LORD Alan Sugar was left stunned as a candidate on The Apprentice opted to quit the show and walk out of the boardroom in shocking scenes.
Dr Jana Denzel made the abrupt decision to leave the BBC competition task during the boardroom deliberations BEFORE the results of the task has even been revealed to the group.
Jana announced he was stepping back from the show[/caption]
The dentist threw the towel in after a huge loss[/caption]
Lord Alan Sugar was stunned by Jana’s decision to quit[/caption]
He left his fellow candidates open-mouthed as he interrupted Lord Sugar to confirm he wanted to leave the process.
Having been the Project Manager for this week’s task, in which both teams had to design a chocolate Easter Egg product, he confessed he wanted it “less” than his fellow candidates and as such, decided to walk.
Despite the rest of his team affirming he had done “a solid job as Project Manager”, Jana went on to say: “Sorry Lord Sugar – I just wanted to say I am proud of everyone’s contributions towards this and I know how much everyone wants it.
“I’ll be honest with you, I’m not sure I want it as bad as them.
“I think whether we win or lose, I would like to step away from the process.”
Lord Sugar looked stunned as he quipped back: “You what? You don’t even know the results, do you?”
Although admitting on-screen he felt it “wasn’t the right fit” for him, The Sun had previously told how Jana had been caught up in a behind-the-scenes scandal during the filming of the episode.
We told earlier this month how Jana was reprimanded by production after using racist language.
Whilst in the creative process of the Easter Egg product, Jana used the highly offensive term “coloured” to describe a black character as they discussed marketing campaigns.
The incident took place shortly before Dr Jana told Lord Sugar he was quitting the show in scenes shown at the end of the episode.
As he prepared to leave for good, Lord Sugar said: “Surprising, you’ve thrown in the towel… are you absolutely sure you want to do this?
“It’s been a pleasure having you here, you seem a stand-up fellow, and I wish you well.”
Pointing towards the door, he followed up with: “Off you go.”
The decision meant that, for the first time since The Apprentice’s first series two decades ago, Alan, 77, decided not to give any of the remaining candidates the boot, to save his “credibility”.
The only other time this occurred was way back in series one in 2005 when Adele Lock opted to leave the process of her own accord with Sugar not firing anyone as a result.
Following Jana’s exit, Lord Sugar said the candidate he wanted to sack beat him to it by walking, he said: “I’ve got a dilemma here – while I don’t want to use Jana as an excuse, Jana set the foundation for the failure of this task.
“No credibility, I’d lose my credibility if I just picked one of them out of a hat.”
Jana added of his decision to leave: “I realised it wasn’t the right path for me.
“I didn’t feel it was right for me to continue when there were so many candidates who wanted it more than I did – my business and my family have always been my priority and I wanted to get back to them.”
The Apprentice biggest moments
THE Apprentice has been a fan favourite ever since it burst onto the box in 2005.
Here we take a look at five of the biggest moments over the years on the hit BBC One show.
Tim Campbell – Former London Underground transport manager Tim Campbell won the first series of the reality show in 2005. He is now one of Lord Sugar’s aides on the show.
Sarah Lynn and James White – For the first and only time in the show’s history, both finalists were crowned winners in 2017.
Amy Anzel – Season 16’s fired candidate Amy Anzel was BANNED from the final celebration show, after a tit-for-tat exchange over Lord Sugar’s mocking tweets.
Michelle Dewberry – Telecoms consultant Michelle Dewberry won the second series of the show in 2006. However, after winning a six-figure job with Lord Sugar she lasted just four months before she sensationally quit.
Selena Waterman-Smith – We’re used to tensions running high in the boardroom, but in 2015 a disagreement between two candidates spilled over – for the first time – into a physical bust-up. Events manager Selina Waterman-Smith was given a verbal warning by show bosses for her role in an off-camera scrap with Charleine Wain.
Lord Sugar with this year’s candidates[/caption]
We told earlier this month how Jana was reprimanded by production after using racist language[/caption]
The Apprentice continues next Thursday at 9pm on BBC One.
