The Apprentice 2022 final live: All the action as series 16 winner is revealed
Read on for our live blog from the night.
After 12 weeks of challenges, some of which produced some very peculiar logos, the time has come for The Apprentice final.
Back in January, 16 Apprentice 2022 candidates entered Lord Sugar's board room, with the hope of securing a £250,000 investment for their business.
They faced several challenges, before being whittled down to just two contestants.
Tonight, Harpreet Kaur and Kathryn Louise Burn will face Lord Alan Sugar, and his trusted advisors, Baroness Karren Brady and Tim Campbell, as they compete to become Sugar's latest business partner.
But, who will it be?
In an exclusive RadioTimes.com poll, The Apprentice fans predicted Harpreet will win tonight’s final.
The poll was close, with 56.7% voting for Harpreet, and 43.3% choosing Kathryn as this year's winner, but at the end of the day, it will be up to Lord Sugar to decide.
To help the finalists with their last challenge, some of this year's candidates will be returning.
The former candidates will assist dessert parlour owner Harpreet and pyjama brand owner Kathryn as they recreate, rebrand and pitch their businesses. And at the end of the episode, one of them will be named as Sugar's newest business partner.
As the final airs on BBC One, join us for our live blog, where we'll be keeping you updated with all the latest from the episode.
22:1- It's a wrap
After 12 brilliant weeks, it's all over and Sugar has his latest business partner. What a brilliant season it's been after we missed out on two years of the show due to the pandemic. Season 17 hasn't been confirmed just yet, but the BBC One show is expected to return. We'll keep you updated as soon as we know more. In the mean time, why not vote in our poll below on whether you want Claude to stay on permanently, after the brilliant job he did this year.
Thanks for joining us this evening!
21:57 - Harpreet's hired!
But, he's made a decision, and just like that, Harpreet Kaur is hired as Lord Sugar's newest business partner - congrats!
21:56 - Head to head
The girls are brought back and they're going back and forth about why they deserve to be Lord Sugar's latest business partner, and Sugar admits it's a tough decision for him, telling Harpreet he's worried about scaling the business up, and revealing to Kathryn that he's not sure on how long it will last.
21:53 - Sugar talks with his advisors
Sugar sends the girls away and talks to Tim and Campbell. Tim says Harpreet has been a "strong candidate", but Karren wonders if they can scale her business up.
Karren says Kathryn might not be the "expert" she thinks she is, but Tim thinks she's good at taking feedback.
21:44 - It's the final countdown
Pitches over and it's time for Harpreet and Kathryn to have it out in the boardroom.
After the former candidates share their thoughts on the finalist's businesses, Sugar talks to the girls.
He questions Harpreet and about scaling her business up, but she has a comeback, pushing forward her idea of nationwide delivery instead of more stores.
Over to Kathryn, and Sugar wants to know if her business will survive now that the lockdown has eased...
21:40 - Kathryn talks Pyjamily
Kathyrn takes to the stage to share her new brand, and it's all about the USP.
There's some questions from the experts, and Kathryn handles them perfectly, emphasising her USP and eye for trends.
Backstage, Sugar talks to the experts and while they agree the market is saturated, they love Kathryn's idea of pyjamas for the dogs, and think she could fill the gap in the market.
21:35 - Harpreet's up first
It's time for the pitches, and Harpreet is up first, pitching about her new business Oh So Yum!
And we just spotted a smile on Sugar's face. It's looking good for Harpreet.
21:33 - What does the public think?
While Harpreet and Kathryn stay at home and nail their pitches, half of the team heads out to find out what the consumers think.
And it's not good news for Kathryn's logo!
21:29 - Pitch day
Harpreet is up with her team and it's tasting time for her shot glasses, and it's good news all round. Akshay can hardly speak, for once, as he's too busy tucking into the dessert.
In the other room, Akeem tells Kathryn he doesn't usually wear pyjamas, but he'd definitely wear hers - cute!
It's now time to take a look at the adverts and Harpreet loves her, as she praises Nick on his "superb acting skills."
Kathryn is in tears as she sees what Akeem, Harry and Amy have come up with, thanking them for all their hard work.
21:28 - Finishing touches
It's 6pm, and Harpreet and Kathryn are making the last minute changes to their new products. And that's it for the day!
