The popular show The Apprentice is facing budget cuts as the BBC scales back spending on team-based challenges, following a decline in the number of people paying for TV licenses.
The latest season of Lord Sugar’s show premiered last month, offering a £250,000 investment to the winner, plus other exciting opportunities.
I’ve been watching the show, and in the past, the winners have gotten some amazing prizes – things like relaxing spa days and even thrilling helicopter rides! But so far this season, no one’s won anything yet, which is a little unusual.
Lord Sugar has a history of withdrawing prizes from winning candidates. For example, he once cancelled a trip to Goodwood, including the chance to drive classic cars, because the winning team didn’t follow his directions.
This year’s show won’t have a prize, as the producers have decided to focus on creating more intense and dramatic arguments instead.
A source explained: ‘The Apprentice is known for laying on lavish gifts for the winning team.’
According to The Sun, viewers enjoy watching the contestants celebrate their wins. However, the show’s producers are hoping to focus more on the intense negotiations in the boardroom this season.
The Daily Mail has contacted the BBC for comment.
It comes as the BBC also cut its evening current affairs programming in a bit to save money.
Last year, the BBC experienced losses exceeding £1 billion, largely due to a record number of households – one in eight – choosing not to pay the TV license fee.
Some 3.6million households said they do not have a licence because they do not need one.
This represents an increase of 300,000 compared to last year. The report from the Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) estimates this could translate to a potential loss of £617 million if these figures were based on paying households.
The report indicates that the BBC’s goal of reaching everyone is threatened because younger people are turning to other sources for media. Additionally, focusing heavily on digital content could leave behind those who aren’t comfortable using online platforms.
Viewers have heavily criticized this year’s cast of The Apprentice, calling them the ‘worst in the show’s history’ after a particularly disappointing episode on Thursday. Many expressed frustration that there wasn’t a single contestant they could support.
Oh my gosh, you guys, the latest episode was EVERYTHING! They made a whole children’s book – like, a real book with illustrations and everything – and then they also recorded an audio version for little kids! It was for ages 4 to 6, which is just the cutest. But the best part? They actually pitched it to real retailers! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, hoping they’d get a deal! It was amazing to watch their creativity come to life.
Marcus Donkoh’s team created a humorous story about an astronaut with a bathroom emergency in space, while Andrea Cooper’s team wrote a novel centered around a zebra named Zebory.
Honestly, as I watched the latest episode, I was really surprised by the creative struggles both teams were having. They just couldn’t seem to nail down the direction of their stories, and it was fascinating – and a little stressful – to watch them try to figure things out!
Someone posted on X, saying this year’s group of contestants on The Apprentice is terrible and makes the show unwatchable. They called the group ‘absolute rubbish’.
’20 series in and by far the worst set of candidates, it’s actually painful to watch.’
Viewers are expressing strong disappointment with this year’s Apprentice lineup, calling it the worst they’ve seen and describing the series as a complete mess. Many are saying they usually enjoy the show but are shocked by how poorly it’s going this season.
Meanwhile others took to the platform to share how much they laughed after watching the instalment.
Viewers found this episode consistently funny and enjoyable, with many praising its humor.
On Thursday it was revealed that Marcus was the third entrepreneur to be fired by Lord Alan Sugar.
The south London barbershop owner was the third contestant eliminated from the show, after two contestants were cut in the first episode.
Last week, Georgina Newton and Nikki Jetha didn’t receive the £250,000 investment and partnership with Lord Sugar they were hoping for on the show.
Unfortunately, Marcus’ team didn’t win the latest episode of the competition because they didn’t make enough sales.
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2026-02-08 04:49