The Apprentice: Who was fired?

The Apprentice is officially back, and series 20 has already put Lord Sugar’s new recruits through their paces.

Following last week’s 'Flowers' episode - where the candidates had to turn petals into profit - this week's 'Egypt' episode saw candidates travel to Egypt to host corporate away days for paying clients.

What happened in Episode 6?

In this week's episode on 5th March, candidates had to plan and deliver a paid corporate away day experience for clients at a luxury lagoon resort, managing activities, food, and overall hospitality as a profitable event.

As food service issues mounted, not one, but three candidates were eventually handed a one-way ticket home in a shock triple firing.

Megan Ruiter, an experienced corporate events professional and project manager for the task, led the losing lagoon team to a 290 dollar loss after clients demanded a 50% refund due to raw, cold food and being left to eat in wet clothes.

Lord Sugar, calling it one of the worst corporate hospitality performances he had seen, fired Megan along with Carrington Saunders, who was blamed for serving raw potato wedges, and Andrea Cooper, who clashed with teammate Kieran McCartney during a negotiation.

All three expressed disappointment, arguing they had more to show and that the task played to their weaknesses in the kitchen rather than their business skills.

What happened in Episode 5?

On 26th February, the candidates transformed flowers into financial gain in a fresh spin on the very first challenge Lord Sugar gave his original line-up 20 years ago.

Alongside selling bouquets to the public, they were tasked with designing bold floral installations for corporate clients. While one team saw their efforts blossom, the other faced a thorny string of setbacks that led to one more firing.

Rothna Akhtar’s team outperformed Vanessa Tetteh‑Squire's team by a wide margin, earning £2,172 to Vanessa’s £564.59, leaving Vanessa’s side with a "very decisive" loss.

What happened in Episode 4?

The candidates were tasked with creating, branding, and advertising branded bottled water including producing a TV advert and selling it via social media.

One team chose a bold, fitness-led concept with 'Thrive' that felt energetic with a memorable "Scorsese"-coded TV advert. While the other team inadvertently produced a "milkshake"-themed brand 'North H2o' and a flat advert that struggled to stand out.

Lord Sugar also invited guest judge Big Zuu alongside Cano Water's marketing boss to determine the best candidates as they assessed the team Alpha and Eclipse's branding, the TikTok live stream, and TV adverts.

What happened in Episode 3?

Lord Sugar mixed up the teams and named them Team Alpha and Team Eclipse, before tasking the group with turning poultry into profit. One team were given 25kg of eggs, whilst the other received 25kg of chicken, and asked to create a mouth-watering street food dish to sell to the public, as well as luxury canapés to sell to a corporate client.

Team 'Egg' chose to create a pork carbonara for the public, despite the kitchen group not actually eating pork... or eggs. They then chose the option of egg canapés for the client.

Team 'Chicken' went for a chicken and mushroom pie, as well as some popcorn chicken and chicken skewers for the corporate client.

By the end of the task, Team 'Egg' made a profit of £508.80, whilst Team 'Chicken' won the task with a cool £742.67 profit.

What happened in Episode 2?

The candidates were tasked with creating a children’s picture book and accompanying audiobook for four to six-year-olds, then pitching to retailers. The boys’ team struggled with a muddled story, missing illustrations and a concept Lord Sugar slammed as having “no point”, leading to poor sales.

Project manager Marcus initially brought Kieran and Dan back to the boardroom, then dramatically asked to change his mind and instead bring Priyesh in Dan’s place. Karren Brady branded Marcus’s change of heart “very unusual”, prompting Lord Sugar to haul all four men back in for a grilling.

After criticising his indecision and the team’s weak performance, Lord Sugar fired Marcus as the third candidate of the series.

Speaking after his exit, Marcus insisted he was unfairly penalised for changing his mind, claimed others had performed worse and admitted his highlight was simply “being on camera”.

What happened in Episode 1?

Across the hour, both teams struggled to get to grips with local prices and the pressure of sourcing nine specific items at rock‑bottom rates, resulting in a chaotic scramble through Hong Kong’s markets and backstreets before the deadline hit.

By the time they faced Lord Sugar, Baroness Karren Brady and Tim Campbell, it was clear that mistakes had been made on both sides – and what followed was a fiery debrief that proved this 20th series won’t be offering anyone an easy ride.

Who has been fired?

Week six: Megan Ruiter, Carrington Saunders, Andrea Cooper

Lord Sugar branded the trio's efforts during the Egypt corporate away day a "hospitality horror show" - due to the raw, cold food, poor organisation and unhappy clients demanding a 50% refund.

Lord Sugar said it was one of the worst corporate hospitality performances he’d seen, and the resulting financial loss left him with no confidence in the three.

