The Apprentice is very different to what viewers would imagine according to one former star.
Raj Dhonota appeared on the first-ever series back in 2005 alongside winner Tim Campbell and former Loose Women star Saira Khan. But had Raj seen the programme before applying, he admits he’d have chosen a different path to becoming a household name after Lord Alan Sugar fired him in the ninth week.
Nowadays though, Kent-born Raj, 49, admits he’s happier than ever as he sets his sights on new ventures in the United States with his wife. Although The Apprentice is one of the biggest shows in the UK, Raj hasn’t seen a single episode in recent years and only watched the first four episodes of his series.
Speaking exclusively to the Mirror about his time on the programme, he said: “I have not watched the series since the first one. Even with the first one, I only saw the first 4 episodes (out of the nine I was in) and then went to India to start my next business. I had seen enough in the first four episodes of the first series to understand that the reality of what actually happened and what was portrayed in the edits could not have been further apart.
“Suffice to say, had I seen the first episode there is no way I would have applied to be in a subsequent series.” But this isn’t the only thing that would shock viewers. Raj claims that outside of the boardroom, he and his fellow contestants very rarely saw Sugar.
“However, we did win a task and have dinner with him as a reward at his favourite restaurant in London,” he told me. Raj went on to add: “I found him to be straight-talking and fair – apart from the time he changed the rules just to fire me! Ultimately his role is to do what is right for the TV programme from an entertainment perspective rather than picking out the best business mind.”
But it’s not Lord Sugar who calls the shots according to the businessman. His series was won by Tim who now sits alongside Lord Sugar and Baroness Karren Brady as an advisor in the boardroom. But he claims it’s the producers behind the series who make the decisions.
He commented: “Tim was one of the nicest and sincerest on the show. Admittedly at the time he won it, he didn’t have the same level of business experience as some of the other contestants, but I think everyone was unanimous in being happy for him that he won the first series.” But despite being happy for Tim, he hasn’t seen him in action but was “delighted” to hear he had landed the role.
Addressing behind-the-scenes moments which viewers never get to see, Raj claimed it’s very different and Baroness Brady and Tim are not always as involved as it comes across on screens. He said: “The truth behind the matter is that it’s the show producers who call the majority of the shots and provide the majority of the feedback to Lord Sugar.
“From experience, the advisors are not there all the time or even the majority of the time.”
The Apprentice airs Tuesdays at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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