Lord Sugar is looking for his next “big” business partner and someone who will make him millions.
And after whizzing through thousands of applications and holding nationwide auditions, the 74-year-old mogul was horrified to discover that his newest recruits had left him with a financial loss on the show's first appearance.
The 18 contestants face the challenge of organizing a luxurious day out in the Scottish Highlands, but the paying customers are anything but satisfied.
An embarrassing mistake in the kitchen resulted in one team topping fish cakes with sweet sprinkles instead of breadcrumbs, while the rival group served cold food 45 minutes after leaving the oven.
The mistakes did not go unnoticed by Lord Sugar's trusted aides, Baroness Karren Brady, 54, and Tim Campbell, 46, who shuddered with pity at the candidate's chaotic efforts.
Lord Sugar is looking for his next “big” business partner and someone who will make him millions
After cutting through thousands of applications and holding nationwide auditions, the mogul was horrified to discover that his newest recruits had left him at a financial loss
The 18 contestants face the challenge of organizing a luxurious day out in the Scottish Highlands, but the paying customers are anything but satisfied
An embarrassing mistake in the kitchen led to a team topping fish cakes with sweet sprinkles instead of breadcrumbs
Divided into men's and women's teams, Karren, who supervised the women, said the fish cakes were one of the worst things she had ever eaten.
She added: “It's obviously sprinkles on a fish cake… it's disgusting.”
Lord Sugar, who has been at the helm of the BBC show for 18 years, says the contestants' useless portrayal is the reason he doesn't oversee the tasks himself.
He said: “I'll leave that to Karren and Tim… it was a tough one but if I had been there I probably would have had to step in and do the cooking.”
The billionaire noted that exposing the mistakes of the under-pressure contestants was like “watching your mother-in-law drive her Ferrari over a cliff.”
In the kitchen there was even more oversight from the men who, despite being led by Phil Turner, the owner of the pie company, served ice cold sausages.
Sales manager Oliver Medforth seemed to shock himself when he forgot the flour while making a batch of brownies for dessert – and had to start all over again.
Instead of a glass of champagne as a “welcome drink,” they gave guests tap water.
And during the abseiling, time was running out so much that project manager Virdi Singh Mazaria only gave his paying clients four minutes to enjoy a half-hour Scottish country dance lesson – because they had to catch the train home.
Sales manager Oliver Medforth seemed to shock himself when he forgot the flour while making a batch of brownies for dessert – and had to start all over again
Karren says that seeing the contestants make mistakes is one of the reasons viewers enjoy watching the show and even teaches entrepreneurs what to avoid when running their own business
Participants including yoga business owner Onyeka Nweze, Maura Rath, Noor Bouziane, Raj Chohan and Sam Saadet (top row from left) are vying for Lord Sugar's £250,000 investment
The female team won, leaving one of the male participants at risk of being fired by Lord Sugar
The most shameful moment of the series' first episode, which airs on Thursday night, came from head of recruitment Jack Davies, who had the audacity to ask disgruntled guests for a “tip” that went off like a lead balloon.
But Karren says seeing the contestants make mistakes is one of the reasons viewers enjoy watching the show so much — and entrepreneurs even learn what to avoid when running their own businesses.
She said: “There is no script in this show and everything that unfolds unfolds, it is authentic, it is real.”
“A lot of people watch this show to see what you should and shouldn't do in business. “As it unfolds, viewers watch it… there are no repeats.”
Once Lord Sugar picks out the weak from the strong competitors, they begin to thrive and eventually put money in the bank.
Karren revealed this year's crop brought in the “biggest win in value terms” as they managed to impress the boss, who gave away £250,000 of his own money to the winner.
She said: “I'm talking millions… so some of them really rise to the top.”