It was an episode that did not showcase the abilities of the remaining candidates, littered by human error and strategic deficiencies. Lord Alan Sugar this week put the candidates to the test through a wholesale task designed to pick up wholesale products and sell them to the market and replenish once stock levels dropped.
Both teams floundered, and only Jim Eastwood from Natasha Scribbins' team seemed to get the gist of the task. Melody Hossaini, project manager for Helen Milligan and Tom Pellereau, approved Helen's flawed ploy to target small retailers, even though shopkeepers can order from wholesalers themselves.
Melody Is Fired
After noticeable performances in recent weeks, not always good ones, Melody put herself in charge claiming she had not project managed since the first week. Soon, her leadership qualities were put under pressure by Helen, claiming Melody did not grasp the concept of the task and had become unorganised. So she had proved to be but Helen, who had been in the winning team throughout the whole of the series, wasn't exempt from blame as she was accused for pushing through a doomed retail strategy and for challenging Melody's authority by asking to become Project Manager at the beginning of the second day of the task.
While Tom plodded along selling, and generally successfully doing so, Helen was ordered by Melodi to do a four-hour round trip across London to sell 30 duvet sheets to a retailer that was interested in acquiring the previous day. It proved a rueful choice as the linen supplier and the retailer had closed, leaving Helen only spending two hours selling throughout the second day.
Wrong product choices seemed to hinder the team's progress, with Melody declining to select the products that had sold well at the wholesales, and was part of the reason which proved to be her downfall in the boardroom. Lord Sugar remained to be unconvinced of her qualities to potentially partner with him. It seemed Tom dodged another bullet this week while also becoming a darkhorse contender to win the series.
Natasha Scribbins Flatters To Deceive
Project Managed but not Project Successful, Natasha's team became the first to not to be awarded the traditional winner's treat after being blasted by Lord Sugar for not reinvesting aggressively during the second day, which out of sheer anger led a £100 penalty. Her failure to understand the essence of the task, and her lack of form in the whole process, leaves much confusion as to how she made the 'Final Five'.
Jim and Susan excelled from a selling perspective, particularly Jim who conveyed charm in his sales techniques, as well as his abilities to spot the flaws of Natasha's conservative stock-taking approach. Her team narrowly won by over £20, including the penalty fine.
Next week sees the remaining five attempting to run a fast food business.
David Tran - A young and an enthusiastic writer, David Tran reports on the latest goings-on in sport. With a degree in journalism and solid reporting ...
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