So far...

How good is this years apprentice! This year has had some interesting tasks and has shown some candidates to be excellent project managers e.g. Raef on the Laundry week and some really awful project managers e.g. Ian on the pub food week. Interestingly we've also had a team really excel and still loose the task (ice cream week). We've also had the total bonkers like Lindi who suggested a 24 hour hotline to find out the status of your laundry, bonkers!.

My favourites to win are Lucinda or Claire for the girls and Alex or Raef for the boys (I did actually think Simon was going to win it until he was project manager and completely lost it!).

Candidates: The girls...

1. Lucinda Ledgerwood - My favourite candidate at the moment, Lucinda to win! See below.
2. Claire Young - I think Claire has been quite impressive, she's been the project manager twice now and won both tasks. She has also been a big contributor to other tasks. She's a big personality and I think she is quite bright. The 1st task for the girls was almost a disaster and she basically told everyone to shut up and sort themselves out and they turned it around and won the task.
3. Jennifer Maguire (Irish Jenny) - Initially I thought she was good but she's been a bit bitchy, was horrible to Lucinda (not as much as other Jenny or Helena) she made a mistake in the ice cream task and was far too self-congratulating. Anyway she's the best salesperson in Europe apparently!
4. Helene Speight - Another one I thought was quite good, she does seem to know what she's doing and seems quite bright but she was really horrible to Lucinda on the photographing task, Lucinda explained she was non-technical yet Helena insisted she do the technical role making her looking really inept. Will be interesting to see what she is like as the project manager.
5. Sara Dhada - Did well as the project manager with the pub food one, but I think that had something to do with the work that Claire did. Hasn't shone outside that task quite quiet and not a big personality like some of the others. She hasn't done anything to warrant being fired, but it would be good to see her as the project manager again at this stage to see if she's really got what it takes.
6. Jenny Celerier (be-atch Jenny) - My least favourite of the girls left (though I'm actually warming to her) is Jenny, she was a mega bitch, was especially horrible to Lucinda, to the point of bullying which I think was unacceptable to show without Jenny being fired. Anyway she isn't afraid to turn in the board room, when she spots a weakness she goes after it, like getting Shazia fired, and almost getting Claire fired over Simon. She is like Katy from last year but doesn't have the intellect or capability, infact she was pretty shocking as the project manager for the laundry task and its really her that should have gone. There's no way she will win.

Candidates: The Boys...

1. Raef Bjayou - He's been very good, a couple of weeks he's been quiet but he's never done anything stupid and he's always got something positive or intelligent today. Last weeks task with the cards he was really good with the pitch he delivered, which I think won them the task. The 2nd week (laundry task) he was simply brilliant, turning the divided boys team into a well oiled machine and completed whipped the girls arse!
2. Alex Wotherspoon - seems intelligent and is playing the game, not afraid to drop people in it, which could back fire on it. He positions himself in order to make himself look good and so others take the fall. No harm in playing a good game. Week 1 as the project manager I thought he was quite good (even though they lost the task) he was calm under pressure and organised and delegated quite well. Need to see him as project manager again to see if he really has what it takes.
3. Lee McQueen - A dark house perhaps? Seems quite good, and always seems to be on the winning team, and be involved in their winning. Also has nice things to say about Lucinda which I like! Hasn't been project manager yet, lets see Simon looked really good until he was the project manager...
4. Michael Sophocles - Of all the boys you can guarantee Michael will do something completely stupid each week, like selling 200 quid of fish for 30 pounds or admitting he randomly changed the prices (in the pub food week). He's outburst last week in the board room when his team won the task was cringeworthy. However I did think it would be a disaster when he was the project manager and he wasn't actually that bad, though he did have a good team around him, I don't think he'll win it though.

Lucinda to Win!

I like Lucinda, and she kept her head down initially and didn't do anything wrong, then week 2 she was bullied to a point that it was horrible to watch (by Jenny) she was trying her best and was making a valid point (e.g. folding the laundry instead of sticking it all in a bag will stop them having to iron it when they get back to the house...) anyway Jenny was absolutely horrible to her. It was horrible to see because she went into herself. Then the week of the photography it was like a witch hunt to get rid of her when she said she was non technical and was put in charge of operating the computer in the back office, shame on you Helene.

Then it came to the ice cream week and Alan Sugar made Lucinda the project manager, I thought it was going to be a disaster, but she turned out to be awesome as the project manager. It was quite simply the best performance as a project manager that I have seen this year. She was calm, collected and positive. She actually managed the task, delegating the work, and organising the candidates into teams, and they did really well, having a very successful ice cream tasting session then getting some major ice cream deals. The only reason why they lost it was thatClaires team got lucky with one big deal, and Claries team quite clearly must have marked up their price much higher than Lucinda's team. It turned out the whole exclusivity thing would have lost them the task, but it was one of the strongest performances as a project manager where the team lost, oh well.

I think Lucinda has done enough to stay in the competition, I think if she can build on what she achieved as the project manager, and perhaps offer to be the project manager again she could go to the end.

One of the things I really like about Lucinda is she is very intelligent but she's playing fair, and isn't be horrible or manipulative like some of the other candidates.

Lucinda to win!