LORD Sugar yesterday laughed off the notion his sexy cast were more suited to Love Island than The Apprentice.
The mogul quipped: “I’d be able to answer that if I’d ever watched Love Island, but I have not.”
Lord Sugar has hit back at claims his sexy cast are more like Love Islanders than ApprenticesCredit: BBC
He is ready to welcome 18 new candidates into the boardroom in the hunt for a business partner.
Asked how much of a say he has in the bunch, Alan said: “Quite a lot. It is a very stringent process that we go through, which includes making sure that the people will be able to stand up to the pressures that I’ll put upon them.
“And obviously, I get to do a deep dive into their CVs. We get 6,000 people at auditions but the first time they see me is in the boardroom.”
Lord Sugar has signed up for two more series of The Apprentice after the newest instalment – the show’s 17th – but said he’d be “delighted” to make it to 20.
This year an episode is dedicated to celebrating 100 years of the BBC, where makers promise Alan will be seen “in a form never seen before.”
It will air during a most troubled economic backdrop in the show’s history.
But Lord Alan has one piece of advice for businesses struggling through the cost of living crisis.
He added: “Keep your head down and get on with it. Stay focused, stay honest and you’ll come through the other end.”
In the opening episode, the candidates will be thrown into the deep end with a trip to the Caribbean where they were tasked with creating and selling excursions to tourists.
Rochelle Anthony is one of the candidates on this year’s series of The ApprenticeCredit: Instagram
Marnie shows off her fantastic physique on holidayCredit: INSTAGRAM/MARNIE SWINDELLS
Dani Donovan owns a hair salon in HertfordshireCredit: INSTAGRAM/DANI DONOVAN
Alan explained: “Last year we were restricted by Covid in what we could do and what we couldn’t do because of the health warnings. So this year, we decided… let’s come back with a big bang.
“So I said: ‘Let’s go somewhere great to really kick off well.’ You should see the candidates’ faces when I said to them: ‘Right your first task you’re going to Antigua’, that’s wonderful.
“Also for the audience it will be a great kick-off for the process.”
The mogul also revealed five Apprentices have now become millionaires after receiving his backing.