The Apprentice Over-Lord Alan Sugar pointed his finger again tonight, firing the latest failed candidate in series 18 – so who left The Apprentice tonight?
In episode 2 of the 12-parter (Thursday, February 8, 2024), Big Al tasked the remaining 17 entrepreneurs to manufacture miniature cheesecakes to sell to the public and to a corporate client.
With aides Karren Brady and Tim Campbell watching on with a critical eye and a raised eyebrow, the teams – split into male and female at this stage – headed to the kitchen to create a sweet treat… And while both teams made mistakes, it was the boys who lost one of their own in the boardroom.
So who got fired and why? Here’s everything you need to know!
***Warning: spoilers from The Apprentice episode 2 ahead***
What happened in The Apprentice series 18 episode 2?
In episode 2 of The Apprentice series 18, the candidates received a brutal 4am call from one of Lord Sugar’s minions telling them to meet at the Royal Exchange, London.
Once there, Lord Sugar informed them their task was to manufacture miniature cheesecakes to sell to the public and to a corporate client. Of course, as per usual, the team with the most profit at the end would win.
The teams had two days to design and produce one cheesecake for their corporate client, and another for the general public. The girls seemed reluctant to step forward as team lader, with Sam Saadet declaring: “I have zero experience of food.” Eh? What do you eat then?
Meanwhile, Maura Rath claimed to have “made cheesecakes” before. However, it was Foluso Falade who stepped up as team leader for the girls due to her “attention to detail”.
They decide to sell their product in Greenwich market. This despite it being far away from the kitchen where the cheesecakes would be produced. But, in the end, this didn’t hinder them.
The team appointed Rachel Woolford as sub-team leader, despite barely saying a word in episode 1. The girls decided to make a mango mojito – or mo-heet-ooo if you’re Sam – for the public. And they pitched their high end cheesecake to corporate client London Dungeon for £13.80 per cake. Kudos to Flo who wasn’t going to reduce that price for anyone, and ultimately helped the girls get the win.
Special mention to Foluso for swallowing a mouthful of truffle dust thinking it was chocolate. And to Raj brazenly asking for 50p tips on her sales. Shameless.
Who left The Apprentice tonight after Phil led the boys in the cheesecake challenge?
Meanwhile, Phil Turner was team leader for the boys, with Paul B as sub-team leader – both “pie men” and both in the food industry. Although, on paper, they should have excelled in this task, the results were shambolic.
In the kitchen, the men had no attention to detail, and the cheesecake base looked more like a crumble. Not to mention Phil’s idea to put avocado in the centre of his dragonfruit and apricot cheesecake.
Their corporate client was Innocent drinks – a company firmly focused on fruit and veg. But Paul B, proving himself to be the blundering fool we thought he was in episode 1, insisted on pushing a chocolate cheesecake. His inability to read the room was, frankly, embarrassing.
Although Phil made some mistakes with his ingredients, we couldn’t help but feel the egos in the team hindered his success. Although having priced his cheesecakes at a woefully low £6.75 per cake, it was unsurprising when the team made less profits.
His pricing structure was all over the place, and the cheesecakes “looked like something a primary school could have made”. Ouch.
Of course, when Phil looked to the camera to say he was “feeling confident about our chances of success” his fate was sealed….
Who left The Apprentice tonight? Who got fired?
Ultimately, the girls smashed it.
The boys spent £422.15, sold £908, and made a profit of £485.85. Meanwhile, the girls spent £408.42, sold £1143, and made a profit of £734.58.
While the girls got to enjoy some high-end luxury desserts, the boys dragged their sorry arses to the Bridge Café. In the end, Phil decided to bring back Paul B and Asif Munaf, who Lord Sugar referred to as “an acquired taste”. Well, that’s one way of putting it!
All three men deserved to be in the boardroom at the end. Asif appeared to do nothing throughout the task, Phil priced the cheesecakes too low, while Paul insulted the corporate clients by ignoring their love of fruit and veg.
Asif boldly told Lord Sugar both Pie Men should be fired, while Phil laid the blame at Paul’s feet, and Paul blamed Asif.
Lord Alan Sugar fired Paul Bowen in The Apprentice episode 2
Lord Sugar subsequently fired redhead Paul Bowen. He told him: “Paul, I admire you for admitting your mistakes, but there were simply too many mistakes and so it is with regret Paul, you’re fired.”
Paul says in the taxi: “The biggest regret is obviously banging on about chocolate but, hey, it’s time to go back and make some pies.”
The Apprentice continues with episode 3 on Thursday, February 15, 2024 at 9pm on BBC One.
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