Who was the 1st Desi ‘Apprentice’ Contestant to Quit Show?

The Apprentice viewers will see Dr Jana Denzel prematurely quit the show, shocking Lord Alan Sugar and his fellow candidates.

The cosmetic dentist apparently used the term ‘coloured’ to describe a black person during a task.

It was later revealed that he decided to quit the show.

Jana had been a contender to go far in the show before dramatically telling Lord Sugar “I’m leaving” after he was given a dressing down for using the offensive term.

A source said: “The team had been discussing what the character should look like, and there were suggestions from some members to make sure the character was inclusive.

“It was then that Jana made the ‘coloured comment’, which particularly upset two female candidates on his team.

“While his co-stars did push back and make it clear to Jana the comment was unacceptable, it was then escalated further when it was flagged to the production team, who pulled Jana aside.”

It is believed that viewers will not see Jana’s comment onscreen but his sudden exit will air on February 27, 2025.

Although Dr Jana Denzel’s exit will be a shock, the early departure of a candidate is far from a rare occurrence on The Apprentice.

Plenty of contestants have abruptly left for various reasons.

Adele Lock was the first-ever candidate to quit the BBC show while series 11’s Scott Saunders stunned the boardroom when he left after the ninth task.

But when it comes to the multitude of South Asian contestants, only one has quit.

During the 2022 season of The Apprentice, nursery owner Shama Amin quit the show due to the pain she faces with her rheumatoid arthritis.

In the third episode, she told Lord Sugar that she had “made the difficult decision to leave the process” as the show’s physical demands became too much when combined with her condition.

On the episode, she said: “I would just like to say something, Lord Sugar if that’s OK.

“I suffer from a condition called rheumatoid arthritis…

“Because of medical reasons, due to this process being so physically demanding, despite the efforts the whole team has made to support me, I’ve had to make a difficult decision to leave the process.”

At the time, viewers accused BBC bosses of discrimination and claimed more could have been done to support Shama.

However, Shama addressed the claims:

“I honestly could not have asked for them to do any more. They were so nice.”

“If we had a break the team would be pulling me out a chair so I could get as much rest as possible.

“Honestly, they couldn’t have done any more. I understand we had a job to do, and we were there to make this show.

“I would have never expected them to try and accommodate seven days rest period for me – this was the medical advice we were given, and I had to make that decision to let them carry on. All I’ve got is praise for the whole team.”