The Apprentice (UK series three)

Apprentice Candidates
canpage = List of The Apprentice candidates (UK)
seriesname = "The Apprentice UK"
series = Series Three
previous = The Apprentice (UK Series Two)
next = The Apprentice (UK Series Four)



imagebg = black
caption = The Candidates
col1 = Name
col2 = Left Show
can1 = Simon Ambrose
can1-week = Week 12
can1-stat = hired
can2 = Kristina Grimes
can2-week = Week 12
can2-stat = runner
can3 = Katie Hopkins
can3-week = Week 11
can3-stat = resigned
can4 = Tre Azam
can4-week = Week 11
can4-stat = fired
can5 = Lohit Kalburgi
can5-week = Week 11
can5-stat = fired
can6 = Naomi Lay
can6-week = Week 10
can6-stat = fired
can7 = Jadine Johnson
can7-week = Week 9
can7-stat = fired
can8 = Ghazal Asif
can8-week = Week 8
can8-stat = fired
can9 = Adam Hosker
can9-week = Week 7
can9-stat = fired
can10 = Paul Callaghan
can10-week = Week 6
can10-stat = fired
can11 = Natalie Wood
can11-week = Week 5
can11-stat = fired
can12 = Sophie Kain
can12-week = Week 4
can12-stat = fired
can13 = Gerri Blackwood
can13-week = Week 3
can13-stat = fired
can14 = Rory Laing
can14-week = Week 2
can14-stat = fired
can15 = Ifti Chaudhri
can15-week = Week 2
can15-stat = fired
can16 = Andy Jackson
can16-week = Week 1
can16-stat = fired
legendhired = Hired
legendrunner = Runner-up
legendfired = Fired
legendresigned = Resigned
legendother =

Series Three of "The Apprentice" is a television series which aired in the UK on BBC One. The series began on 28 March 2007 and finished on 13 June 2007, with Simon Ambrose as the winner.cite web|url=http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6749303.stm|title=Simon named as Apprentice winner|publisher=BBC News|date=2007-06-13|accessdate=2007-06-13] Ambrose's prize was to work on a project to develop a hotel and golfing complex near Stansted Airport, whilst training as a chartered surveyor. Kristina Grimes, the runner-up, has received many job offers from separate companies and is now working as an investment sales director.

Sir Alan Sugar reprised his role as the boss with Nick Hewer and Margaret Mountford as his advisors. Moving from BBC Two, [cite news|title=Apprentice promoted to BBC1 |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/aug/25/realitytv.bbc |publisher=The Guardian |date=2006-08-25 |accessdate=2008-05-14 ] this series attracted 10,000 applicants and promised "tougher tasks and better people" than before, however Sir Alan believed that the show was morphing into "Big Brother". [cite news |first=Stephen |last=Robb |title=Back in Apprentice's firing line |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6471463.stm |publisher=BBC News |date=2007-04-03 |accessdate=2007-05-12 ] Sugar also criticised the US version for making the error of "trying to change things just for the sake of it", causing it to backfire. [cite news |first= Colleen |last=Last |title=Sir Alan Sugar Speaks |url=http://entertainment.uk.msn.com/tv/realitytv/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4533081 |publisher=MSN |accessdate=2007-08-10 ]

Two 90-minute specials were aired during the series run. The first programme was titled "The Apprentice: Beyond the Boardroom" and featured information about the personal lives of each of the semi-finalists. The second, "The Apprentice: Why I Fired Them", featured Sugar revealing why he chose to remove each candidate from the programme.

Candidates

:"See also: The Apprentice candidates, Series Three

For this series, there were sixteen candidates instead of fourteen, as seen in the previous two series. The candidates were initially separated into two teams by gender. The women chose the name "Stealth" for their team, while the men named their team "Eclipse".

