The Apprentice is an Irish reality television series, in which a group of aspiring young businessmen and women compete for the chance to win a job as "apprentice" to Bill Cullen, an Irish businessman.
The first series of the show aired on TV3 on 22 September 2008, and finished on 8 December 2008, with Brenda Shanahan as the winner. Shanahan worked at Cullen's company, Renault Ireland, on a 12-month contract worth €100,000. Steve Rayner, a Business Development Manager, won the second series in 2009. That series also featured Breffny Morgan. Michelle Massey won the job in the 2010 series, while Eugene Heary won in 2011. It was announced in May 2012 that the programme would not be renewed for a new series.
The Apprentice is modelled on the American series of the same name, which starred entrepreneur Donald Trump, but is styled more closely around the British series starring business magnate Alan, Lord Sugar.
Bill Cullen's assistants in the Irish version of The Apprentice were his partner, and former model, Jackie Lavin and PR "guru", Brian Purcell.
Celebrity version Due to the success and growth of the series in 2009, it was announced that a Celebrity version of the show was being sought by the producers and TV3. The producers began the task of finding the main sponsor for the show, celebrities to take part and finally smaller sponsors of each individual task. The producers were able to find a main sponsor for the launch of the spring show and would have started production in January or February 2010, however, they were unable to find sponsors of each individual task. The producers also ran into trouble finding different personalities for the show and for them to give up a month of their lives for the show. The production of the celebrity version of the show was postponed until the third series finished production in August 2010.
As part of TV3's 2013 Autumn Schedule, the Celebrity Apprentice Ireland launched in September 2013.
2011 series The Apprentice Series 4 began airing on 3 October 2011. The Apprentice: You're Fired presented by Anton Savage also returned.
Candidates The fourth series consists of sixteen candidates in total again this year. In the three previous series, the candidates were initially separated into two teams based on gender. This year, however, Bill split the teams into 'youth' and 'experience'. Four male and four female candidates made up the teams.
Candidate Background Original team Age ResultEugene HearyProperty Developer Zest 30Hired by CullenNoel RowlandCompany Director Zest30Fired in week 12Joanne Sweeney-BurkeMultimedia Company Owner Zest33Fired in week 12Maurice O'CallaghanHospitality ManagerZest32Fired in week 12Conor BrowneCompany Owner Spirit20Fired in week 11Sandra MurphyRestaurateurZest30Fired in week 10Christopher HaroldMarketing Manager with Cadpo Software SolutionsSpirit28Fired in week 9Brian KirwanSales & MarketingSpirit29Fired in Week 8Susanne ShortMarketing GraduateSpirit22Fired in week 7Peter NielsenSenior Channel Account ManagerSpirit29Fired in week 6Louise O'HaraGraduate, Masters in MarketingSpirit29Fired in week 5Claire CroneSelf EmployedZest35Fired in week 4Ruth LeggettConstruction Design ManagerZest40Fired in week 3Eoin HamdamI.T. ConsultantZest38Quit in week 3Yinka RahmanOwns and runs www.hairweavon.comSpirit25Fired in week 2Aisling SmithMarketing and Event ManagerSpirit26Fired in week 1
