Sir Alan Sugar blasts former 'Apprentice' contestants

Thursday, 19 March 2009

Sir Alan Sugar has blasted 'The Apprentice' contestants who use the show to launch a media career.

Sir Alan - the hard talking mentor of the business reality TV series - says he's upset some contestants don't use the skills they learn on the show to become successful in business.

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He said: "My candidates start off and have no intention of starting a media career, but some of them, as soon as they see their face on television they kind of like it.

"They go out, hire an agent - go to people like Jonathan Ross' agent or Cheryl Cole's agent. They ask, 'can you find out who their agent is, please', as if they're something special.

"They end up in small roles in some programmes, but there you go, we can't stop it."

Following being fired from the fourth series of the show last year, contestant Raef Bjayou signed up to appear in a TV show for LivingTV, became an interviewer on 'The Richard and Judy Show', and was also tipped for a place in ITV reality series 'Dancing On Ice'.

Winner of the second series of the show, Michelle Dewberry, became a celebrity mentor on political reality television show 'Election', and appeared on reality show Celebrity Scissorhands. Another former contestant, Ruth Badger, also had her on TV show 'Badger or Bust'.

Alan added there are measures put in place to make sure abject fame seekers don't get through the application process for the show in the first place.

He added: "They are sifted out by us and the production people and obviously they can tell, the production people certainly. But it happens. What to do?"

The fifth series of The Apprentice begins on BBC1 on March 25.

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