The candidates were:

Criticism and controversy

This series was described as "the most controversial" out of all three series that had been made at the time.cite news |title=Record figures expected for final Apprentice showdown |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=461273&in_page_id=1773 |publisher=The Daily Mail |date=2007-06-11 |accessdate=2007-08-03 ]

Two candidates, Katie Hopkins and Paul Callaghan, started a romance while competing on the programme. This received much coverage from the tabloid press. [cite news |title=Apprentice show flirting 'robbed me of my chance' |url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/showbiz/article-23394836-details/Apprentice+show+flirting+'robbed+me+of+my+chance'/article.do |publisher=This Is London |date=2005-05-03 |accessdate=2007-08-18 ] cite news |title=Paul: You're fired, Katie |url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2001320029-2007200462,00.html |publisher=The Sun |date=2005-05-03 |accessdate=2007-08-18 ] [cite news |title=Romance is in the air for her and fellow contestant Paul |url=http://www.nowmagazine.co.uk/celeb_news/Apprentice_star_Katie_Hopkins_flirting_angers_Sir_Alan_article_116647.html |publisher=Now |date=2007-04-19 |accessdate=2007-08-18 ] This was one of the reasons that Callaghan was fired from the competition, as other candidates complained about the situation, saying that the relationship affected the performance of the team during the tasks.cite news |first=Mark |last=Jefferies |title=Kat Fight |url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/realitytv/other/2007/05/02/kat-fight-89520-19030774/ |publisher=The Mirror |date=2005-05-02 |accessdate=2007-08-18 ]

Candidate Gerri Blackwood claimed that the allocation of showers in the house where the candidates stay appeared to have been manipulated in such a way as to force the female contestants to shower together. She told the "Daily Star" "One of the bathrooms was used by the film crew, but two of the others were closed off with 'Out of Order' signs on them. That left two bathrooms to share between 16 people. I am not sure whether it was deliberate or not but you can imagine they wanted us to share showers". [cite news |title='The Apprentice' reject Gerri speaks out |url=http://www.lse.co.uk/TVNews.asp?Code=US138280M&headline=the_apprentice_reject_gerri_speaks_out |publisher=Life Style Extra |date=2007-04-13 |accessdate=2007-08-10 ] In her interview, she also claimed that Nick Hewer and Margaret Mountford fed the candidates misleading information so that they would fail the tasks, and that Sir Alan Sugar's boardroom diatribes were re-filmed to make them look better. [cite news |title=Sugar Show's sex shock |url=http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news_detail.html?sku=1538 |publisher=The Daily Star |date=2007-04-13 |accessdate=2007-05-11 ] Fellow candidate Tre Azam also criticised the editing of the programme, claiming he was worried that his portrayal "might have been dumbed down because I made some of the other characters look too weak". [cite news |first=Daniel |last=Kilkelly |authorlink= |title='Apprentice' star complains about editing |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/realitytv/a45567/apprentice-star-complains-about-editing.html |publisher=Digital Spy |date=2007-04-22 |accessdate=2007-08-10 ]

The mental health charity MIND has criticised the programme for enrolling Jadine Johnson, a candidate who was sectioned under the Mental Health Act in 2003, expressing fears that a vulnerable person was being used for entertainment. In response, a spokesperson from the BBC said "As a part of the selection process, all candidates are seen by an independent qualified psychologist to assess their suitability for participating in the programme".cite news |title=Badger slams latest Apprentice hopefuls |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=451869&in_page_id=1773 |publisher=The Daily Mail |date=2007-01-25 |accessdate=2007-05-15 ]

After Paul Callaghan was fired in the , wholesale chain Makro and manufacturer Wyke Farms criticised the programme due to the negative comments made about its cheese. In the episode, Sir Alan Sugar verbally blasted Paul for taking the inexpensive products to France to sell.cite episode |title=The Sausage Saga |episodelink=The Apprentice (UK Series Three) #Week 6: The Sausage Saga |series=The Apprentice Series Three |serieslink=The Apprentice (UK Series Three) |network=BBC |station=BBC One |airdate=2007-05-02 |season=3 |number=6] Makro and Wyke Farms claimed that the cheese is very popular in France. Richard Clothier, the Managing Director of Wyke Farms, said "Alan Sugar, you know a lot about electronics, but not that much about cheese, and for that reason, you're fired!". [cite news |first=Pam |last=Caulfield |title='Apprentice' backlash as farm proves success of British cheese |url=http://www.24dash.com/showbiz_slapdash/20275.htm |publisher=24dash.com |date=2007-05-08 |accessdate=2007-05-11 ]

In protest to the hiring of Simon Ambrose, some former candidates who had returned to appear in the final episode of "" threatened to leave the studio in which the programme was being recorded. [cite news |title=She's fired, he's hired as Simon lands dream job with his 'idol' |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=461832&in_page_id=1773 |publisher=The Daily Mail |date=2007-06-14 |accessdate=2007-08-03 ]