21:25 - Harpreet keeps it simple
Despite Lord Sugar asking for the girls to show of their Unique Selling Point (USP), Harpreet has gone for a plain chocolate chip shot glass dessert for her signature item, which she'll show at the final pitch - will this be enough to impress and win her the £250,000 investment.
Kathryn on the other hand is throwing everything but the kitchen sink at her new pyjama design - there's leaves, there's lots of green, and there's leopards, too.
21:21 - Time for an advert
The guys share their advert concepts, with Harpreet mixing her team up a bit and swapping Brittany and Naveed, who will join her in the kitchen.
Kathryn and Stephanie head off to a manufacturer, while Harry, Amy and Akeem stay at home to film the advert, but things soon get aggy between Amy and Harry, who argue over filming.
"Harry is just more of a hindrance than being helpful!" Amy tells the camera.
Over at the dessert shop, Brittany is getting poetic as she films Harpreet's ad with Nick and Akshay.
21:19 - Sharing is caring
The teams come back together to share what they've been working on, but Harpreet isn't keen on the advert they've created, questioning Nick's choice of smart clothing. Similarly, Kathryn doesn't like her advert, and Amy let's her opinions be known about Kathryn's logo, calling it "cold." Awkard!
21:16 - Harpsy is feeling the pressure
Over on branding, Harpreet is having second thoughts about her new logo, as she questions everything - something that doesn't go unnoticed by Karren.
Meanwhile, Kathryn has created a logo with a couple inside a heart with a dog for a pyjama brand. Anyone getting memories of Bouji Cruises?
21:15 - The boys cook up a plan
Nick, Akshay and Naveed come up with a plan for their advertisement, and Nick is back with his interesting acting skills. Over on Kathryn's team, Harry is playing director as Akeem and Amy get dressed up in matching PJs and play happy families.
And he's not impressed with voiceover star Amy and Akeem's acting skills.
Back on Harpreet's team, Naveed is tasting cakes...
21:10 - Harpreet whips her team into shape
Harpreet gets delegating, putting Akshay, Naveed and Nick on the advertisement, and leaving her and Brittany to take care of the brand, but she's not convinced.
"I've left them with no babysitter," she tells Brittany in the cab.
21:07 - New names
The teams go their separate ways and get brainstorming. Harpreet wants a new name for her brand, but she isn't feeling any of her team's suggestions, as she skips onto something us. Meanwhile Kathryn has settled on the name for Pyjamily.
21:05 - They're back
To help the finalists with their new business proposals, Lord Sugar has brought back some familiar faces - eight of this year's contestants, including Akeem Bundu-Kamara, Naveed Sole, Brittany Carter and Stephanie Affleck. With the flip of a coin, the girls get to pick their teams, and it's time to set off and get down to business.
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21:00 - It's time!
It's 6am and Harpreet and Kathryn are up for the final challenge. Off they go to the British Museum to meet Lord Sugar.
"If I won this investment. It would change my life," Kathryn says.
Lord Sugar, Karren and Tim are waiting for the girls when they arrive, as Sugar gives them the details of the last challenge - rebranding, recreating and pitching their business, as well as making an advertisement, but help is on the way!
20:55 - Who are your finalists?
This year, 16 candidates made it onto the show, but now just Harpreet and Kathryn remain in the running to be Lord Sugar's business partner. So, who are they?
Hailing from West Yorkshire, Harpreet is a 30-year-old business owner. Six years ago, she left her corporate banking job to start up a dessert parlour with her sister.
Kathryn, 29, owns an online pyjama store, which provides matching pyjamas for the whole family, including dogs.
She hopes her pyjamas will be "worn by everyone" one day, adding: "My dreams in my head are absolutely huge, and I believe I can achieve them."
20:45 - 15 minutes to go
This is your 15-minute warning!
Grab your snacks, and get ready to see who Lord Sugar has chosen to be his business partner. We'll be snacking on some delicious treats from Harpreet's business Barni's, which arrived in the post earlier today.
20:30 - Welcome!
Just half an hour to go to the Apprentice 2022 final, and we get to find out who Lord Sugar has decided to partner with.
Ahead of tonight's show, here's a clip from The Apprentice final of Amy Anzel clashing with Harry.
It looks like it's going to be an intense hour!
The Apprentice Final airs tonight at 9pm on BBC One, followed by You’re Hired on BBC Two. The Apprentice is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Watch live and on-demand on BBC iPlayer. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
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