Is It Just Me or Is The Apprentice A Tiny Bit Dull This Year?

Let me just say that I love The Apprentice, even the ITV2 style show You're Fired on BBC2. Most series have produced TV gold. From the amazing Morocco trip (really, nobody knew what Kosher meant?) to Pants Man (yeah just like that Cadbury's advert with the gorilla, idiots), The Apprentice is more often than not must see TV.

No mate, YOU'RE fired!

So why hasn't this series grabbed me (and others) as much as the others have? Could I be having BGT Syndrome of just getting bored of it? Well, let's have a think. Is it the actual contestants? None of them seem to be standing out. And the ones who I had my eye on earlier in the competition have been a bit underwhelming (yes I'm looking at you Ricky Martin). Only Stephen can save this year's contestants from being utterly forgettable. And I hate him. He talks utter crap/ business bollocks and he gave the classic plea "Make me Project Manager next week and I'll show you how good I am." Why does that work so much on ol' Suggs?

Now, I don't think changing the big man Lord and Master Captain of the Universe Alan Sugar will do anything; we don't watch the show for Al, we watch it for the complete and utter imbeciles that think they know everything there is to know about business. Someone suggested that Peter Jones could take over from Sugar; I don't bloody think so, how quick we forget Tycoon.

It's also not the tasks, we've had all the classics; don't spend too much on stock, buy expensive sell a little, buy quality stuff blah blah blah.

So we're back to the contestants. They are a little duff this year. Normally I would have known all their names and have a cast iron opinion on each with examples to back up why they are great/ rubbish/ utterly idiotic.

Where's this year's Stuart Baggs "The Brand" and his field full of ponies? Where's my Raef Bjayou "I can talk to prince or pauper"? Where Lee and his reverse pterodactyl? I'll even take Michael Sophocles "I'm a good Jewish boy" and former partner of Katie Waissel over this lot. Only Stephen is close, and that's only because I want to punch him. I can't wait for him to completely mess up this task.

Another factor that may contribute to The Apprentice going off the boil is the prize. Before it was a job with Lord Sugar, now it is a £250,000 investment. I love Tom from last year, but if it was the job that was the prize he wouldn't have gotten as far, bless him.

But I still think a lot rests on the more media savvy contestants. A guy called Ricky Martin who is a wrestler by night and he's NOT the most entertaining contestant? What is the world of reality TV coming too?