Sir Alan Sugar had to make a tough decision tonight, he admitted, when he stated in the final boardroom that Yasmina and Kate were the best finalists he had ever had. And he wasn't just saying that - even though this fifth series of The Apprentice had the best candidates overall, it certainly had two very capable women fighting for the big prize: a job which nobody knows what it comprises.
Yasmina and Kate had to design a new brand of chocolates and they were both helped by a couple of former contestants. Yasmina definitely picked the better team with Philip, Howard, James and Lorraine. All four of them gave some of their best performances on this task and were vital in helping Yasmina win, even though we all know that the final decision is not just based on this last task, but also on the several months both finalists work for Sir Alan in the period between filming the final task and broadcasting the final episode.
Kate decided on a box with chocolates for him, for her and to share, which was a great idea to start out with. Unfortunately they had some problems in choosing a name - "intimate" was shelved at the last moment because, according to Nick, it sounded a bit too much like a product for feminine freshness. Instead they decided on choc d'amour, but unfortunately the final design of the box was still a bit too "intimate" as it looked like a box that would store tampax or a pregnancy test.
Yasmina had some problems as well. She started out with chocolates exclusively aimed at a male market, but it soon became clear that this would not work. She was however smart enough to change tactics and her final product looked and sounded great - but the taste was horrible. Nevertheless the Apprentice is still about business and not about palate skills, and Yasmina's beautiful choc electric box and poster, not to mention the pricing, gave her an edge on Kate.
Kate's presentation on the day was skillful, although it seemed like she didn't always have a solid answers on questions about pricing. Yasmina was nervous about her presentation but she went for it anyway and loosened up along the way and really sparkled during the Q&A session.
In the final boardroom Sir Alan praised both girls but also said he had doubts about Kate's position in his business and Yasmina's independence. Eventually he decide on Yasmina, choosing guts over reliability. Good decision? Please come and tell us on the Apprentice Forum!