December 04, 2019
Following 9 grueling weeks of tasks and boardrooms, The Apprentice is entering its 10th week with its final 6 candidates.
However, after 14 years of captivating the British audience on a Wednesday night, our new data analysis has revealed that this week’s project managers have only a 10% chance each of winning The Apprentice.
Over the 14 previous series, only 3 of the 15 winners were project managers in week 10.
That could mean bad news for Pamela Laird who was the first to be named as one of the two project managers for week 10. Laird won as project manager in week 3 but was criticised by Lord Sugar in last week’s episode as “sitting in the background”. Could she be the next to fall victim to The Apprentice’s week 10 curse?
Although it may seem that stepping up as project manager so close to the final would impress Lord Sugar just when it counts most, the figures disagree. In fact, candidates who were pulled into the boardroom in week 10 ended up winning the show in 6 of the 14 series, including winners Ricky Martin, Mark Wright and Sarah Lynn.
That means candidates are twice as likely to walk away the winner if they are pulled into the boardroom in week 10 than if they are project manager.
Former candidate Katie Bulmer-Cooke lost as project manager in week 10 and was in the boardroom alongside Mark Wright. The fitness entrepreneur commented:
“With so few candidates left, Lord Sugar’s eyes are on everyone, so there really isn’t anywhere to hide.”
To make matters worse, it’s been 10 years since a week 10 project manager won the show. It was 2009 when restaurateur Yasmina Siadatan won the former prize of a six-figure job working with Alan Sugar.
Lewis Ellis, one of this year’s final six, made it out of the boardroom in week 9’s episode. He said:
“If you’re strong enough to fail in week 10 and still get through to interviews, you must have done something right, especially as project manager.”
Look out for who volunteers as project manager this week alongside Pamela Laird, as chances are they won’t be walking away with that £250,000 business investment.
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