Weekly results CandidateOriginal teamWeek 3 teamWeek 4 teamWeek 6 teamWeek 8 teamWeek 9 teamWeek 11 teamApplication resultRecord as project managerEugene HearyZestSpiritZestZestZestSpiritSpiritHired by Cullen2–1 (win in weeks 10 & 11, loss in week 6)Noel RowlandZestZestZestSpiritSpiritZestSpiritFired in week 122–0 (win in weeks 4 & 8)Joanne Sweeney-BurkeZestSpiritSpiritZestSpiritSpiritSpiritFired in week 122–1 (win in weeks 2 & 9, loss in week 7)Maurice O'CallaghanZestZestSpiritSpiritSpiritZestZestFired in week 122–1 (win in weeks 1 & 7, loss in week 10)Conor BrowneSpiritZestZestZestSpiritSpiritZestFired in week 110–2 (loss in weeks 5 & 11)Sandra MurphyZestZestZestSpiritZestZestFired in week 101–1 (win in week 6, loss in week 8)Christopher HaroldSpiritSpiritSpiritSpiritZestZestFired in week 90–2 (loss in weeks 2 & 9)Brian KirwanSpiritSpiritSpiritSpiritZestFired in week 81–0 (win in week 5)Susanne ShortSpiritSpiritSpiritZestFired in week 7Peter NielsenSpiritSpiritZestZestFired in week 6Louise O'HaraSpiritSpiritZestFired in week 51–0 (win in week 3)Claire CroneZestZestSpiritFired in week 40–1 (loss in week 4)Ruth LeggettZestZestFired in week 3Eoin HamdamZestZestQuit in week 30–1 (loss in week 3)Yinka RahmanSpiritFired in week 2Aisling SmithSpiritFired in week 10–1 (loss in week 1)
Elimination chartNo.Candidate1234567891011121EugeneIN IN IN IN BR LOSE IN IN IN WINWIN 2NoelIN IN IN WIN IN IN IN WIN BR BRIN FIRED3JoanneIN WIN IN IN IN IN LOSE IN WIN IN IN FIRED4Maurice WIN IN IN IN IN IN WIN IN BR LOSE BR FIRED5Conor BR IN IN IN LOSE BR BR IN IN IN FIRED 6SandraIN IN LOSE IN IN WIN IN LOSEIN FIRED 7Christopher BR LOSE IN BR IN IN IN BR FIRED 8BrianIN IN IN IN WIN IN IN FIRED9SusanneIN IN IN BR IN IN FIRED10PeterIN IN IN IN IN FIRED11LouiseIN BR WIN IN FIRED12ClaireIN IN BR FIRED13RuthIN IN FIRED14EoinIN IN LEFT15YinkaIN FIRED16AislingFIRED
The contestant was hired and won the apprentice The contestant won as project manager on his/her team The contestant lost as project manager on his/her team The contestant lost as sub-p.m. on his/her team The contestant was on the winning team The contestant was on the losing team The contestant was brought to the final boardroom The contestant was fired The contestant lost as project manager and was fired The contestant resigned and left the apprentice
Challenges
Week 1 Task scope: To create and name two healthy sandwiches from the Spar deli menu and select two flavours from the Vit Hit drinks to complement your diet meal and the team that achieves the most sales wins. Zest project manager: Maurice Spirit project manager: Aisling Results: Zest won the task, as they made the most sales. They made a profit of €266, compared to Team Spirit who made a measly profit of only €19. Winning team: Zest Losing team: Spirit Sent to boardroom: Aisling, Christopher and Conor. Fired: Aisling, for weak management and for allowing "chaos to take over"."S04E01". The Apprentice.
Week 2 Project managers: Joanne (Zest) and Christopher (Spirit) Task scope: To produce a CD and design the newspaper ad campaign, the sleeve and poster. 100,000 copies of the winning CD would be given away free with the Irish Daily Mail. Each team had to pick 10 new Irish music acts to feature on the CD. The team whose CD impresses the panel of judges the most wins. Result: The judges were most impressed with Zest's CD and they won for the second week in a row. Winner: Zest Sent to boardroom: Christopher, Louise and Yinka Fired: Yinka, for making poor decisions that adversely affected Spirit's project, and for "overseeing a disaster" in her team's position despite having management experience."Series 4 Episode 2". The Apprentice.
