Lord Alan Sugar’s latest business task on BBC’s The Apprentice has come under fire from viewers, who have slammed the “weird” challenge and questioned its relevance to the business world.
As series 19 is now in full swing, it seems some viewers believe Sugar, 77, could be running out of ideas after the latest episode, which aired on Thursday, February 6, saw the candidates creating a “pop song”.
The instalment started with the hopeful group of entrepreneurs being told by an AI version of the business magnate that the week’s task would involve music.
“One of the latest innovations is the arrival of the virtual pop star,” Sugar explained.
“These digital avatars release music, hold online concerts and work with brands just like the real pop stars, and it’s a market which is expected to be worth £400 million by 2030.”
He then set them the challenge of creating an act, song and music video as well as gaining sponsorship for their pop star character.
The Apprentice viewers slammed the latest episode as ‘unfair’
BBC
The two teams were led respectively by Amber-Rose Badrudin and Anisa Khan, with each electing to use different themes for their fictional musical icons.
Badrudin’s group opted to create a rap act, Fred and Nadz, while Khan’s team developed a star inspired by Taylor Swift called Bambi.
The unusual task seemed to require a lot of musical ability, which many of the candidates didn’t seem to have – and both teams ultimately failed to impress with their tracks.
Viewers were quick to deem the task “weird” and “unfair,” with a string of social media posts complaining about the week’s theme.
Alan Sugar’s latest task sparked a huge backlash
BBC
“Now this weeks [task] is weird #TheApprentice,” one penned on X, with someone else agreeing: “This is really weird… #TheApprentice.”
“I’m still confused about last nights #theapprentice task. What exactly were the big brands sponsoring?” another pointed out.
“S*** tasks like today’s on #TheApprentice are why the show is on its a***. Half a dozen random people cannot perform a task like this in a weekend,” one fumed.
They continued: “This is a 12 month project for a team of industry experts. It’s bull****. As will the computer game task be later in the series.”
“I can’t watch it anymore. It’s been ruined by deliberately finding the most stupid candidates ever. That task was the cringiest thing I’ve seen in a long time. It’s not even funny, it’s just c**p. #TheApprentice,” another shared.
“This just might be the worst episode of #TheApprentice I’ve ever watched in my life,” another stated boldly.
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Aoibheann Walsh was the latest candidate to be fired from The Apprentice
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“Nah it’s unfair to put non musical people on this task,” a different viewer noted. (sic)
Some did find the episode humorous though, with another X user adding: “This pop star task is hilarious. The songs are both AWFUL. #TheApprentice.”
In the end, investors were less impressed by the rap song, with many criticising the track’s heavy focus on money.
The tense boardroom chat saw Sugar deciding to fire Aoibheann Walsh, noting she hadn’t significantly contributed anything to the task.