After they were fired and hired

TV,the apprentice Sir Alan

By Anneke Hak

A new series of The Apprentice has started and we are still trying to figure out which characters are going to be key players. 

 

But, as we try to get to know the new faces on our screens every Wednesday, we thought we should look back at old and unforgettable Apprentice contestants.

 

Have they achieved world domination yet?  Read on to find out...

Lee McQueen

TV,the apprentice,alan sugar Lee McQueen After winning The Apprentice 2008, Lee McQueen hit the headlines when he missed his first day of work at the Amstrad offices in Brentwood, Essex, phoning in to say that he was ill. Lee is now heading up a new business venture, launching a new digital advertising product. Having been lambasted by businessmen for lying about his ‘university education’ on his CV Duncan Banatyne, entrepreneur and star of BBC2’s Dragon’s Den, said: “I wouldn’t employ anyone who had lied.”

Alex Wotherspoon

TV,the apprentice Alex Wotherspoon Alex made it to the final two of The Apprentice 2008 before being beaten to the final post by Lee McQueen. Since then he’s got his fingers stuck into a number of philanthropy pies. Firstly, Alex has been working with Cool Canvas, a community arts group that uses community and public arts as a tool to regenerate deprived communities. Secondly, Alex has been helping out on local-to-Bolton community radio station Hulton Lane FM, where his brother Oliver presented the morning programme. Aside from of his charitable work you may have seen Alex appearing as a commentator on the BBC politics and business programme This Week, read his column in Company magazine or seen his pictures thanks to his lucrative modelling contract. Alongside his media commitments Alex is working as a business consultant and presenting workshops for a blue chip organisation. He also recently presented a segment for the forthcoming BBC Switch programme ‘The Teenagers Guide To Life’.

Claire Young

TV,the apprentice Claire Young Claire ‘The Rotweiller’ Young describes her experience in The Apprentice as ‘the hardest 12 weeks of business boot camp’. Since leaving those days behind her Claire has started her own consultancy firm to work with manufacturers and retailers and has also launched a new venture, www.elegantvenues.co.uk, that hires out venues for special occasions. Claire also achieved some personal goals and lost 2.5 stone in weight, after seeing herself on the TV. And as with other The Apprentice rejects, Claire has spent a lot of time returning to our TV screens, including appearances on GMTV and radio but her publicist tells us that she’s so busy she sadly has no time for a love life. Awww.

Raef Bjayou

TV,the apprentice Raef Bjayou Raef Bjayou is one of the most memorable from Series Four of The Apprentice. With his public school boy drawl, and self-confidence Raef came out with one-liners galore such as, “The spoken word is my tool”. Chatting with him a year on, he’s adamant that all good things have come out of his experience. The well-spoken estate agent is adamant that he wouldn’t do The Apprentice again for fear that it would be a step backwards, “I learnt so much and that countered the fact that I didn’t win” he says. Nowadays, Raef’s busy handling his property portfolio, and sadly just had to close his South Africa based pharmaceutical distribution project, Infinitate Limited. But in the meantime he’s got himself a media agent, and makes appearances on shows such as Celebrity Come Dine With Me (where we were flabbergasted by the size and elaborate design of his apartment) and is becoming the face of the distinguished British Airways’ Inflight Entertainment System, “I’ll be the face that tells you what’s on,” Raef says proudly. Raef says that he’ll be watching the new series “religiously” and is certain that there will be a number of “egotists” filling our screens for the next few weeks.

Tim Campbell

TV,the apprentice Tim Campbell

Tim Campbell won the first series of The Apprentice back in 2005. On winning the show he complained that he didn\'t attend premieres and parties like the other contestants, instead he had to get on with business. It can\'t hurt when you have a £100k salary though, can it? 

 

Tim led Amstrad\'s new Health And Beauty division, and in 2006 an hour long documentary, The Apprentice: Tim In The Firing Line, following his year in the company, was aired.  He also appeared on Comic Relief Does The Apprentice in January 2007.

 

Campbell parted with Amstrad after two years, with Sir Alan saying that he had been a "great asset." Tim now runs his own male grooming business and the Bright Ideas Trust, a social initiative to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. What a good bean.

Saira Khan

TV,the apprentice Saira Khan After coming in at second place in series one, Saira Khan became a best-selling author with her self-help book, PUSH For Success.

 

Since The Apprentice, Saira has written for the Daily Mail, run her own baby skincare business, Miamoo, and has been a regular media performer, hosting shows such as CBBC\'s Beat The Boss and the BBC\'s Temper Your Temper.

Michelle Dewberry

TV,the apprentice Michelle Dewberry

The series 2 winner Michelle Dewberry directed Sir Alan\'s computer disposal department, Xenon Green. However, just four months later she parted ways with Sir Alan amid a frenzy of tabloid speculation.

 

Sir Alan was reportedly less than impressed with Ms Dewberry\'s regular appearances in the tabloids and her on-off affair with fellow Apprentice contestant Syed Ahmed. 

 

Since leaving Amstrad Michelle has published her own book Anything Is Possible and founded Michelle Dewberry Ltd, which helps companies to operate efficiently.   

 

She\'s also appeared in many television shows, including the BBC\'s Celebrity Scissor Hands and Tonight With Trevor McDonald. 

Ruth Badger

TV,the apprentice Ruth Badger

AKA: The Badger 

It was a huge shock when go-getter Ruth Badger was beaten to the title of The Apprentice in series two.

 

Since then, The Badger has been in numerous TV programmes, including Sky One\'s programme Badger Or Bust, where she attempted to turn round failing sales teams.

