The Apprentice candidates 2023: Meet cast line-up facing Lord Sugar
Who will become Lord Sugar's newest business partner - Marnie or Rochelle?
It's time for The Apprentice 2023 final!
After 11 weeks of tasks and four rounds of gruelling interviews, it's now time for the last two Apprentice 2023 candidates to pitch their revamped business plans to Lord Sugar.
In the final episode, Rochelle Anthony and Marnie Swindells will go head-to-head as they share their ideas. For Marnie, she's looking for investment for another boxing gym, while Rochelle is after a cash injection for her hair salon and academy which caters to all hair types.
The finalists won't have to do it all themselves though, with a few of this year's candidates returning to give them a hand with rebranding their business, creating an advertisement and, lastly, pitching it to Lord Sugar and his trusted advisors Baroness Karren Brady and Tim Campbell.
At the end of the episode, one contestant will be named Lord Sugar's latest business partner and walk away with a £250,000.
Season 17 started on Thursday 5th January, with the 18 candidates heading to Antigua to sell tours. Unfortunately it was the girls who found themselves in the firing line, as Emma Browne became the first candidate to leave the competition.
The week after, Kevin D'Arcy was fired. while Shannon Martin chose to quit.
Gregory Ebbs was next to leave the show, followed by Denisha Kaur Bharj, Shazia Hussain, and Joe Phillips. Reece Donnelly was forced to quit in Week 6 due to health reasons.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Reece Donnelly revealed he'd “love to return” after quitting show.
As the competition continued, more candidates were fired, with Sohail Chowdhary, Mark Moseley, Bradley Johnson and Avi Sharma being elminated.
Simba Rwambiwa just missed out on being part of the final five as he was eliminated in Week 10, but after some pretty intense interviews, Megan Hornby, Victoria Goulbourne and Dani Donovan were given the finger, leaving just two candidates in the running.
But, who will become Lord Sugar's newest business partner?
As the season 17 final airs, read on for everything you need to know about The Apprentice 2023 candidates and this year's finalists.
And if you want to know what happened in the semi-finals last week, see our recap video below:
The Apprentice candidates 2023
The full line-up of candidates for The Apprentice 2023 is as follows:
- Dani Donovan
- Marnie Swindells
- Rochelle Anthony - Fired in Week 11
- Megan Hornby - Fired in Week 11
- Victoria Goulbourne - Fired in Week 11
- Denisha Kaur Bharj – Fired in Week 4
- Emma Browne – Fired in Week 1
- Gregory Ebbs – Fired in Week 3
- Joseph Phillips – Fired in Week 6
- Kevin D’Arcy – Fired in Week 2
- Mark Moseley – Fired in Week 8
- Reece Donnelly – Quit on Week 6
- Avi Sharma – Fired in Week 9
- Bradley Johnson – Fired in Week 9
- Shannon Martin – Quit in Week 2
- Shazia Hussain – Fired in Week 5
- Simba Rwambiwa - Fired in Week 10
- Sohail Chowdhary – Fired in Week 7
The Apprentice 2023 finalists
Marnie Swindells
Job: Court Advocate
From: London
A gold medal-winning boxer and imaginative businesswoman, Marnie is ready to face off against her fellow candidates in the boardroom.
She says: "With my experience in the boxing industry and Lord Sugar’s experience in business, I think that together we would be a winning combination."
Rochelle Anthony
Job: Owner, Hair Salon & Academy
From: Bedfordshire
Salon owner Rochelle prides herself on her great intuition.
“I’m always being compared to the Kim Kardashian of the business world because I’m doing business with a hint of glam," she says.
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Former Apprentice 2023 candidates
Megan Hornby - Fired in Week 11
Job: Owner, Sweet Shop & Café
From: East Yorkshire
Megan believes she has found success by identifying a gap in the market and running with it.
“I will always give 100 per cent the truth, even if it’s hard to hear," she says.
Victoria Goulbourne - Fired in Week 11
Job: Owner, Online Sweet Business
From: Merseyside
Former flight attendant Victoria started her online sweet business during lockdown, which has since become a social media success.
“I know what consumers want. I’ve travelled all over the world and am not afraid to take on a challenge," she says.
