Reality Check

After the beginning of both series, I’ve been a bit quiet on The Apprentice and I’d Do Anything aka the search for Nancy*.

The Apprentice was hysterical this week. I really think this year’s bunch is the dumbest yet. You’d think they’d never watched the show, and didn’t realise they were being filmed. This week it was the buying task when ‘sralan’ gives them a list of items that they have to buy for the cheapest price. The added complication was that this time he sent them to the souk in Marrakesh.

The losing team not only failed to understand what kosher chicken was, and got one killed and blessed in a mosque (!!) despite having ‘good Jewish boy’ Michael Sophocles on the team. They then tried to bribe a shop assistant to tell the other team that they couldn’t get tennis racquets strung until the following day! They deservedly failed, and both Jenny (who has been consistently horrible) and team leader Jennifer were fired. I think I’d have gone the whole hog, and fired Michael as well for being, as Margaret** said, a waste of space.

I’d Do Anything is another story. None of the performers have grabbed me like Connie and Lee did, and if feels much more manipulated than ‘Maria’ or ‘Joseph’. My feeling is that this time they want to say ‘look, it is possible to come in with no formal training, and end up with a west end leading role’, and that one of the teenagers will win. My favourite performer was Sarah, though I didn’t feel she was Nancy, I’d have like to have seen her make the top 4 or 5. I still think Rachel is the best actress, but she’s not had great songs the last couple of weeks. I initially liked Jessie, but it doesn’t seem that she can act, at all, and her posturing and habit of singing out of the side of her mouth is annoying me to hell. She and Sam seem to be ‘the Lord’s’ favourites though – his face is a picture when some of the others are singing.

I will, of course, continue to tune in, as I need my fix of the Barrowman – and he at least seems honest in his opinion and feedback.

*really not interested in the selection of Oliver

**I love Margaret. She is mistress of the withering look, and when it was commented that Michael had studied classics at Edinburgh, she said ‘well, clearly Edinburgh’s standards have dropped.