The second episode of The Apprentice has promised plenty of cringeworthy candidate fails as Lord Alan Sugar ’s hopefuls take on their next task.
The 17th series of the BBC reality show returned to TV screens last week with 18 new candidates competing to win a life-changing investment of £250,000 from Lord Sugar.
The candidates were thrown in at the deep end when the series kicked off with a trip to the Caribbean, but their second week will see them stay on home soil to make – you guessed it – bao buns.
The candidates are summoned to the award-winning restaurant Hutong in the Shard for week two, where they find Lord Sugar waiting for the big task reveal.
They will be manufacturing bao buns, with a savoury bun to punt to the public and a bespoke sweet one to sell to a corporate client, and the team who secures the biggest overall profit will be safe from elimination.
A first look clip at the challenge promises a maths meltdown among the girls as they struggle to work out what 45 multiplied by 400 is without a trusty calculator.
The scene shows the team in a kitchen as they puzzle over the mental maths of how much dough they need, while a mind-boggled Baroness Karren Brady looks on.
After they initially come to the incorrect answer, Karren quickly realises their error and intervenes, saying: “45 times 400 is not over complicated. I suggest you re-do your maths.”
After another chance, the girls realise they were missing a somewhat crucial zero from their calculations.
Speaking directly to the BBC One cameras, Karren then ominously warns: “They ordered one kilo of fish for 400 buns. You'll be lucky if you get a crumb of fish in your bun.”
The episode promises kitchen explosions followed by a grilling in the boardroom, which results in one candidate being sent packing.
This comes after Emma Browne became the first candidate to be fired from The Apprentice’s 2023 series after a series of furious clashes over ticket sales on the sunny shores of Antigua.
It was ultimately the end of the road for Emma after a fiery boardroom exchange with her teammates and Lord Sugar.
Following her exit, Emma said her only regret was leaving first – but had no qualms about joining the show in the first place.
Following her exit, she said: "Yes, I absolutely don’t regret doing it. I think if you want to go for it, go for it 100%. I'm not going to be a sore loser, I put myself forward and someone had to go. I'm not painful about it.
"I spent so much time doing a business plan that I probably wouldn't have spent as much time doing if it wasn’t for The Apprentice. I don't regret the decision at all. But I do regret going first."
The Apprentice airs Thursdays on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
