The Apprentice: All-female Final Five unveiled for the second year running as they gear up to face Lord Sugar’s advisors in Interviews week
The Apprentice has unveiled its all-female Final Five for the second year running.
Following International Women’s Day, Dani Donovan, Marnie Swindells, Megan Hornby, Rochelle Anthony and Victoria Goulbourne were announced to be just two more tasks away from the highly-coveted £250,000 investment.
In next week’s episode, the fan-favourite Interviews week, they will face the scrutiny of Lord Sugar’s most trusted advisors.
The team of business experts are primed and ready to pick apart business proposals and dig deep to find out who’s really got what it takes to become Lord Sugar’s next business partner.
Only two candidates can proceed to the final and secure the life-changing investment in their business.
Successful: The Apprentice has unveiled its all-female Final Five for the second year running
Dani said: ‘It feels quite surreal, I never expected to get this far when entering the process. It was a massive shock, but from the number of times I’ve been on the winning team in tasks, I know I absolutely deserve to be in the final five.
‘I’ve thrown myself into every task and have given everything one-hundred and ten percent, and that I’m proud of.’
Marnie added: ‘I think the women this year had a bad start, but from task one onwards we really took charge then there was no stopping us.
‘All of the women were just a force to be reckoned with and we’ve all wanted to demonstrate what we’re capable of by putting ourselves out there and demonstrating our skills, we were all on a mission to get to the final.’
Megan continued: ‘If you look at the final five, every single one of us threw ourselves into every single task.
‘We all put one-hundred and ten percent into every single task that we took part in, even if it was outside of our comfort zones. We tried to offer as much as we could every week and that’s the difference you can see, we gave it everything we could.’
Rochelle gushed: I’m completely over the moon! Ecstatic and really proud to have got this far in the competition.’
Victoria concluded: ‘It feels surreal, I wasn’t sure if I’d even be lucky enough to get a spot in the process, never mind make it through every single task and every single week.
Woohoo! Following International Women’s Day, Dani Donovan, Marnie Swindells (right), Megan Hornby (left), Rochelle Anthony and Victoria Goulbourne were announced to be just two more tasks away from the highly-coveted £250,000 investment
Tough: In next week’s episode, the fan-favourite Interviews week, they will face the scrutiny of Lord Sugar’s most trusted advisors (Victoria is pictured)
Deserving: Rochelle (left) gushed: I’m completely over the moon! Ecstatic and really proud to have got this far in the competition’ (Dani pictured, right)
‘When in actual fact, every single week I thought “Oh my God, I could get fired at any point,” so to actually make it to the final five is amazing.’
In week 10, the candidates were tasked with creating and branding a new dog food before pitching to major retailers.
In the kitchen, one team wrangled with their recipe making a dog’s dinner of their signature dish, whilst on the other team a premium product failed to deliver.
On the branding teams, candidates bickered to be top dog. With plenty to chew over, Lord Sugar sent Simba Rwambiwa walkies.
Bradley Johnson was project manager, and his team received no orders due to the product dyeing skin green when applied.
Gaffer: In week 10, the candidates were tasked with creating and branding a new dog food before pitching to major retailers (Lord Sugar is pictured)
Dog’s dinner: In the kitchen, one team wrangled with their recipe making a dog’s dinner of their signature dish, whilst on the other team a premium product failed to deliver
Getting to grips: The teams had to create a campaign surrounding their product
Lord Sugar said in the boardroom: ‘Simba, if you don’t say anything worth listening to, then are you somebody who could qualify to be my business partner?
‘They say every dog has its day and sadly, Simba, it’s nor your day. It is with regret, you’re fired!
Simba said in the taxi, ‘I really enjoyed the process. I’ve learnt so much about myself and about business as well and I wish the remaining final five all the best.’
Last year, Stephanie Afflek, Brittany Carter, Harpreet Kaur and Kathryn Louise Burn made history in the first ever all-female semi-final.
Harpreet is the current reigning champion, having started her dessert parlour business Oh So Yum in Bradford, with her sister Gurvinder and the help of Lord Sugar.
The Apprentice airs Thursdays on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
End of the road: Lord Sugar said in the boardroom: ‘Simba, if you don’t say anything worth listening to, then are you somebody who could qualify to be my business partner?’
THE APPRENTICE 2023: MEET THE CANDIDATES
AVI SHARMA
Occupation: City banker
Location: London
Key info: Youngest candidate and believes that Lord Sugar’s investment will get him out of the “rat race” of city banking
He says: ‘Some say I’m delusional, I prefer the term optimistic.’
