Lord Sugar axes first Apprentice contestant after Antigua tour disaster

05 January 2023 , 21:57

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Lord Sugar axes first Apprentice contestant after Antigua tour disaster

Emma Browne has become the first candidate to be fired from The Apprentice 2023.

The BBC entrepreneur show returned this evening, as the 18 candidates were tasked by Lord Sugar with travelling to the Caribbean nation of Antigua to sell excursions to tourists there. Split into boys and girls teams, the hopefuls were told to win the task they needed to make the most profit whilst creating "unforgettable experiences" for the tourists enjoying the sun-soaked island.

However, things didn't get off to a great start and soon the candidates found themselves in deep water as negotiations and tours suddenly turned bad and they were racing around to get the final sales.

Emma left the show tonight (BBC)

However, for one candidate, it was the end of the road and after a fiery boardroom exchange, which saw Lord Sugar confirm that the girls had lost the task, sales executive Emma became the first casualty of the boardroom.

Emma says her only regret is leaving first – but has no qualms about joining the show in the first place.

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Following her exit, she said: "Yes, I absolutely don’t regret doing it. I think if you want to go for it, go for it 100%. I'm not going to be a sore loser, I put myself forward and someone had to go. I'm not painful about it.

The Apprentice kicked off in Antigua tonight (BBC)

"I spent so much time doing a business plan that I probably wouldn't have spent as much time doing if it wasn’t for The Apprentice. I don't regret the decision at all. But I do regret going first."

However, she feels she should have stayed as she got more sales and "brought energy" to the team as a whole.

She added: "I got the most sales. I was accurate in saying the beach wasn’t a good location. I brought a lot of energy to the girl’s team which I think was seen as well and highlighted. I am a very positive person, and I remained positive throughout."

Lord Sugar with this year's hopefuls (BBC/Fremantle Media/Ray Burmiston)

Emma says there were lots of fiery clashes on the show – but she holds no hard feelings towards them.

"It was positive as can be. Everyone's there for the same reason so naturally, there were clashes etc but there were absolutely no hard feelings at all," she said, "It was a little bit more intense than I expected, but nothing there’s nothing like a bit of pressure."

Now, she is rooting for Dani and Megan to win, adding: "I think they were real team players, and they were very nice girls who I got on with really well. But not just because we got on well, I think from what I've seen they would be deserving."

*The Apprentice airs Thursdays on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Jasmine Allday