Speaking about her exit, Andrea said: "I were actually okay about being fired but I'll be honest with you, I don't think I deserved to be". She added: "It were a terrible task for me, it were another one where I was in the kitchen, which is just not my forte at all. (sic)

"I'm not saying I was surprised because by my calculations, it could have possibly been a triple firing that week. But if there were only going to be one or two fired, I didn't think that it should have been me." (sic)

Carrington said: "I can say it didn't hurt as much because it wasn't just me getting fired. So, it was more of a ‘wow’ moment opposed to something that was entirely sad. It wasn't until a few days later in when the sadness kicked in."

Meanwhile, Megan did not take the firing lightly: "I was absolutely devastated. I felt like there was a lot more that I could have shown to Lord Sugar. I feel like there was a lot more tasks where I could have shown more of the skill set that I've got. When I got fired, I was absolutely gutted and especially to be fired on a task that, on paper, is my most ideal task."

Viewers also expressed their disbelief on social media, with one user saying: 'Just how did these candidates get chosen? 😂 Triple firing was epic last night! At this rate this series will be over well before it was supposed to be. I can see another triple firing next week 😮', and another wrote: 'Sir Alan sugar fired three people. He is the ultimate savage. Zero tolerance for bs😂' (sic).

Week five: Vanessa Tetteh‑Squire

As project manager of the losing team, Vanessa Squire was fired in episode 5 as she was held responsible for the task’s poor performance.

She volunteered to lead a flower‑selling task she admitted she "knew nothing about", so her team lost heavily on profit. Making a misjudgement in boardroom, she also chose to bring back Pascha instead of Karishma, even though Lord Sugar felt Pascha had done little wrong, which most viewers agreed with.

Lord Sugar also commented on her error, saying: "I don't quite understand Vanessa's choosing you to come back here... I can't see what you did wrong in this task."

One user on Instagram commented: 'Why did Vanessa keep saying they didn't get the "high-end fashion" brief for The Devil Wears Prada. The clues were all there. Do you really need to be told? Ridiculous.'

Another on X added: 'Pascha?! Why on Earth did Vanessa bring back Pascha?! Karishma was WAY more at fault for the failure for the task than Pascha was. I hope Vanessa is fired. 🤷 #TheApprentice'

Week four: Roxanne Hamedi

Roxanne Hamedi was fired in episode 4 after her team’s bottled water brand, North H2o, lost out to rival brand Thrive in the advertising and branding task. Lord Sugar said she had "a lot to answer to" and held her responsible as sub-team leader for the weak, widely criticised branding, concluding that she had to "take responsibility for it" and making her the one to go over the project manager and other teammates.

Roxanne said "It didn't feel good to be fired, just because I didn’t think that I deserved to be. There was a lot going on that day and I feel like other people lacked accountability."

Reflecting on the latest episode, Roxanne posted a new video to Instagram to explain the concept behind her branding and share her thoughts on her journey in The Apprentice. Expressing their support, one user wrote: 'You did amazing work 👏 The journey hasn't ended for you as there's lots of great things happening in the future for you ❤️'. (sic)

Another added: 'Well done…still rooting for you with your ventures 🔥🔥', while a third said: 'Didn't want you to go! ❤️' (sic)

Week three: Tanmay Hingorani

Tanmay Hingorani was the fourth candidate to be fired by Lord Sugar, after leading his team to poor sales.

Tanmay said: "I think the first few tasks I had contributed quite a lot and I tried to remain quite cool, calm and collected throughout those first two episodes. So, when things were getting a bit crazy, I did try and reign things in. For example in the storybook, I tried really hard to keep people grounded.

"So, ultimately, I am disappointed for it to end this way. When we went into the negotiation, i was looking forward to it, I see negotiation as an art form, but that negotiation didn’t become a very nice piece of art. Karishma started with a monologue which set the tempo and then Megan came through and set the price ceiling by saying £12, and I shook the hand on £11.80 trying to salvage it.

"I did take the bullet in the boardroom and I do think it was unfair. But you win some and you lose some and I can’t do much about it now!"

Taking to Instagram, viewers posted their disappointment in Lord Sugar's ultimate decision, arguing that Megan should have been let go instead.

'Can’t believe Tan was fired ! Should have been Megan . Or Carrington who is rude af'. Another chimed: 'Megan should have been fired. Don’t know how she escaped that!'.

A third added: 'You fired the wrong person it should've been Megan. There's not really much you can do when someone has jumped in and said "£12" to people who were slready saying "£10". Poor Karishma.'

Week two: Marcus Donkoh

Marcus became the third candidate fired after leading the losing team in a children’s book task, with Lord Sugar slamming their muddled, half-finished product and Marcus’s indecisive boardroom U‑turn before sending him home despite his insistence he’d been unfairly penalised.

Taking to X, some viewers expressed their surprise at the shock decision: 'Never seen that before, a PM asking to come back to change the two people to bring back in,' said one viewer.