Week 3 Team reshuffle: Eugene and Joanne moved to Spirit, Conor moved to Zest. Project managers: Bill appointed: Eoin (Zest) and Louise (Spirit) Task scope: To create an app for Uni Slim. Result: UniSlim found Team Spirit's app to be more suitable. And chose them as this week's winners. Winner: Spirit Quit: Eoin, after Zest's presentation, he left the competition claiming his teammates ruined everything and couldn't handle the stress anymore. Sent to boardroom: Sandra (deputy PM), Ruth, Claire. As deputy PM, Sandra had to choose two candidates to come back with her to the boardroom. Fired: Ruth, for lacking assertiveness within her team that could have changed the task's outcome, and only showing it at the most inappropriate moment: during the team's pitch itself. Bill also emphasised disappointment in the assertive issue as a result of Ruth's work background requiring those character traits."S04 E03". The Apprentice.
Week 4 Team reshuffle: Louise, Eugene and Peter move to Zest, Maurice and Claire move to Spirit. Project managers: Noel (Zest) Claire (Spirit) Task scope: To demonstrate and design "A Show Your Business Event" for Bank of Ireland. To source local producers and their products and set up the event in Wexford and Galway. Result: Bank of Ireland was most impressed with Zest. They said there was "no comparison" between the two events. Zest made a profit of over €600 and won the task. This was the last time that Zest won a task. Winner: Zest Sent to boardroom: Claire, Christopher, Susanne Fired: Claire, for limiting the scope of her team's project, and therefore its chances of success, as a result of a desire to adhere to her self-admitted "nobler motives". It is worth mentioning that before the final boardroom scene, Claire had struggled to pick two people, saying she would go back in on her own. In addition, after Claire was fired, Bill said he "wasn't done yet" and strongly implied that a double firing would take place: but eventually allowed Christopher and Susanne to return to the house."S04E04". The Apprentice.
Week 5 Project managers: Bill appointed: Conor (Zest) Brian (Spirit) Task scope: To create an original advertising concept encouraging customers to make their homes more energy efficient with the help of B&Q. And to present the concept as a billboard, which must contain a slogan or tagline relevant to energy saving with B&Q. Result: Spirit won the task. Though their billboard was "simple" and Brian's management was quite poor, B&Q thought Zest's was too complicated and too old-fashioned. Winner: Spirit Sent to boardroom: Conor, Eugene and Louise Fired: Louise, for not showing the fighting spirit she brought to the boardroom scenarios within the tasks themselves, and for being on the losing team in the majority of the tasks involving marketing, despite her background."S04 E05". The Apprentice.
Week 6 Team reshuffle: Susanne and Joanne move to Zest, Noel and Sandra move to Spirit. Project managers: Eugene (Zest) Sandra (Spirit) Task scope: To relaunch the Cadbury Dairymilk variant Caramello. To create a new packaging design for the Caramello wrapper and to develop a new print ad campaign to support the relaunch of the product. Result: Spirit won the task. This task was based on sales. Ultimately, the team with the most sales won. Zest sold €716 worth of bars and did not make any sales in the pre-arranged meetings set by Bill. Spirit sold €16,517 before the meetings and their total profit was over €53,000! ("A boardroom record", acclaimed Bill Cullen). Winner: Spirit Sent to boardroom: Eugene, Conor and Peter Fired: Peter, for showing lack of attention to detail and making a tiny yet critical error that Bill believed led to the failure of the task."S04E06". The Apprentice.
Week 7 Project managers: This week Bill gave the teams one minute to decide their project managers. They chose Joanne (Zest) Maurice (Spirit). Task scope: To develop a Guerrilla marketing campaign to communicate Eircom's eMobile's unlimited offering. To present the campaign in the form of a video that has the potential to go viral. Result: eMobile felt that Spirit completely understood the brief and therefore were this week's winners. Winner: Spirit Sent to boardroom: Joanne, Conor, Susanne Fired: Susanne, for her inconsistency at showing assertiveness and strength in tasks, and for continually failing to deliver in tasks relevant to her work background."S04E07". The Apprentice.
Week 8 Team reshuffle: Conor and Joanne move to Spirit; Sandra, Chris and Brian to move to Zest. Project managers: Sandra (Zest) and Noel (Spirit). Task scope: To create an event which engages the local community which recreates the magic unique to our local pub and which inspires consumers to raise Guinness together.