‘None of them deserve it’: The Apprentice’s Claude Littner issues blunt response to show’s punishment after fan criticism
The Apprentice has made a major change to the show’s format in series 20 – and while viewers have clocked it, Claude Littner reckons the candidates haven’t earned the right to complain.
It’s been two decades since Lord Sugar first entered the boardroom.
Over the years, the structure has barely shifted. As Sugar once put it, it’s like football: “The rules are the same every game, but something special happens every game.”
That’s why people have quickly noticed the change, and this is what Littner had to say.
Claude Littner didn’t have many good things to say (Credit: BBC)
Claude Littner reacts to The Apprentice scrapping rewards
In previous series, the winning team would celebrate with a “treat” – from luxury meals to activity days like abseiling or indoor skydiving. Sometimes underwhelming, sometimes extravagant, but always part of the show.
Not anymore. In series 20, win or lose (unless you’re fired), everyone just heads back to the house.
Littner didn’t sugar-coat his thoughts when fans raised the issue online.
“My take on this issue is based on current performances. None of the candidates deserve a treat,” he wrote on X.
“I would send them to bed without a bedtime story or a lullaby.”
Claude isn’t a big fan of Unfinished Business (Credit: BBC)
Claude Littler calls series 20 a “fine mess”
Littner hasn’t been shy about the rest of the series either.
Replying to a viewer who branded it “rubbish”, he said he hoped “genuine talent emerges”. After episode 2, he labelled candidate Kieran McCartney “obnoxious” and added: “He has to go.”
During another task, he posted: “Another fine mess! No teamwork, expertise, common sense, or… functioning brain cells!”
He also weighed in on the revamp of You’re Fired. The studio-based spin-off, previously hosted by Tom Allen, has been replaced by Unfinished Business – a podcast-style after-show.
“Feels like a retrograde step,” Littner wrote. “Prior format was fun for the audience, invited celebs, fired candidates, and their families.”
Still, he’s urged frustrated fans to stick with it, insisting the series can be slow to get going before the real contenders rise.
Read more: Where is The Apprentice house? The story behind its notorious ‘Billionaire’s Row’ street where Ariana Grande stayed
The Apprentice series 20 continues every Thursday at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
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