Several organisations, including the Trades Union Congress, the Liberal Democrats, The Equal Opportunities Commission and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, accused Alan Sugar of sexism and breaching the 1976 Sex Discrimination act after only questioning contestants Katie Hopkins and Kristina Grimes about their child-care arrangements, despite the fact that other male contestants were also parents. [cite news |first=Nick |last=Levine |title=Sir Alan Sugar accused of sexism |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/realitytv/a60107/sir-alan-sugar-accused-of-sexism.html |publisher=Digital Spy |date=2007-06-08 |accessdate=2007-08-09 ] cite news |title=Sir Alan accused of sexism towards Apprentice villain Katie |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=460375&in_page_id=1773 |publisher=The Daily Mail |date=2007-06-08 |accessdate=2007-08-06] [cite news |first=Adam |last=Sherwin |title=Sugar faces sexism row as ex-Apprentice sells story |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article1901452.ece |publisher=The Times |date=2007-06-08 |accessdate=2007-08-09 ] Sugar's questioning, during the , eventually made Hopkins resign from the programme and decline Sugar's initial offer of a chance to compete in the final episode. [cite news |title=Sugar picks Apprentice finalists |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6727631.stm |publisher=BBC |date=2007-06-07 |accessdate=2007-08-09 ] [cite news |title=Apprentice contender Katie fired |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6743877.stm |publisher=BBC |date=2007-06-12 |accessdate=2007-08-09 ] Although, Sugar defended his actions and told Fiona Phillips of GMTV that he was aware of all rules regarding sexual discrimination within the workplace. [cite news |title=Sugar defends interview technique |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6747711.stm |publisher=BBC |date=2007-06-13 |accessdate=2007-08-09 ] [cite episode |title=GMTV Today, June 13 2007 |episodelink= |series=GMTV Today |serieslink=GMTV Today |credits=Phillips, Fiona; Sugar, Alan |network=ITV |station=ITV1 |airdate=2007-06-13 |season=14] The incident was well-documented within the media. [cite news |first=Marisa |last=Duffy |title=Katie gone at last, but was the firing squad fair? |url=http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/features/display.var.1456687.0.0.php |publisher=The Herald |date=2007-06-08 |accessdate=2007-08-09 ] [cite news |first=Ben |last=Russell |title=Sugar accused of sexism after apprentice quits |url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/news/article2633484.ece |publisher=Belfast Telegraph |date=2007-06-08 |accessdate=2007-08-09 ] [cite news |title=All fired up |url=http://business.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2098403,00.html |publisher=The Guardian |date=2007-06-08 |accessdate=2007-08-09 ]

Contestant Natalie Wood complained about a situation with Adrian Chiles, host of The Apprentice spin-off programme, "". Chiles, who has a distinctive Birmingham accent, asked Wood on the spin-off programme whether her Essex accent had been a hindrance. "But how can you pick up on my accent when Sir Alan is sitting across the table," commented Wood. "How can he say that? Essex is fantastic and I'm proud to come from Essex. A lot of people from Essex are very successful. I find it hard to swallow." [cite news |title=Candidate with Essex-appeal gets boot |url=http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/apprentice/news_260407_natalie.shtml |publisher=The News of the World |accessdate=2007-08-10 ]

Related programmes

"The Apprentice: Beyond the Boardroom"

This was a one-off special shown on BBC Two on 2 June 2007.cite news |first=Melanie |last=Swan |title=Battle for my Baby |url=http://www.people.co.uk/news/tm_headline=battle-for-my-baby--&method=full&objectid=19237913&siteid=93463-name_page.html |publisher=The People |date=2007-06-03 |accessdate=2007-07-13 ] The programme featured interviews with the final five candidates from this series. Nick Hewer and Margaret Mountford also gave their opinions on the final five, along with some of the previously fired candidates.cite episode |title=The Apprentice: Beyond the Boardroom |episodelink=The Apprentice (UK)#"The Apprentice: Beyond the Boardroom" |network=BBC |station=BBC Two |city=London, England |airdate=2007-06-02 |season=3 |number=13] The programme spoke about the candidates' private lives, revealing that Kristina Grimes was sent to a convent at age 17 due to her pregnancy, Tre Azam once fell asleep whilst driving and nearly died, Simon Ambrose was bullied as a child and has an IQ of 174, Katie Hopkins ran the New York Marathon despite knowing that she was pregnant and that Lohit Kalburgi is a homosexual. Friends of the candidates and members of their families, including parents, children and partners, aired their views.

