This week’s fired Apprentice is the latest person to question why smooth Daniel is still in the competition, after a string of tasks showing him to be less than the dynamic salesman he claimed.
This week’s task – producing and pitching a board game - saw Daniel once again failing to land to deal, yet again laying the blame at someone else's door, and once again slipping under Lord Sugar’s gaze, like Peter Rabbit escaping out of the vegetable patch.
Daniel, Pamela and Lauren all blamed each other in the boardroom after their dating board game failed
This came after last week’s episode, which saw Daniel claim victory for the team which made the most profit from coach trip tour tickets – despite not actually selling a ticket himself.
Last week, in the candidates’ house following Jemma Bird's eviction, Australian Mark – one of Daniel’s main rivals for the title of alpha-male, as well as this year’s Apprentice title – told him it was time to stop lying about his contribution.
Lord Sugar took issue with him this week, accusing him of being "deluded", of having delusions of his own grandeur. And yet he obviously had a soft spot for the stubbled one, calling him "a go-getter" and giving him a final chance to change his ways.
Project manager Pamela Uddin, who was booted out of the boardroom this week after fighting and failing her corner with Daniel and Lauren Riley, tells HuffPostUK:
“I was gutted. I don’t think I deserved to go. Daniel made more mistakes than me, but somehow he got away with it.”
This was a somewhat surprising claim after viewers watched Pamela go against all the market research and opt for a dating board game, despite concerns it would be "sleazy" and possibly "misogynistic" - leaving Daniel to show his wit and warmth with a series of quiz questions... "Does a man like a woman to a) iron b) smile c) be happy?" How could it fail?
Pamela tells HuffPostUK she'd rather leave the show now than start picking on other people's flaws
In leaving the show this week, Pamela makes the point, similar to that of last year’s candidate Uzma Yakoob, that she would rather leave the competition now, than start changing just to win the competition, and start pointing out other people’s flaws, just to stay in the show.
“I did quite well,” she rationalises. “It was my time to go.
“The closer you get to the final, the more intense it all gets. And you have to start behaving in a way I wouldn’t have been comfortable with.”
For Pamela, just being on the show is triumph enough.
“I watched the first episode of 'The Apprentice' when I was 14.
“Lord Sugar is an inspiration to me. I’ve worked my way up too, it’s a similar story to his. And I always said I wanted to be on the show one day. So just seeing him in the flesh was surreal.”
And her tip to win this year’s competition?
“Mark, he's got great tactics and people skills. I think he’ll go far.”
Who do YOU think will win this year's Apprentice? Let us know below...