort him out] Yep, I was right again. I found it perplexing that someone could be so patronising, yet so unintelligent at the same time. He showed that he didn't have common sense, and - through his treatment of Sharon - that he was a nasty, sexist shit.

Sharon McAllister: [Can't actually remember her - looks like a Halloween mask on the
website] One thing's for sure: Sharon wasn't the apprentice. However, as she demonstrated last night, she has strong 'soft skills' that can be used to great effect in support of someone driven like Michele.

Tuan Le: [Again, one to watch - seems quite competent] Poor Tuan, I like the guy. He was articulate and a good strategist - unfortunately though, both things Sir Alan didn't need. His reluctance to 'get his hands dirty' cost him big time.

Some classic examples there of why you shouldn't just a book by its cover. Anyway, I really enjoyed the series and can't wait for the next.