Dani Donovan - Fired in Week 11
Job: Owner of a hair salon
From: Hertfordshire
Dani wants to inspire would-be business owners. She started her business as a teenager and is now doing “something she loves” for a living.
“I think I’m a different kind of business owner, someone who is a lot more relatable to people," she says.
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Simba Rwambiwa - Fired in Week 10
Job: Senior Sales Representative
From: Birmingham
A self-confessed "perfectionist", Simba is more than ready to challenge the status quo of the business world.
“If people can’t buy into you, they’ll never buy anything from you," he says.
Avi Sharma – Fired in Week 9
Job: City Banker
From: London
The youngest candidate in season 17, Avi describes himself as an “optimistic” entrepreneur, who believes that Lord Sugar’s investment will get him out of the “rat race” of city banking.
Bradley Johnson – Fired in Week 9
Job: Director, Construction Company
From: North Yorkshire
Self-made businessman Bradley prides himself on his determination and work ethic.
"I have a business plan that will see us turn over seven figures after year three and who knows where else that could take us," he says.
Mark Moseley – Fired in week 8
Job: Owner, Pest Control Company
From: London
Mark is a former soldier who has worked all over the world in remote and hostile environments, so thinks he should be more than equipped to handle the boardroom.
He says: "People like confidence, people buy into that. And that’s why people buy into me."
Sohail Chowdhary - Fired in week 7
Job: Owner, Martial Arts School
From: Southampton
Martial Arts Instructor Sohail has a warning for the other candidates: “I am calm and collected, but if they do come at me? I will bite and I will sting, and I will leave my mark," he says.
Reece Donnelly - Quit in week 6
Job: Owner, Theatre School
From: Glasgow
Set on being the first Scottish candidate to secure Lord Sugar’s investment, Reece is the marketing savvy owner of a performing arts school.
“I’m going to be turning over a million pounds before I’m 30," he says.
Joseph Phillips - Fired in week 6
Job: Safari Guide, South Africa
From: Worcestershire
With a degree in zoology, Joseph is both a safari guide in South Africa and businessman.
“If Lord Sugar wants to invest in a business to help save the ocean, one lip balm at a time, then I’m his guy," he says.
Shazia Hussain - Fired in week 5
Job: Technology Recruiter
From: London
Shazia champions a varied representation of diverse women in the world of business.
But when it comes to making friends on the BBC One show, she says: “I don’t need any friends in business. I am here to win this.”
Denisha Kaur Bharj - Fired in week 4
Job: Financial controller
From: Leicestershire
Financial controller Denisha has managed to overcome professional and personal tests, and now hopes to use her determination and work ethic to secure investment from Lord Sugar.
“I want to build an empire with my first step being business partners with Lord Sugar. I want to be mentored by the best, to be the best," she says.
Gregory Ebbs – Fired in week 3
Job: Owner, Online Antiques Marketplace
From: Shropshire
Local councillor Gregory owns an online antiques business and has previously worked as a professional cannon-firer.
“I would say willingness to try different things and being slightly more unusual than most is a massive plus," he says.
Shannon Martin – Quit in week 2
Job: Owner, Bridal Boutique
From: West Yorkshire
Shannon is hoping to be the first business partner to bring Lord Sugar into the lucrative bridal industry.
“Lord Sugar needs to be my next business partner, so I can make him millions," she says.
Kevin D’Arcy – Fired in week 2
Job: Accountant
From: Dublin
Kevin started his water sports equipment business during lockdown, whilst working in his job in the financial services. He hopes to expand it with the help of Lord Sugar.
“I have commercial awareness and the drive and determination to succeed," he says.
Emma Browne - Fired in week 1
Job: Senior Account Executive
From: County Kildare
Laser-focused on making her unique business idea a resounding success, Emma "will do anything to succeed".
"I am disgustingly competitive. I will go to any lengths to win this investment," she says.
Unfortunately, she was the first candidate to depart from the show after the girls' team lost the first task. The other girls argued that Emma had been disruptive during the task, and it was later revealed that she'd be going home.
The Apprentice 2023 final airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Thursday 23rd March at 9pm. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide, or visit our dedicated Entertainment hub.
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