One of TV3’s most successful format imports returns to screens on Monday night, with 16 contestants battling it out to win the favour of businessman Bill Cullen.
The last series of The Apprenticehad an average of 530,000 viewers a week; this time it has a new sponsor, Clarion Hotels, and an increased prize fund. The format is simple: contestants must go through a series of business trials designed to assess their leadership and decision-making skills. They are judged on their performance and financial savvy, with Cullen deciding each week who stays and who goes. This year the format has changed: instead of working with Cullen to sell cars in his garages, the winner will be starting a business in partnership with Cullen, with a €200,000 package to get the idea off the ground.
Contestants this season include 25-year-old Yinka Rahma, originally from Nigeria, who has an idea for an international company selling online, while Christopher Harold from Co Clare has a plan for a social-network initiative. He started his business career aged nine, collecting rubbish for a local shop. "I'm different because I care," he says. The question is, will Bill care? The Apprenticestarts Monday at 9pm on TV3.
