BBC The Apprentice star calls for major change to Alan Sugar series format as they fume ‘What a waste!’
The Apprentice returned to BBC One on Thursday, with Alan Sugar back at the helm of the dramatic business series.
One former candidate who faced a rocky time on the 2023 show is Reece Donnelly, who was forced to leave the show earlier following an unfortunate flight to Dubai for a task.
Speaking to GB News on behalf of Spin Genie, Donnelly talked about having to leave, admitting that while he was initially “gutted,” he ended being “really grateful”.
Opening up about the behind-the-scenes goings on and changes to the show he thinks should be made, the 28-year-old theatre school owner shared: “I just always think that they should show the house!”
Referring to the mansion Sugar provides for the large group of hopefuls, he continued: “I think that the house is one of the best parts about it.
“I think, you know, you’ve locked up 18 strangers in a £13 million mansion… What a waste”
“Because we have so much fun in the downtime. You know, I remember us all as grown adults playing hide and seek and running on sports days!
“It was just so fun. And I think that actually it would show the audience so much more of the characters that are in the house.”
Referring to his early departure, which reports at the time claimed where due to him getting drunk on a plane on the way to Dubai, Donnelly admitted: “I always say this to anyone who asks about that – I was absolutely gutted.
“I wanted nothing other than to win that show. However, in hindsight, I don’t need to give Lord sugar 50 percent of my wages.”
He continued: “I don’t need to give Lord sugar 50 percent of my assets. And now that you reflect a couple of years later, I think, ‘What would he have brought to a performing arts school in Scotland?’
“And where his skill sets lie is in finance and profit and loss sheets. And actually, I can employ an accountant for that for a couple of 100 quid a month.”
“So I’m really, really, really grateful I didn’t win,” he concluded, adding: “And I think for me, because of the way that I had to leave, I got to do so many interviews and so many chats after it, where I got to show Reece as Reece, rather than ‘Reece in the suit who was on The Apprentice.'”
Donnelly has gone on to see his business flourish since his stint on the show.
The entrepreneur founded the Theatre School of Scotland and the Theatre College of Scotland not long after, which has recently opened its first branch in England.
Students of his college have gone on to land roles at Disney, Netflix, and the BBC.
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Reece has also worked as a radio presenter working across Radio Scotland and Capital Scotland.
Opening up on what Lord Alan Sugar is like away from the camera, Donnelly admitted to GB News: “He’s not got to that level of career by, you know, being a nice guy.”
However, he went on to add: “I really liked him and I really respect him”.