Apprentice IRL v Apprentice UK

daithiblue

My tuppence:

• Apprentice IRL is 30 minutes too long, and suffers badly as a result - knock 30 minutes of waffle off it and you would have a much better programme.
• Design a poster, design an advert, design a calendar... product placement on IRL programme has got to ridiculous levels - we hear more about "the embodiment of brand values" than we do about the endorsement of common sense business values.
• If the IRL and UK apprentices are representative of the future generation of business minds in their respective countries, then I am moving to the UK. Tomorrow.

AnnyHallsal

UK definitely for me.

I like Sugar's style more. Cullen's only really interested in one thing I think - someone who can sell, and he's so abrasive I find myself actively disliking him.

I love Nick Hewer. Margaret was great too.

The BBC's advertising rules keep things slightly more task-orientated also.

Gunsfortoys

Sugar = entrepreneurial genius with legitimite advisors, career spanning over 40 years in multi-tech company and various investments. Straight talker and intelligent business man.

Cullen = Owns a couple of car dealerships. Gives **** advice. Advisors consist of cronys.

The U.K version has no advertising, not even in the main show.

The Irish version is 30 minutes longer due to advertising.

The U.K version has the contestants doing real life style challenges involving tough decisions.

The Irish version has challenges of pitching to Bills cronys.

Hogzy

Folks this is a TV show designed to entertain. If you think business in the real world is like what you see on TV3 then you need to take your head out of the sand.

And the Irish Apprentice is a load of sh^te compared to the UK version!!!

Butterfly25

I wish they'd extend the UK version and shorten the IRL version!

livinginkorea

I have never started watching the Apprentice until this year. Watched the Trump one when it started but lost interest in that. I am watching the IRL one now and have to say the ads are annoying, eventhough I am not watching the ads (download) the narrator is constantly reminding us of what is happening in the episode so you can pretty much guess how often the ads are.

Cullen does seem one dimension but the bitach in the house if the one who lived in England for years. Hehe.

Haven't watched the ENG one but assume that it would be better since they surely have millions more than TV3 to produce it.

Keano

Had only watched a few episodes of the UK version but now watching it every episode of current series.

Bill is just a walking clíche at this stage, "if you were on crutches you might have to run with me" was another line he used this week. Sugar never comes out with this sort of crap.

Storm 10

Agree with everything said about the Irish v UK versions of the show, Bill comes across as being very aggressive even in his looks when he is talking to them , Alan Sugar is much more calmer and looks at whats happening in a completely different way, I never heard Sugar raise his voice like Bill does. The other half was shocked at his remark about crutches on Monday he showed no concern for an injured person.

Heroditas

Storm 10 wrote: »

he showed no concern for an injured person.

The guy had a stiff neck, he was hardly a quadriplegic.

What's even more disturbing was he was in the Greek army. Did he complain every time they went on a march or did drill practice? Pretty pathetic behaviour shown by him IMO. :rolleyes:

AnnyHallsal

Heroditas wrote: »

The guy had a stiff neck, he was hardly a quadriplegic.

What's even more disturbing was he was in the Greek army. Did he complain every time they went on a march or did drill practice? Pretty pathetic behaviour shown by him IMO. :rolleyes:

One of the all too few comic moments in the IRL version this year has to have been when Panos confessed his phobia of jigsaws, and Bill asked him if it was all power tools or just the Jigsaw :pac:

Jaysus, you could be bleeding to death and Bill'd tell you to cop on. Proper old school.

I love the way Sugar trots out his silly puns and sad little jokes.

Flimbos

I'm just getting into to this year's UK Apprentice and enjoying it. Our TV3 version is good entertainment... but let's face it, what Bill wants is the best salesperson - last year, Steve won purely based on his huge win in the sales task towards the end of the series.

Mr E

Nobody has mentioned the music yet. They may have Dance of the Knights in common for the intro, but the UK music is much much better during the main show (and especially the boardroom).

bigboy123

Flimbos wrote: »

I'm just getting into to this year's UK Apprentice and enjoying it. Our TV3 version is good entertainment... but let's face it, what Bill wants is the best salesperson - last year, Steve won purely based on his huge win in the sales task towards the end of the series.

Totally agree with this. This year bill has refused to fire Ciara twice when she was clearly the weakest team member, the reason for this is she sold a few powertools (less than ciaran). He says he wants an all rounder but it is blatantly obvious that he only wants a salesperson.

Also the product placement in the Irish apprentice is crazy and cringeworthy. Is the Irish programme entertainment or an hour and a half long ad for a perticular company, eg. Lucozade.

dastardly00

If there was a poll........... it'd be a landslide victory for the UK Apprentice!
Far better than the Irish version. And the women are better looking too! :pac:

neris

can we not get a poll going for this??

Laois_Man

I don't accept this notion that product placement has any effect on the enjoyment of the Irish version. It's just trying to pick fault. WTF difference does it make to the viewer whether someone is trying to sell brandless sausages or Galtee sausages? None!

