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- Video: Watch the moment Raef is fired
He'd been lurking in the background ever since the first episode but last night Raef stepped up to the challenge of being teamleader and gallantly fell on his own sword. (That's probably how he would put it himself.)
We haven't seen a lot of Raef during the series - he's had the occasional funny line which has won him fans but last night we had to agree with Sir Alan that there was just a lot of hot air as far as he was concerned and it was time for him to go.
Michael and Raef seemed to fancy themselves as a comedy double-act during the latest task - and we're not just talking about that singing which was hilarious for all the wrong reasons. The pair clowned about like Little and Large on the set of their TV ad as Raef tried to coax a 'DiCaprio-esque' performance from the child actors.
Sir Alan was puzzled about why they had cast weathergirl Sian Lloyd as the child's upset mum in the ad - "If she'd been upset about her boyfriend blowing her out for a Cheeky Girl I'd have understood" he said in another classic boardroom line. We think Raef had ulterior motives for casting Sian - anyone else notice his excited reaction when she arrived?
It did seem like Raef's team were going to storm to victory - they had the slick ad, the clever slogan and a great pitch delivered by Claire (she's shaping up to be our favourite). But, as Sir Alan later pointed out, they'd forgot one thing - "where were the bloody tissues?"
It was this fatal error that cost them the task and helped Alex's shambolic effort win. Lucinda and Lee, led by Alex, came up with an ad that looked like a Victoria Wood sketch and a box of tissues that looked like a box of Weetabix. In all fairness Lee's suggestion of 'Atishoo' was a much better name than the other team's 'I Love My Tissues', however, his boardroom pitch was cringeworthy. Once again Alex has survived not on his own merits but because of other people's errors.
What was up with Lucinda? Putting aside the fact she'd come dressed as Noddy, last night we saw a new much more aggressive side to her and it wasn't likeable. Is she unleashing her inner business bitch now that the end is in sight?
It was another classic boardroom with Raef vowing beforehand that there would be no backstabbing and they would remain united as a team - and then going straight in there and blaming Michael! Michael, who's getting used to being in this situation, was quite to take the credit for everything that was good about the task. Yet again, he escaped firing. Is he Sir Alan's secret lovechild or something?
We still think it's looking like a Lee versus Lucinda final, though Claire is catching up fast - has she replaced Raef as the dark horse?
What did you think of last night's show? Was Sir Alan right to sack Raef? Why is Michael still in the show?
Let us know what you think...
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User comments
That idiot Alan SUgar is going senile with premature dementia starting to kick in. Its alarming gow a man who used to run a market stall gets to the posotion where he is now, you often wonder what he had to do and how to achieve all this. The man is a delinquenr. As for the favouristism which he is clearlyt showing to Micahel on the fact that he is a so called JEW is so blatent and now that Raef has gone i am no longer going to watch the apprentice as the rest of the animals are a bunch of wasters........
Posted by: mamunatcork on Thu May 22 12:26PM | Report abuseafter watching last nights show - can only say that Lucinda is the one worth voting for. She said from the start that she didnt like the design etc. but was steamrollered by the boys. Why is she getting such bad press - it's the way the show is edited. Don't agree Raef should have gone. Raef was a decent guy unlike all the others on his team. Don't get me started on Clare and Helene - could stop congratulating themselves on what a good job they had done and how they had done most of the work - if that was the case why weren't they the ones to go.
Posted by: academybuilding on Thu May 22 12:27PM | Report abuseThink Sir Allan got it all wrong last night, i think the other team had much weaker candidates who needed to go ,they just lucky that their team won,Raef got caught up being too friendly and too nice with his colleagues not realising that at this stage of the game its dog eat dog.The only one left with real talent now is Claire but she needs to gain her popularity with the public and with Sir Allan.
Posted by: hillmanv on Thu May 22 12:27PM | Report abuseIt's unfair to say we havn't see a lot of Raef - he led the winning team in Week 2 really well, it was his idea to go for the expensive high risk but ultimately winnning dresses in last weeks task and he wast the only decent peacemaker when the house turned on Sara in Week 7 - Now he's fired I am not sure who to root for!
Posted by: harriskarenl on Thu May 22 12:27PM | Report abuseI very puzzled why apparently all the candidates are so unprepared for the tasks? Each time they basically make very elementary mistakes which is so easy to avoid should they be given appropriate training in advance. One may wonder if the bbc deliberately chose weak candidates for those series of Apprentice. I do not see any good candidate deserving to be declared the winner this time.
Posted by: oldnuthall on Thu May 22 12:27PM | Report abuseSir Alan shows clear favouritism to Michael who has some considerable difficulties with reality and truth. Is Michael the future face of British Business? If he is then it would be a very sad future where dishonesty would prevail.
Posted by: cbt.clinic on Thu May 22 12:27PM | Report abuseunbelievable that michael didn't go, he talks and looks like a spoilt child. He and Alex have some how escaped week on week and i don't know how!!! Both utter rubbish.
Posted by: potceen on Thu May 22 12:27PM | Report abuseIf I were Sir Alan, I wouldn't hire any of them! Suzanne.
Posted by: suzanne.funnell on Thu May 22 12:27PM | Report abuseDO U THINK MICHAEL IS STAYING IN BECAUSE HE'S JEWISH???
Posted by: nevaan08 on Thu May 22 12:28PM | Report abuse8z
Posted by: fishertuk on Thu May 22 12:29PM | Report abuse