1st impressions of The Apprentice's class of 2012

For the past couple of years I have wondered whether The Apprentice is running out of steam. It has been going for years now following roughly the same formula, and even has a sibling series in Junior Apprentice to contend with. Viewer ratings, however, suggest that we are neither bored by it nor have overdosed on it. And now the class of 2012 has landed to begin the eighth series. The new group photo reminds me of a wedding party, as the young hopefuls (and their more elderly chaperones) stare blithely up into the eyes of a media deity. They seem to realise that none of them are the masters of their destinies. Their portrayal and perception is all in the hands of the camera crew and production team. So who are this year’s candidates? Well the first thing I noticed was the many animal lovers. Azhar Siddique is noted for his shark diving and has two pet sharks. There is certainly one man in the boardroom who might share his affinity as he sits sandwiched between two of his own pet sharks. Gabrielle Omar seems a bit contradictory. She claims to be an animal who roars her way to the top but her self-confessed trusting nature makes her more of a mouse than a lion. Jane McEvoy talks of her aspiration to open a cat and dog refuge. There might be a need for some form of refuge after all the cat fights that ensue. I think this lady in red is going to be as hotheaded as her couture suggests. Michael Copp likes fishing but is he going to make a rod for his own back? As he hasn’t finished his education, Sugar may see a younger form of himself in Michael and take to him. Jenna Whittingham expresses a passion for horses. As project manager she may well take the horses to water but will she be able to make them drink? I am not sure that she will. There is also the usual crop of characters that are likely to annoy. Maria O’Connor is likely to lead the stakes here. She says that if you chuck her in the deep end, she won’t sink. At last there is a use for her 25m swimming badge but I’ve got a feeling they will be queuing up to throw her in anyway. Jade Nash looks fearsome in her photo and says that she doesn’t have any annoying habits, which probably means she’s got plenty. Nick Holzherr seems to be an ideas man, but his arrogance is likely to be a real distraction. I wonder whether he sleeps with his “Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year” award under his pillow. Duane Bryan displayed heroism in chasing a hit and run driver. That sort of fearlessness will stand him in excellent stead for the coming weeks. There are others who give a sense of great values and behaviours but you have to look hard. There are some whose confessions seem to be at odds with how The Apprentice works. Bilyana Apostolova’s fear of confrontation could be very limiting. We all know that if you can’t confront on The Apprentice, you’re going to struggle. Tom Gearing doesn’t like early starts. We know the pain of the early starts on The Apprentice (yes, those alarm calls really do happen at the stated times). He may yawn his way to the exit ramp. Katie Wright’s wishes to be the brains behind Heinz baked beans but her comments about being an innocuous blonde make me wonder whether she is just full of hot air. The rest of them don’t really make an impression at this stage but that could be very deliberate. It is often those who are quiet early on that progress quite far in the competition. Without seeing them in action there is little way of knowing who the strongest candidate is but that is about to change. Let the games begin.