Another wrote: 'THIS HAS NOT HAPPENED BEFORE! !', while a third commented: 'This is should be the shortest season ever - they all need firing. (sic)

Week one: Georgina Newton and Nikki Jetha

The first task in Hong Kong ended in a shock double firing, as Lord Sugar sent home women’s team project manager Nikki Jetha and sub‑team leader Georgina Newton after they failed to secure enough items and racked up heavy penalties.

Their exit has already sparked debate among viewers, with many calling Georgina’s departure 'unfair' and arguing she was punished for being 'too nice' in the boardroom.

Posting to X, one viewer said: 'Nah that was harsh *** I dont think Georgina deserved to be fired! #theapprentice.' (sic)

Another wrote: 'It's a shame Georgina got fired, she seemed legitimately nice. She doesn't really fit the show's narrative that you have to be a bit of a bully to succeed in business.'

'Very enjoyable episode of #TheApprentice there because everyone was so bad,' said a third. 'But I don't like the fact Georgina was essentially fired for being nice. It's OK to be polite and listen to others in business! There wasn't a reason to blame people, so she didn't.'

When did The Apprentice start?

Episode one of The Apprentice series 20, aired on Thursday 29th January 2026 at 9pm.

The news was first announced on social media on 14th January 2026, alongside the caption: 'The wait is nearly over – but the hustle is just about to begin.

Adding, 'Watch the brand-new series of #TheApprentice on #iPlayer from 29 Jan

'The Apprentice returns for its 20th series, with the return of Lord Sugar, Baroness Brady and Tim Campbell MBE'. (sic)

How can I watch it?

New episodes of The Apprentice air at 9pm every Thursday night. The show will run for 12 weeks.

What will happen in series 20?

Per the series synopsis: 'The stakes are high from the very beginning and the first task commences with a fan-favourite buying challenge. What follows is a demanding run of tasks that takes the candidates across London and beyond, testing their instincts for branding, selling and negotiation.

'Viewers can expect to see the candidates create a children’s book, sell live on television and host a corporate away day on the Red Sea in El Gouna, Egypt, before tackling a second helping of the discount buying task on the Isle of Wight.'

The process culminates in interviews week, where the final five face Lord Sugar’s most trusted associates, who dissect and scrutinise every detail of their business plans.

Is there a trailer?

The first teaser trailer was released on 29th December 2025, with Lord Sugar teasing a change for the 20th anniversary show. Bosses then shared the official trailer just 24 hours before the new series.

Check it out below:

Who are the candidates?

The full line-up for The Apprentice’s 20th series was officially revealed on 19th January 2026, ahead of the show’s broadcast.

Here are the 20 fresh-faced hopefuls vying for Lord Sugar’s investment:

Andrea Cooper, Barnsley, South Yorkshire (FIRED)

Carrington Saunders, South East London (FIRED)

Conor Galvin, Cork, Ireland

Dan Miller, Richmond, London

Georgina Newton, East London (FIRED)

Harry Clough, Battersea, London

Karishma Vijay, Ashford, Surrey

Kieran McCartney, East London

Lawrence Rosenberg, Watford, Hertfordshire

Levi Hague, Doncaster, South Yorkshire

Marcus Donkoh, South London (FIRED)

Megan Ruiter, Wirral (FIRED)

Nikki Jetha, Hornchurch, Essex (FIRED)

Pascha Myhill, Reading, Berkshire

Priyesh Bathia, Harrow, London

Rajan Gill, Medway, Kent

Rothna Akhtar, East London

Roxanne Hamedi, Aberdeen, Scotland

Tanmay Hingorani, Islington, London (FIRED)

Vanessa Tetteh‑Squire Enfield, London (FIRED)

Where is it filmed?

In celebration of the 20th anniversary, and for the first time ever in the show's history, the first episode saw Lord Sugar's boardroom in Hong Kong.

Filming for the remainder of the series takes place in London, with a corporate away day taking the candidates to Egypt in Episode Six (5th March).

What channel is it on?

As ever, The Apprentice airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Who are Lord Sugar's aides?

Former winner Tim Campbell MBE once again join Both Baroness Karren Brady to help Lord Sugar throughout the process.

Baroness Brady first joined the show back in 2010, with Tim joining as an aide a few years ago when Claude Littner was forced to miss the series due to suffering a horrific injury.

What is the prize for winning The Apprentice?

The winner of The Apprentice will go into a 50:50 business with Lord Sugar himself, as well as receiving up to £250,000 investment.

Who won The Apprentice in 2025?

Series 19 saw Lord Sugar choose Dean Franklin as his new business partner, investing £250,000 in his Air Conditioning business.

Can I apply for The Apprentice?

Applications for the 21s series, which is due to air in 2027, closed on Friday 23rd January 2026.

Now read:

Applications for The Apprentice series 21 are now open

Your ultimate recap of The Apprentice series 19

All of the TV shows we can’t wait to return

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