 

Ruth also runs her own consultancy company, Ruth Badger Consultancy. The companies pledge is "Don\'t waste our time, and we won\'t waste yours!"

 

Which reminds us why we loved straight-talking Ruth so much in the first place.

Syed Ahmed

TV,the apprentice Syed Ahmed

Fast-talking Syed Ahmed was a larger than life character on series two of The Apprentice. 

 

After the series ended Syed was involved in a relationship with winner Michelle Dewberry, but they have since split up.

 

In 2006 The Apprentice star was reportedly arrested on suspicion of being involved in money-laundering.

 

The savvy businessman invented the ‘walk in body dryer\' in 2007.  Sky One filmed the invention\'s progress in an hour-long documentary called Syed Ahmed: Hot Air. Surprisingly enough, Syed couldn\'t find anyone interested enough to invest in it.

 

Since series two, he has made many television appearances. Most notably, he clung on to his celebrity by appearing on Sky One\'s Cirque De Celebrite, but was thrown out of the competition after the second week. 

 

Syed currently runs his body-dryer company SAVortex and an IT recruitment Company, Magenta. The Apprentice star is also involved in overseas property development.

 

 

Jo Cameron

TV,the apprentice Jo Cameron

‘Bloody nutter\'

By week six of series two, Jo had been in the boardroom four times causing Sir Alan to describe her as "a bloody nutter" and mutter the infamous words, "You\'re fired!"

 

The fiery redhead wrote a column about series three for the BBC website in 2007.

 

Jo has become a media commentator and a motivational speaker since The Apprentice, and describes herself on her website as a "master of bouncebackability". 

 

Jo also runs URhired.co.uk, which specialises in placing women in jobs and fighting gender imbalances.

Simon Ambrose

TV,the apprentice Simon Ambrose

Who can forget when Simon promised to take his team to Barcelona if he won The Apprentice, and they all looked like they would rather stick pins in their eyes?

 

Lucky that he hasn\'t got round to it then, isn\'t it?

 

Instead, Simon is training as a surveyor and working hard for Sir Alan\'s real estate division, Amsprop. Sir Alan Sugar said that Simon had a "rude awakening" when he started trying to sell properties, and he will be having discussions with Sir Alan in June to decide whether or not he will be staying on at Amsprop.

 

The series three winner recently took part in the celebrity version of The Apprentice for Sports Relief, and was reportedly less-than-impressed by Simon Cowell\'s manners.  

 

It seems that Sir Alan has been making sure that this Apprentice keeps his nose to the grindstone, perhaps trying to avoid past disappointments like Michelle Dewberry.

 

 

Kristina Grimes

TV,the apprentice Kristina Grimes

This streetwise single mum lost out to Simon Ambrose in the third series of The Apprentice. 

 

She proved her worth so much on the show that shortly afterwards she had received well over 100 job offers. Kristina now works at Dandara Ltd, property developers.

 

Kristina has also starred in a business show pilot for an Irish channel, and is in talks about a motivational book and a movie about her life.

Katie Hopkins

TV,the apprentice Katie Hopkins

"She has more issues than the Beano" - Simon Ambrose, 2007

Power-hungry, man-eating Katie Hopkins was chosen as one of the finalists of series three, before dropping out because she did not feel she could uproot her family.

Following The Apprentice Katie was sacked from her £90k job with The Met Office, when stories were printed in the tabloids about her personal life. Pictures of Hopkins romping in a field with a married colleague had surfaced and details of a string of dalliances with married men were published.

Since The Apprentice, Katie has made a whole host of media appearances.  She appeared on I\'m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2007, and is due to appear on The Weakest Link Apprentice Special this year. 

As well as her media work, Katie manages to run her own consultancy.

Take a look back at some of Katie\'s best bits 

 

 

Tre Azam

TV,the apprentice Tre Azam

‘Superstar in my own rights...\'

Wide-boy Tre was series three\'s motor mouth. He had an opinion on everything, and managed to be involved in most of the arguments each week. He finished fourth out of the 16 contestants for the title of The Apprentice and helped Simon Ambrose to take the title.

 

Tre continues to run his own Consultancy Company, IDMM and on his webpage describes himself as a "superstar in my own rights".

 

He is due to appear on The Weakest Link\'s Apprentice Special, along with Katie Hopkins and other familiar Apprentice faces.

Rory Laing

TV,the apprentice Rory Laing

Rory was the backstabber of series three, and didn\'t have a good word to say about anyone when he was finally booted from the boardroom.

 

Since leaving the show the posh boy, who is reportedly related to Princess Diana and once hired Kate Middleton to work for him, has been organising his London Zeppelin project. Hosted in July, passengers will enjoy a Zeppelin flight across the capital.

 

Rory has also recently applied to join the Territorial Army at officer level.

 

 

Piers Morgan

TV,the apprentice Piers Morgan The former newspaper editor has enjoyed two stints on the series. In 2007 he was the first and only celebrity sacked by Sir Alan after he reduced Trinny Woodall to tears on Comic Relief Does The Apprentice.

His sacking didn\'t put him off the show though. In March, after 13 weeks of stiff competition, Donald Trump picked him as the winner of The Celebrity Apprentice in the US. He beat off such big names as Lennox Lewis, Gene Simmons and Stephen Baldwin.

Next up for Piers is another series on the judging panel of that high brow classic Britain\'s Got Talent. If another Paul Potts is inflicted on the nation, you know who to blame.

 

Click here to return to our Apprentice special and watch our very funny video interviews with all the latest rejects!