"The Apprentice: Why I Fired Them"

This one-off special was screened on BBC Two on 10 June 2007, three days before the revelation of the winner of this series of "The Apprentice". In the programme Sir Alan Sugar looked back over the series so far, discussed the merits and demerits of the candidates, and explained in more detail why he fired each candidate when he did. [cite news |first=Mark |last=Wright |title=Square Eyes 8-10 June |url=http://www.thestage.co.uk/tvtoday/2007/06/square_eyes_810_june.php |publisher=The Stage |date=2007-06-08 |accessdate=2007-08-04 ] The episode featured the former participants' views of their time on the programme and what they had learnt from the experience.cite episode |title=The Apprentice: Why I Fired Them |episodelink=The Apprentice (UK)#"The Apprentice: Why I Fired Them" |network=BBC |station=BBC Two |city=London, England |airdate=2007-06-10 |season=3 |number=14] Sugar's assistants Nick Hewer and Margaret Mountford also spoke about the former contestants. At the end of the programme, Sugar reviewed the performances of the two finalists, Kristina Grimes and Simon Ambrose, and said that deciding who to hire would be difficult. Despite voluntarily leaving rather than being "fired", Katie Hopkins also featured on the programme and her time on "The Apprentice" was discussed.

Aftermath

As a result of winning "The Apprentice", Simon Ambrose started work on a project to develop a hotel and golfing complex near Stansted Airport, whilst training as a chartered surveyor. Runner-up Kristina Grimes was offered a job by Sir Alan, but decided to work as an investment sales director with property company Dandara instead.cite news |first=Maxine |last=Gordon |title=Turning TV defeat into career victory |url=http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/features/display.var.1567611.0.turning_tv_defeat_into_career_victory.php |publisher=The Press (York) |date=2007-07-24 |accessdate=2007-08-14 ] Katie Hopkins, who finished in third place, was sacked from her job as a global brand consultant at The Met Office as a result of her appearance on the programme.cite news |first=Nick |last=Levine |title='Apprentice' star Katie: 'I'm a scapegoat' |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/a60912/apprentice-star-katie-im-a-scapegoat.html |publisher=Digital Spy |date=2007-06-13 |accessdate=2007-08-14 ] Hopkins is taking the organisation to an employment tribunal. [cite news |first=Veronica |last=Schmidt |title=Apprentice's Katie heads for employment tribunal |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article1926308.ece |publisher=The Times |date=2007-06-13 |accessdate=2007-08-14 ] Candidate Adam Hosker left his job at a car dealership in order to work as a sales director, but was later questioned by police over allegations that he assaulted a man in a nightclub. [cite news |first=Charlotte |last=Bradshaw |title=Apprentice star: I regret going on show |url=http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/mostpopular.var.1604871.mostviewed.apprentice_star_i_regret_going_on_show.php |publisher=This is Lancashire |date=2007-08-08 |accessdate=2007-08-14 ] Other contestants have started their own businesses, such as Natalie Wood, and Naomi Lay has expressed interest in becoming a television presenter. [cite news |title=The Apprentice: Adam gets fired |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/entertainment/film_and_tv/s/1006/1006597_the_apprentice_adam_gets_fired.html |publisher=Manchester Evening News |date=2007-05-10 |accessdate=2007-08-14 ] [cite news |title=Reject Naomi eyes TV job |url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2001320029-2007250313,00.html |publisher=The Sun |date=2007-05-31 |accessdate=2007-08-14 ] Both Hopkins and Grimes have been offered to participate on "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!" and Tre Azam has appeared on "Big Brother's Big Mouth". [cite news |first=Nick |last=Levine |title=Katie Hopkins to appear on 'I'm A Celeb'? |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/imacelebrity/a62031/katie-hopkins-to-appear-on-im-a-celeb.html |publisher=Digital Spy |date=2007-06-20 |accessdate=2007-08-14 ] [cite episode |title=Big Brother's Big Mouth, June 10th 2007 |series=Big Brother's Big Mouth |network=Channel 4 |station=E4 |airdate=2007-06-10 |season=4 ]

References

External links

*bbc.co.uk|id=apprentice|title="The Apprentice"