And besides, it's not as if the UK verson doesn't have to do it. How many times were Debenhams, B&Q and a couple of others metioned on the UK version last night? And the products they were trying to sell to these retailers - with the contestants telling us over and over again the great advantages of them - is also product placement!

As for the bit about Cullen being only interested in a salesperson. Eh, both shows have both teams every week trying to SELL something! Both shows decide their winning team every week as the team who SELL the most! Even when it comes dowm to the final boardroom battle, Sugar and Cullen BOTH use the SALES figures of each individual contestant as their ammo!

Having said that, I do think Sugar is better than Cullen!

But you do have to realise that BBC is an organization with a turnover of hundreds of millions that will pump loads of money into The Apprentice as it is one of their headline shows. TV3 who don't even get a share of the TV license revenue, simply cannot make the show without the financial backing of Lucozade, Ford, Cadburys etc etc.

And neither show are what they pretend to be. Do you seriously believe that neither Cullen or Sugar has decided before the first episode who the end winner is going to be - or at least, have it down to 2 or 3 possibilities? Of course they have! Do you seriously believe that either Cullen or Sugar have any interest in who can come up with the best formula for making a saussage, or formulating a diet menu or who can take the best 'fun' picture of a Ford Fiesta?

whydoibother?

I have two issues with the Irish apprentice. The first is that I don't think it is a genuine competition. People are not necessarioy fired in reverse order of merit. Some people who are terrible but make good viewing due to their extreme incompetence get to hang around a little longer than those who are less bad but boring.

This, I believe, is the source of my second problem. The quality of candidates on the Irish apprentice seems a little lower than the UK one. I believe that this is because top Irish people have the sense not to go in for a competition where not everything will be based on merit.

Handsome Bob

I have no time for Bill Cullen, an egotistical individual who abuses everyone, including the "waster" younger generation.

Sugar on the other hand is much more cooler, gives genuine advice, and is way more entertaining than Cullen without having to be theatrical in anyway (unlike Cullen).

UK version for me.

cremeegg

the quailty of eye candy is vastly superior on UK version;)

average_runner

The quality of the candiates on the Irish one is better than the English.

Irish ones not the brightest but the english are just poor thick.

sham69

UK one for me aswell.
The Irish one, looks cheap, is cheap in every way.
Cullen?? He got lucky.
He wouldnt survive in business if he was starting up now.
I like sugar, firm but fair.
He has done it all , not always with success eg. Spurs and Sinclair but he has tried his hand at most things and succeeded.
I like Karen Brady and nick is quite cool aswell
A winner on every level.
I appreciate the TV3 production is on a much smaller budget but I just can't take to it.

iMax

The original (Donald Trump version) is better than both, but I can't watch the Irish one anymore. Everyone in it annoys me. UK is far superior

Speak Now

average_runner wrote: »

The quality of the candiates on the Irish one is better than the English.

Irish ones not the brightest but the english are just poor thick.

:D:D

Butterfly25

average_runner wrote: »

The quality of the candiates on the Irish one is better than the English.

Irish ones not the brightest but the english are just poor thick.

+1. The amout of waffle in the UK one is ridiculous! Delighted that Melissa one was fired last night...she really doesn't know when to shut up! Next to be fired will be Stuart hopefully...the amount of BS this guy comes out with! :eek:

On another point, I prefer Sugars aides to Cullens aides.

JimboJones74

Alan Sugar comes across more reasonable that Bill. Irish show is a bit long, In the boardroom the UK contestants seem to be a more agressive

BrianJD

The main reason i stopped watching the Irish version yet continue to watch the British one is because of the huge difference in tasks.

I reckon 4/5 tasks in the Irish one are marketing. Also, doing a Ford Fiesta task every year (mm, who has a Ford garage) is really treating the viewing public as idiots.

At least in the British one tasks are different.

Oh and there's also fit wimmins in the BBC version.:cool:

Handsome Bob

BrianJD wrote: »

Oh and there's also fit wimmins in the BBC version.:cool:

I find your one from the Irish one with the strange accent maddingly attractive. :pac:

murphym7

The BBC production is much much better, more money abviously. Sugar rocks, a real cool customer who would buy and sell poor Billa.

I do think though that the quality of candidate in the Irish is better than the British one, a lot of waffeling from them all. I do really like the funny dude Alex - think he might be the dark horse of the series.

The after show is even better - Anton Savage just annoys me. Every look up and down, move of the head, pause in mid sentance, these are all well rehearsed tricks of the trade - totally unatural.

bigboy123

murphym7 wrote: »

The after show is even better - Anton Savage just annoys me. Every look up and down, move of the head, pause in mid sentance, these are all well rehearsed tricks of the trade - totally unatural.

Ya dara o'brian is funny without trying, unlike savage who tries incredably hard to be funny but still fails.. also the english aftershow shows new clips which wernt in the episode, irish just picks out stuff youve just watched twenty minutes ago. Having said that, last years irish aftershow was brilliant with o connor as presenter, a good mix of humour and sense.

dolittle

rate them as trump, sugar and then cullen
but the common link in all three series is that
no matter how many degrees you have if you have no common sense you are banjoed, mostly sheep and few leaders

laugh

Comedy v Business show.