DANI DONOVAN
Occupation: Hair salon owner
Location: Hertfordshire
Key info: Believes she deserves to win the programme because her business fills a ‘huge gap’ in the market, saying: ‘It baffles me that no one has done it yet!’
She says: ‘I think I’m a different kind of business owner, someone who is a lot more relatable to people.’
EMMA BROWNE
Occupation: Senior account executive
Location: County Kildare
Key info: Laser focused on making her unique business idea a resounding success
She says: ‘I am disgustingly competitive. I will go to any lengths to win this investment.’
JOSEPH PHILLIPS
Occupation: Safari Guide
Location: Worcestershire
Key info: The “James Bond of the business world” with a degree in Zoology
He says: ‘If Lord Sugar wants to invest in a business to help save the ocean, one lip balm at a time, then I’m his guy.’
MARK MOSELEY
Occupation: Pest control company owner
Location: London
Key info: A former soldier who says he can ‘sell to anyone’ with the gift of the gab
He says: ‘If Lord Sugar doesn’t pick me, then he’s missing a trick.’
MEGAN HORNBY
Occupation: Sweet shop and café owner
Location: East Yorkshire
Key info: She says her business fills a gap in the market and has the potential to be nationally recognised.
She says: ‘I think that no matter what situation I am thrown into, I will always give one hundred percent truth, even if it’s hard to hear.’
ROCHELLE ANTHONY
Occupation: Hair salon and academy owner
Location: Bedfordshire
Key info: Describes herself as ‘tenacious, fierce and determined’ and says together with Lord Sugar they would be ‘an absolute force to be reckoned with.’
She says: ‘I’m always being compared to the Kim Kardashian of the business world because I’m doing business with a hint of glam.’
SHAZIA HUSSAIN
Occupation: Technology recruiter
Location: London
Key info: Wants to champion a varied representation of diverse women in the world of business
She says: ‘I don’t need any friends in business. I am here to win this.’
SOHAIL CHOWHARY
Occupation: Martial arts school owner
Location: Southampton
Key info: Raised in a council house and worked hard to create business and warns other candidates to be ‘wary’
He says: ‘I am calm and collected, but if they do come at me? I will bite and I will sting, and I will leave my mark.’
BRADLEY JOHNSON
Occupation: Director of construction company
Location: North Yorkshire
Key info: Self-made business that turns over half-a-million after being made redundant just four years ago
He says: ‘I have a business plan that will see us turn over seven figures after year three and who knows where else that could take us.’
DENISHA KAUR BHARJ
Occupation: Financial controller
Location: Leicestershire
Key info: Says she wants the investment opportunity because she wants to ‘be mentored by the best to be the best’
She says: ‘There’s only one Denisha Kaur.’
GREGORY EBBS
Occupation: Owner of an online antiques marketplace
Location: Shropshire
Key info: Previously worked as a professional cannon-firer in Malta
He says: ‘I would say, a willingness to try different things and not being afraid to be slightly different is one of my biggest strengths.’
KEVIN D’ARCY
Occupation: Accountant
Location: Dublin
Key info: Started his water sports equipment business during lockdown, whilst working in his job in the financial services
He says: ‘With Lord Sugar as my business partner, I know we can ride that wave into the UK and beyond…’
MARNIE SWINDELLS
Occupation: Court advocate
Location: London
Key info: A gold medal-winning boxer and imaginative businesswoman
She says: ‘I deserve Lord Sugar’s investment because I have given my blood, sweat and tears to my business.’
REECE DONNELLY
Occupation: Theatre school owner
Location: Glasgow
Key info: Is determined to become the first Scottish candidate to secure Lord Sugar’s investment and claims to be the youngest CEO of a further education college in the UK
He says: ‘I’m here to prove that Scotland is filled with forward-thinking entrepreneurs and that we are not in fact a haggis-eating, kilt-wearing nation.’
SHANNON MARTIN
Occupation: Bridal boutique owner
Location: West Yorkshire
Key info: Is hoping to be the first business partner to bring Lord Sugar into the lucrative bridal industry.
She says: ‘Lord Sugar needs to be my next business partner, so I can make him millions.’
SIMBA RWAMBIWA
Occupation: Senior sales representative
Location: Birmingham
Key info: Is a self-confessed ‘perfectionist’ who says his business will improve the quality of people’s lives
He says: ‘If people can’t buy into you, they’ll never buy anything from you.’
VICTORIA GOULBOURNE
Occupation: Owner of online sweet business
Location: Merseyside
Key info: Former flight attendant who started business in lockdown which grew into social media success
She says: ‘I’ve travelled all over the world and am not afraid to take on a challenge.’
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