The Apprentice’s sixteen new candidates are sent overseas for the first task of the new series for a tricky shopping challenge.
The eight women and eight men – who are each vying for Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment in their business – travel to Valletta, Malta to pick up nine local items including six bottles of wine, a filigree boat with nine sails and a Maltese house with coloured doors.
They are tasked with negotiating for the lowest price on the items before making it back to the airport by 7pm.
Lord Sugar warns the hopefuls to “expect the unexpected” throughout the series, before breaking with tradition for their debut task.
He says: “I’m kicking off with something I’ve never done before: I’m going to send you abroad.”
“You’re going to the spectacular Mediterranean island of Malta in Europe.
“Enjoy it while we’re still welcome.”
In his typical no-nonsense manner, he also advises: “Make me money, and don’t piss me off. If you’re unhappy with my process, you can go and tell it to my HR firm, Diddums and Don’t Care.”
Learning and development manager Jasmine Kundra is nominated by her teammates as the project manager for the women’s team.
Professional speaker Kayode Damali throws his hat in the ring as leader of the men’s team.
The candidates immediately appear to flounder as they race across the Malta and neighbouring island Gozo in the hunt for the items, with one in particular causing confusion – a breathing device for scuba divers known as an octopus.
One team struggles as the locals appear to settle down for a siesta in the afternoon, while the other encounters arguments over their strategy.
One of the teams also fails to make it back to the airport by the deadline.
The team who spends the most money on the task, including fines, will face Lord Sugar in the boardroom before he fires at least one candidate.
The Apprentice airs at 9pm on BBC One.