TV presenter and barrister Rob Rinder was dramatically fired from Celebrity Apprentice on Tuesday night, despite marshalling an impressive roster of showbiz friends to promote his team's festive biscuit. The special two-part series, filmed in Lapland, aimed to raise money for BBC's Children in Need by tasking twelve celebrities with creating and pitching a Christmas biscuit to major UK retailers.
The Jolly McTrouble Campaign
As project manager for his team, Rinder, 47, pulled out all the stops for his Santa-shaped biscuit, named Jolly McTrouble. The product featured butter toffee, vanilla, and a Christmas pudding-flavoured icing. His key strategy involved calling in favours from a host of famous contacts to film promotional clips.
He successfully secured video endorsements from heavyweights including Benedict Cumberbatch, Olivia Colman, and Robbie Williams, which he played during his sales pitch to investors. His hard-sell approach, combined with these starry testimonials, helped him personally secure orders for 200,000 units.
Rinder was supported in his team by AJ Odudu, Jake Wood, Kadeena Cox, Charlie Hedges, and Eddie Kadi. Their rivals, led by project manager JB Gill, created a product named Gary the Penguin, with teammates Matt Morsia, Sarah Hadland, Shazia Mirza, and Thomas Skinner.
The Boardroom Showdown
Initially, the Jolly McTrouble campaign seemed promising. Lord Sugar's business advisor, Karren Brady, revealed that all seven retailers on the panel had placed orders, boosted further by Rinder's own efforts, bringing their total to 355,500 units.
However, victory was snatched away by the opposing team. Advisor Mike Soutar announced that Gary the Penguin had won after securing orders from all seven retailers plus an additional investor, achieving a superior total of 452,000 units.
Back in the iconic boardroom, the critique began. Karren Brady stated that Rinder's team had "no real plan." Lord Sugar acknowledged the quality of the TV advert and the acceptable product, but concluded: "You had all the elements of success. But you didn't succeed." He also quipped about using Piers Morgan in the promo, joking, "If ever Piers promoted a biscuit, it should be a Jammie Dodger."
The Final Decision
Rinder fought to save himself, arguing that Jolly McTrouble would ultimately outsell the competition on shelves, though he privately admitted he wasn't convinced it was a true Christmas biscuit. He brought teammates Kadeena Cox and Jake Wood back into the final firing round with him.
Ultimately, the blame was laid at the project manager's feet. Lord Sugar said to Rinder: "You admit yourself you gave the team no clear direction... So it is with regret, you're fired." The decision sparked reaction on social media, with viewers on X expressing they were "gutted" by the result, though some agreed the failure of the task lay with Rinder's leadership.
Fans of the format have something to look forward to, as the BBC has announced the first full-length Celebrity Apprentice series is in the pipeline. Lord Sugar teased that it would fully immerse celebrities in the process, removing their usual support networks of PAs and agents.
