Former Apprentice Candidate Amy Anzel Slams Lord Sugar as 'Rude and Disrespectful'
Amy Anzel, a former contestant on the BBC's The Apprentice, has launched a scathing critique of Lord Alan Sugar, branding the business magnate as 'rude and disrespectful' and insisting she could never work with someone of his temperament.
Boardroom Blowback and a Rolls Royce Rant
Anzel, who competed on the 2022 series of the show, was eliminated after the sixth task, failing to secure Lord Sugar's £250,000 investment prize for her beauty brand. In a candid interview with The Express, facilitated by OLBG.com, she detailed specific incidents that shaped her negative opinion.
She recalled one particular filming day where Lord Sugar, 78, was asked to exit his Rolls Royce due to a technical delay. 'I remember Lord Sugar screamed his head off because he had to wait,' Anzel stated. 'I thought, who treats people like that? So disrespectful.'
Anzel suggested his reaction was performative, saying, 'It was like he needed to be seen as this big jerk who had control over everything.' She questioned what it must be like to work with him, concluding it would be 'pretty horrible.'
A Blessing in Disguise and Harsh Boardroom Criticism
Reflecting on her loss, Anzel now views it positively. 'I do not think he is a very nice person,' she shared. 'It was definitely a blessing in disguise that I did not win the investment. I could never work with someone like that.'
Her elimination followed a tourism challenge in Wales's Snowdonia region, where her team failed to sell a single full-price tour ticket. Brought into the boardroom by project manager Kathryn Burn, alongside Aaron Willis, Anzel faced Lord Sugar's sharp tongue.
He told her, 'You're avoiding the spotlight the way that Dracula avoids sunbathing,' drawing stifled laughter from other contestants. He also referenced her past life in Los Angeles, asking if she was an 'LA Dodger' for not taking on leadership roles.
While criticising Burn's inexperience, Lord Sugar ultimately fired Anzel for her consistent refusal to lead tasks. 'You dodged the project management side of things,' he said. 'You've been here six weeks to show that you can do something, and you haven't shown me you can do something.'
Calling for the Show's Axe and Criticising Its Format
In 2023, a year after her series aired, Anzel called for The Apprentice to be cancelled, claiming it was on its 'last legs.' She argued the programme has become too repetitive and formulaic.
'I really think that this show has become so formulaic with carbon copies of boring candidates from the past,' she told the Daily Star. Of that year's cast, she added, 'This cast is boring. Why don't they cast more interesting characters?'
Anzel urged the BBC to refresh the format or end it, stating, 'They should just put it out of its misery and not renew it because it's just boring and samey.'
The Apprentice, which has aired since 2005 and offers a £250,000 investment from Lord Sugar since 2011, continues on BBC One and iPlayer, featuring advisors Baroness Karren Brady and Tim Campbell alongside its famed host.
