"You have to defeat so many odds."
The latest episode of The Apprentice saw the final five contestants face daunting interviews about their business plans.
In the episode broadcast on April 10, 2025, the candidates were quizzed about the proposals they were pitching to Lord Alan Sugar.
Among the final five were South Asian contestants Amber-Rose Badrudin and Anisa Khan.
Anisa wanted Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment to scale her Indian pizza business while Amber-Rose wished to enter and dominate the bubble tea market.
However, while Anisa progressed to the Grand Final, Amber-Rose was fired from the process.
Let’s find out about their reactions.
Amber-Rose Badrudin
25-year-old Amber-Rose Badrudin is a convenience store owner from London.
During her time in The Apprentice, she was praised for her tenacity and determination.
Unfortunately, when it came to the interviews, Amber-Rose was criticised for not knowing her market enough and Lord Sugar wondered whether her proposal was unique.
Speaking about her firing, Amber-Rose said: “I got to the final five of The Apprentice, but I knew by the way things were going in the boardroom what my fate would be.
“I just wanted to have a graceful exit and take it on the chin and leave the process with my head held high.
“It was really overwhelming. I mean, you go in there wanting to win and I was so close, so it was definitely gutting.
“However, getting to that point was such a huge milestone and achievement.
“So, I just really wanted to make sure that I left in a positive manner. For me, this has always been a lifelong dream and goal.
“I had this mindset where I was like, ‘If I’m gonna leave, I’m gonna leave fighting’.
“And in some ways, I did. Getting to the interview stage, that’s so tough.
“But I do understand it, because it pushes you in every single way, mentally and physically.”
Making the Programme
Divulging her experience of being on the show, Amber-Rose explained:
“Making the programme was a really, really intense process. I know that a lot of past candidates say that, but when it’s actually happening to you, it’s so different.
“The fatigue, after being in the house for two months, doing task after task, living in a house full of 18 strangers, really throwing yourself in the deep end, it’s tough.
“You don’t have your phone and you don’t have much contact with your family.
“So really your main focus is winning the tasks and getting to the next round.
“You’re shut away from the world and you’re in this bubble. I don’t think anything can prepare you for that.
“I knew it was a TV show that had to be filmed. After a while, you just get used to the cameras.
“You kind of zone out a little bit and forget they’re there and you’re just focused on what you’re doing.
“The stress really comes from the long hours. Sometimes we’re woken up at 2 am, and we’re home near midnight. That’s extremely challenging.
“The biggest thing I’ve taken away from the show is the self-belief I have now, having experienced the entire process and getting into the final five.
“You have to defeat so many odds to get to that point. The application process is hard within itself, and it takes months and there are rounds and rounds.”
The Tasks
Each week, the candidates are assigned challenging tasks, designed to test their business acumen and strategies.
During her time on the show, Amber-Rose was on the losing team three times, including two losses as Project Manager.
Commenting on the tasks, the businesswoman said:
“The tasks are hard, the boardroom is hard, living with strangers is hard – all of those things combined show you that if you throw yourself in the deep end and push yourself, it shows you what you can achieve.
“That’s a really important lesson that I’ve taken away.
“It was a life-changing experience. I would definitely say I’ve changed as a person, just because I’ve built so much more resilience.
“Now that I’ve done The Apprentice, I feel like there’s so much more that I can do.
“Things that seemed challenging before, don’t seem like much in comparison to an Apprentice task or the boardroom.”
Memories of the Show
Detailing her memories of being in the business competition, Amber-Rose concluded:
“I have so many fond memories of the show, it’s hard to pinpoint one. I think Austria is up there, just because it was our first-ever task.
“That, in itself, was extremely challenging. I wasn’t used to the cameras at that point, I wasn’t used to the other candidates.
“We didn’t know each others’ skill sets, we didn’t know each others’ weaknesses or each others’ strengths.
“But at the same time, we were in this beautiful, scenic location in Austria.
“What’s really nice about appearing on The Apprentice is that, as much as it’s a competition, and you’re fighting against each other for that £250,000 investment, you do bond.
“So it’s nice to keep in contact with other candidates and to share experiences because they’re the only people that truly understand how difficult it is.”
Anisa Khan
26-year-old Anisa Khan aims to scale up her business of creating pizza fusions of Italian and Indian flavours.
Anisa sadly had one of the worst track records within the series, with eight losses in the tasks.
During the interviews, she was criticised for having holes in her business plan.
However, Mike Soutar praised her pizza which he tried himself before the interviews.
Anisa’s opponent in The Apprentice final will be Dean Franklin, who wishes to have Lord Sugar’s mentorship in his air-conditioning business.
Speaking about entering the Final, Anisa said: “I was really happy, but when I went into this competition my mindset was always to win. I kept my eye on the prize.
“So even though the losses, obviously, weren’t planned and they had a bit of impact on me because no one wants to lose every single week, a part of me knew I’d always make it to the Final because I kept that mindset.
“And there’s something I did as well, which is I had planned my outfit for the Final, which is a cultural outfit.
“I actually brought that into the house with me.
“I was like, ‘I’m going all the way to the Final so I need to get my final outfit ready’.
“I had the outfit ready in my wardrobe because I knew I was going to wear it. It’s a bit like manifesting. Why not?”
“That’s what kept me going, especially when I had all the losses, I was like, ‘It doesn’t really matter because I’m still going to be in the final’.”
Anisa also called Dean a “worthy opponent” and thought his business could “make a lot of money”.
Along with Amber-Rose Badrudin, Chisola Chitambala and Jordan Dargan were also eliminated from the process in the episode.
The Apprentice 2025 concludes on Thursday, April 17, when Dean and Anisa will launch their businesses.
In the end, one of them will become Lord Sugar’s business partner.
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