The Apprentice contestant Amy Anzel has detailed her suspicions that “ageism” was to blame for her firing from the hit BBC business show in the sixth week.
The entrepreneur hopeful is the show’s oldest ever contestant at 48, something which she thought would give her an edge in being more “measured and level-headed” than her competitors.
Yet when finalist Kathryn Burn’s team lost in week six, she brought Aaron Willis and Amy back into the boardroom, where Amy was ultimately fired by Lord Alan Sugar for failing to step into the position of Project Manager for the sixth week running.
Amy admitted she was shocked by the decision at the time, noting that the reason for her firing was one she had never seen on the show previously.
She told The Mirror: “I think there was some element of ageism when I was fired, because I can't imagine why else he would have fired me.
“He has said in previous seasons, 'I like acorns not oak trees'. I thought, does that pertain to the age or the age of the business, but no matter if it was either one, I do think it had something to do with my firing, even though he didn't use it for my firing.”
Amy noted from “very early on” Lord Sugar questioned her ability in the boardroom, which led her to ask fellow candidate Aaron Willis for advice.
She said: “I remember Aaron saying, 'Yeah, he does seem to be picking on you, but maybe that's because he sees you as the most experienced seasoned entrepreneur here and he wants to knock you down a few pegs'.
“I always felt a bit picked on. I know that they're going to always try to push you but it did feel like I was being singled out.”
Amy described being slightly disillusioned by her experience on the show, which she says she came to the “sad realisation” is “95 percent entertainment and five percent business”.
“I really put it up on a pedestal for so long and I was so keen on winning it,” she said. “I thought, Lord Sugar is only going to see the best in me.”
“I had so much to show him - my business acumen, my life experience. I thought we're almost meant-to-be business partners. I could never have imagined it would have ended like this.”
But the beauty brand owner is now focusing on the future, scaling up and expanding her business as well as “exciting” media opportunities that have come her way since appearing on the show, saying: “I think the future's bright.”
A spokesperson for The Apprentice said: “Lord Sugar makes his decision based on the task, the candidates’ performance throughout the series and their business acumen. Any suggestion to the contrary is simply not true.”
