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Sneak peek: Tears and bruised egos as Apprentice hopefuls take a wrong turn
Updated 17:58pm on 27 May 2008
It’s billed as a fast-track to success, but two hopefuls look set to crash and burn in tonight’s episode of The Apprentice.
Sir Alan Sugar puts the teams in charge of renting out a fleet of top of the range cars, but the opportunity for a spot of wheeling and dealing proves overwhelming for Lucinda Ledgerwood.
The risk manager, who is not car aficionado nor a fan of sales, ends the task in tears after her effort to hire out the Zonda – which is, in actual fact, an Aston Martin.
Emotional: Apprentice hopeful Lucinda Ledgerwood ends up in tears on tonight's episode
Wheeling and dealing: Michael Sophocles struggles to rent out his Ferrari after parking it down a side street in Knightsbridge
Meanwhile, opponent Michael Sophocles, the self-proclaimed “good Jewish boy” who doesn’t know what kosher meat is, didn’t fair much better.
He takes his Ferrari to Harrods, but limited spaces in Knightsbridge means he’s left parking it down a quiet side street.
The ever-confident telesales executive says: “I’m a natural born sales person and it’s not even taught – it’s just there in me, in my blood. It’s what I was born to do.”
Rubbish: Michael does a spot of street sweeping after taking the car to Portobello Road
But in one cringe-worthy scene, Michael chases a man down the street in a desperate attempt to clinch a deal.
He then takes the supercar to Notting Hill’s Portobello Market, setting up shop between a sausage stall and a soap stall.
A source said: “They had one of their most glittering jobs yet - the renting of some of the world's most exclusive cars - but they completely screwed it up.
Wrong turn? Michael and Claire attempt to plot out a strategy
“Up to now they've been selling boring stuff like ice-cream, tissues and fish - this time it was fantasy stuff. These cars practically sell themselves.
“But they chose the wrong localities and they didn't have a clue what kind of customers to go for. It was astonishing - really poor salesmanship.”
There are just six contestants left in series, which airs tonight at 9pm on BBC - Michael, Lucinda, Lee McQueen, Claire Young, Helene Speight and Alex Wotherspoon.
The winner will land a six-figure salary and the chance to work for Britain's best-known entrepreneur, Sir Alan Sugar.
Power dressing: Alex suits up in preparation for his sales pitch
