What did you miss?
The Apprentice viewers were left scratching their heads over the latest task on the BBC show, calling it “bizarre” and “weird”.
The instalment on Thursday, 6 February saw the candidates’ creativity put to the test, as they had to make virtual pop stars, complete with a song and a music video. However, many fans of the series posted messages on social media questioning how much it had to do with running a business.
One even insisted it was “one of the worst tasks” in the show’s history and a “waste of everybody’s time”.
What, how and why?
The show started with the candidates heading to a club to meet Lord Sugar, who will be giving the winner of The Apprentice both his backing and a £250,000 investment for their business. When they arrived they were met by an AI version of the entrepreneur, who said: “Down to this week’s task, which as you can probably tell is all about the music business.
“One of the latest innovations is the arrival of the virtual pop star. These digital avatars release music, hold online concerts and work with brands just like the real pop stars, and it’s a market which is expected to be worth £400 million by 2030.”
He told them they had to create an act, make a song and video, and also attract sponsorship for their character.
Read more: The Apprentice
The contestants split into teams, with Amber-Rose Badrudin in charge of a team that created rap act Fred and Nadz, and Anisa Khan leading the team that came up with a pop singer inspired by Taylor Swift, who they called Bami. They then all set out to create believable characters and catchy tracks.
What did viewers say?
Viewers were largely unimpressed, with many seeming to suggest that the bulk of the challenge didn’t seem to be too relevant.
One posted on X: “Am I the only one who has no idea what is going on? How does this demonstrate to Lord Sugar what makes a good business partner.”
Someone else said it was “the most bizarre task I’ve ever seen”.
Another agreed: “This is really weird.”
“Nah it’s unfair to put non musical people on this task,” said someone else, adding crying with laughter emojis.
“Seriously wtf has this got to do with running a business???” asked another.
One viewer asked: “Who is this challenge for?”
Somebody else commented: “I like laughing at everyone as much as the next person but seriously, being able to do this task really well is a niche creative skill and the candidates aren’t claiming to be artists, but entrepreneurs.”
“Am I going insane or does this task just make no sense?” asked one baffled fan.
“I know it’s just a TV show for entertainment but why would an entrepreneur need to create a song themselves,” wondered another.
“Please never do this task again,” pleaded another viewer.
“This ranks as one of the worst tasks in the history of The Apprentice,” insisted another viewer. “Nothing for the candidates to work with. A waste of everybody’s time.”
However, others saw the funny side. “Loooool this task is hilarious,” admitted one.
“I love The Apprentice so much — I honestly don’t think it can be any more cringe, and then it just delivers!” exclaimed another. “This pop star thing is … I can’t. Words actually fail me!”
The Apprentice airs on BBC One on Thursdays.