Hidden side of The Apprentice from 'hook-up ban' to fake boardroom
Lord Alan Sugar's hunt for his next business partner looks rather professional and clear-cut on screen - but not all is as it seems.
The Apprentice is back for another series this week, as 18 new candidates compete in tasks in a bid to win a £250,000 investment and mentorship from the 76-year-old tycoon. Filming the much-loved BBC show takes a lot of behind-the-scenes work and preparation, and viewers may be surprised to hear a few truths.
To answer the questions fans have always wondered, the Mirror caught up with fan favourite Tom Skinner, who was fired after the ninth task in 2019 but remains one of the most popular contestants of all time - even with Lord Sugar. He revealed whether those 5am wake-ups are actually real, and if the sales are too.
Fan favourite Tom Skinner confirmed the boardroom isn't real - but Lord Sugar's jokes are (BBC)
The sales and orders from the tasks are hypothetical and all money is donated to charity (BBC/Fremantle Media/Ray Burmiston)Q. Are the sales in the tasks real?
During the tasks on the show, candidates have to sell items on the street and pitch their ideas to huge businesses and high-street stores. B&Q previously said that its orders were "hypothetical" while Rowlands Home Hardware revealed that "no actual transaction took place".
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Tom said: "All of the sales are real - but the big orders are hypothetical. You don't actually exchange goods." So that's what happens to the orders, but what about the money? Tom couldn't confirm or deny what happens to the task winnings, but said: "I do think the profits go to charity."
A BBC spokesperson confirmed previously: "Any profit made from the sale of products created in the programme is given to charity."
Q. Are you allowed phones or TV?
Contestants reportedly aren't allowed to watch the news, use their phones, or have access to the internet during filming. Lottie Lion, who competed in 2019, previously said she was only allowed one five-minute call a week with someone who had signed an NDA. She said on TikTok that they are "not allowed to leave" the mansion.
Tom confirmed this and explained: "You're not allowed phones. When you go into the house, they take your phones and possessions off you. You get one call every week for five minutes to speak to your family."
He continued: "There's no contact with the outside world and you are in The Apprentice bubble. It was difficult and I really missed my now-wife and mum. But it's a competition and it's part of the rules. You can't watch TV or read the news either."
Q. Do you really get up at 5am?
On the show, candidates are woken up as early as 5am and given just a 20-minute warning to get ready for the day. Joseph Valente, who won the 2015 series, previously said that days can be 18 hours long, while Karren Brady said filming can last until 10pm.
Tom said: "We did get up at 5am. The days are very long and hard, but it's great fun and a great opportunity. The night before the phone rings, they do warn us they'll ring early. So a lot of the girls set their alarms 45 minutes earlier. You do only have 20 minutes to get ready."
Q. Is there a sex ban in the house?
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It's been reported that The Apprentice mansion is a 'no sex zone' to avoid romances getting in the way of serious business. It's believed BBC bosses enforced the rule after years of candidates forming relationships. Tom confirmed: "Of course there is [a sex ban]. No one on my series was trying to have sex with each other though."
Q. Are the exits pre-filmed before the show?
At the end of each episode, after Lord Sugar has pointed his finger, the camera shows the fired candidate getting into a taxi in a coat and scarf. It seems rather odd, but it's actually to cover the fact their clothes are different from the boardroom scene.
Claude Littner previously said on Twitter: "All the firings are done before the show starts. They are wrapped up for 'continuity' not to show that the clothes are not those worn when fired." And Tom said: "The exits are filmed before you go on the show. So you don't know if or when they are going to be used."
The BBC previously confirmed: "For logistical filming purposes, the shots of the candidates entering their taxis are all filmed in advance of the candidates' final boardrooms. However, their exit interviews in the taxi are filmed after they've each been fired."
Q. Are Lord Sugar's jokes scripted?
Lord Sugar loves to make the boardroom chuckle and former contestant Lottie claimed on TikTok that the business mogul's jokes are "scripted" and written on a piece of paper. But Tom disagreed: "His jokes aren't scripted. He's very witty. He's a market trader, he's used to speaking on his feet."
The BBC previously said: "Lord Sugar is not given a script of any kind for the boardroom. He is entirely in charge of what happens there. He does not wear an earpiece, so the production team cannot interrupt him or feed things to him in the boardroom. Everything he says and all the decisions he makes are his own."
Q. Do you all eat together?
Former contestant Raef Bjayou, from series four, told the Metro that the food wasn't very nourishing and snacks included "Skittles [and] chocolate bars". But Tom said that producers make sure you're "well-fed". "On our days off, I used to make everyone breakfast, a big fry-up. We had one day off in between tasks, which were about three to four days long, and they made sure we were well-fed."
Q. Is the boardroom real or fake?
It's a heartbreaking reality for budding contestants to hear - but The Apprentice boardroom isn't actually real. It's a filming set. Tom explained: "The boardroom, because of the size of the cameras and crew, is in a warehouse. But it's the same layout and feel as a real boardroom."
The BBC previously said: "In order to make it possible to properly film the boardroom, where there are up to 23 people around a table, a lot of cameras are needed. In order to set up and manoeuvre those cameras properly without interrupting proceedings, the series director needs to work from a gallery. Therefore it is not possible to film the boardroom scenes from Lord Sugar's real boardroom. They are filmed in a studio."
Q. Do you have to keep it a secret?
While The Apprentice airs on our screens weekly, it's all pre-filmed months before. But contestants aren't allowed to tell a single soul about their participation. Tom confessed: "We filmed in May and it aired in October, so I had to keep it a secret for six months. But I told all my mates - and nobody even believed me. One mate thought I'd gone to prison."
Sharing his wisdom for the new group of budding hopefuls, Tom added: "I wish all the new contestants the best of luck on the show. It's a life-changing opportunity and I'm forever grateful I got to go on. I lost all the tasks more or less and I was fired, but it's the best experience I've ever had in my life, and I really mean that."
- The Apprentice airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer tonight at 9pm on February 1.
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