The Apprentice BETTING: How to make Sugar love you

A simple guide to wooing a bearded gent

Sir Alan Dislikes: Obnoxious people
The Big Suge is torn when it comes to bigheads, clearly aware that they make great television, but the chances of him ever employing one of them is zero. Classic examples are Paul Torrisi (series one), Syed (series two) and Tre (series three) - all made it to the latter stages before Sugar gave them their marching orders. This year's token "character" is Raef Bjayou, who appears to spend most of his time showcasing a revoltingly pompous way of speaking. Alan will hate that. Also on thin ice is Sara Dhada, apparently already a millionaire who wants a job at Amstrad she describes herself as "pure class".
 
Sir Alan Dislikes: Aggressive Women
"Strong" works for Sugar, but "aggressive" is a big no-no. Saira Khan (series one), Ruth Badger (series two) and Kristina Grimes (series three) were all powerful saleswomen who were far too terrifying to employ. Of this year's rabble, Shazia Wahab who describes herself as “a stubborn cow who wants to have the last word” and Claire Young (horsey week one project leader) fit the bill. Wahab stands no chance – she can make the most gentle conversation sound like a stand up argument. Young is a contender: she has already won a challenge and much depends on whether her early success morphs into loathsome overconfidence or whether she can become a team player.
 
Sir Alan Dislikes: Chancers
Chancers don't last in the latter stages of the show, and tend to come unstuck the minute Alan invites his beer-swilling industry pals over to grill the contestants. Paul Tulip (series two) had a particularly brutal time with the bulldogs, as did Tre Azam (series three). So far, Simon Smith has laughed a little too heartily at other people's jokes (a sign!), and Helene Speight comes from that horrible school of business speak, where people say things like "guestimate" and "120 per cent" like they mean anything. Both are sure to fail.
 
Sir Alan Dislikes: Weaklings
Like a hungry lion toying with a mouse, Sir Alan picks off the weaklings, and DESTROYS them. Signs of weakness include: boardroom meltdown (Ifti Chaudhri, second out, last year), total inability to lead (Alexa Tilley, series two), a relaxed niceness (Lohit, series three) and total inability to speak (Tuan Le, series two). As things stand, Kevin Shaw (spiky hair, child's face, bank manager) and Lucinda Ledgerwood (looks like she could cry) haven't dared utter a single word.
 
Sir Alan Likes: A Hard Life
The reality television "journey" is always important. Michelle Dewberry (winner, series two) floated the bearded one's boat because she'd gone from working the tills at Kwik Save to a self made business sensation. And Sugar never said a bad word about Kristina Grimes (final three, series three) who had a tough back story. This bodes well for sturdy looking redhead Jenny Celerier (single mum, taught herself business), and Lindi Mngaze (battled against severe dyslexia to make it into the business world.) At 36, Celerier is too old for Alan (see Sir Alan Likes Youth) and at 22 Mngaze is too young but we’ll see both in the latter stages.
 
Sir Alan Likes: Honest Toil
All of the winners so far (Tim Campbell, series one; Dewberry, series two; Simon Ambrose, series three) have been good team players, unafraid to get their hands dirty - subservient to a point, without ever being incompetent. The two standouts in this regard are Jennifer Maguire, a ballsy 27-year old Irish girl with just the right balance of good looks and grit and "oi, oi I'm a geeezer!" Lee McQueen whose Dad was a milkman. Lee’s too much of a lad to win, but surrounded by business toffs, expect him to stay until around show ten, when he will be ripped to shreds by Sir Alan's unlikable industry pals.
 
Sir Alan Likes: Contestants in their mid-20s
So here is the rub: all the previous winners have been 26 or 27, because Sir Alan likes an employee whom he can mould into a winning business machine. Michael Sophocles at 24, and Ian Stringer (he who can't bring himself to say "loser") at 26 both look like interesting bets. 24-year-old Alex Wotherspoon has ground to make up after losing the first task - no eventual winner has ever faced the sack TWICE. Jennifer Maguire is on target and a good bet.