Apprentice 2012 - Episode 4: Left Holding the Junk and coming up against a Brick Lane led to Jane’s Downfall

This was a buy and sell task where the teams were asked to buy and sell junk. Tom's approach was to buy selectively and present minimally. He took a tight rein on the cash and resisted Adam the greengrocers attempted strategy coup to pile it high and sell it cheap. Laura’s team went for an upcycling approach. That means they bought volume tat and tarted it up with designs and fabrics. Eventually the hipsters of Hoxton went for the more polished vintage items of team Phoenix.

One issue was that Gabrielle went postal on the material front and seemed obsessed with covering chairs in union jacks. So not 2012!  Anyway Tom's minimalist cool triumphed over the cluttered chaos of Laura’s team. You could see the late thirty something blokes in their sculpted goatees and over-zipped cargo pants discounting the crass rubbish which sterling threw together, and drooling at Phoenix’s offerings. That genius satire of emerging East End hipness and hollowness Nathan Barley would surely have featured the daft chair legged retro suitcases as indeed would Harry Enfield’s "Saw you coming" shop.

Anyway what I didn't see coming was Jane’s removal from what has come to known in Kafkaesque fashion as "the process" I have spotted Jane’s potential and her Achilles heel of being a bit too sure of herself. But Sugar effectively removed her from “the process” on the basis she didn't sell enough and she’d been in the boardroom most weeks. Last week he sacked an entrepreneurial kitchen installer who was out of his depth. Jane a confident assertive established businesswoman was despatched in my view because Sugar can't really handle people without entrepreneurial rough edges. Accusing her of not selling was a bit unfair when she was out drumming up business outside among the Hoxton hordes.

Bridal entrepreneur (wedding shop owner),  Laura was abysmal in her management of the task but maybe a weakness for young gauche people spared her the axe. Anyway my bet for Sugars cash injection is Tom he excelled himself both in strategy selection, team management and in dealing with difficult cussed Adam. Not once did he shout or even raise his voice. This young quiet leader is a good example to others inside and outside “the process”.

My second favourite is Duane who seems full of ideas and sticks his head up above the parapet. That said he has his weaknesses too.

I am sold.

Performers

Tom cool as poker player with a nicely chilled Montrachet 56 at the table as he bet on less is more.

Plodders

Gabrielle with her attempt to be the new Linda Barker. It’s a business partner not a designer he wants and who remembers her anyway?

Please Stop!

Jenna’s high drone factor blame-shifting voice when called to account.