Following an extended hiatus, Lord Sugar's selection of 16 business hopefuls managed to make an utter shambles of the season 16 premiere.
It's been two years since it was last on our screens, but the head-scratching reality series 'The Apprentice' is back with a vengeance. Plus, this time around there's another new Irish contestant in the mix.
Airing its season 16 premiere on BBC One last night, eight men and eight women were hoping to catch Lord Sugar's eye in order to prove they are worth his £250,000 investment. However, last night's task proved far too much for the teams to handle, resulting in an episode that made for quite a painful viewing experience for anyone who tuned in.
Tasked with creating a marketing campaign for a new cruise liner, the sexes were split and both teams had to come up with everything from branding, to a teaser for social media. However, nothing seemed to go right for either team, with logos that looked like bananas, confusing cruise line names, and of course, the usual eardrum-bursting volume that some of the contestants insist on speaking at. Unfortunately for contestant Harry Mahmood, it was his head on the chopping block.
Included in the line-up on 'The Apprentice' this year is an Irish contestant in the shape of former London Irish rugby player, Conor Gilsenan. Originally from Westmeath, the 28-year-old sales executive is hoping that he'll manage to avoid the dreaded boardroom finale over the coming weeks, and make it to the end of the reality series unscathed.
Also new to the line-up this year is Tim Campbell, who won the first-ever series of the show all the way back in 2005. He joins Karren Brady as Lord Sugar's two advisors this season, replacing Claude Littner.
Here's how viewers reacted to the first episode of season 16 of 'The Apprentice'.
The new series of 'The Apprentice' continues on BBC One every Thursday night at 9 pm.
