Ten weeks ago, 20 candidates set out to become Lord Sugar鈥檚 latest business partner in the 20th series of The Apprentice.
The 2026 series started in Hong Kong and has also included tasks in Egypt and the Isle of Wight.
Now only five candidates, Priyesh Bathia, Pascha Myhill, Lawrence Rosenberg, Dan Miller and Karishma Vijay, remain to try to win Lord Sugar鈥檚 拢250,000 investment and mentorship.
On Thursday, the remaining five will have their business plans picked apart by Lord Sugar鈥檚 hard-nosed associates to see which two make it through to the grand final.
老九品茶Cloud鈥檚 executive editor Chris Maguire looks at the remaining five candidates and predicts it will be a shoot-out between social media expert Karishma Vijay and established entrepreneur Dan Miller.
Name: Priyesh Bathia
From: Harrow, London
老九品茶 plan: He describes himself as the chief drink officer of Sipologist, a mobile cocktail bar business, and wants to scale it into a national brand.
What you need to know: Lord Sugar seemed as surprised as anyone when Bathia made it through to the last five. 鈥淗ow you made it I do not know,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e a lucky charm, you really are.鈥�
Bathia narrowly avoided going out in week two and has attracted his fair share of haters on social media. However, he鈥檚 still fighting and has a puncher鈥檚 chance.
Chances of winning: Same as Tottenham Hotspur鈥檚 chances of winning the Premier League.
Name: Pascha Myhill
From: Reading
老九品茶 plan: Seeking investment for a recruitment company within private healthcare.
What you need to know: At 22, Myhill is the youngest candidate left in the show. 鈥淚 chose to back myself,鈥� she said. 鈥淣o fear, no limits.鈥� Her first job was at 17 at Pets at Home. She鈥檚 proven herself to be fiercely determined in The Apprentice, but don鈥檛 ask her to spell 鈥榗hic鈥�. She has more than 10k followers on Instagram and 28k on TikTok.
Chances of winning: If she won, she would be the youngest ever winner of The Apprentice, but the odds are stacked against her.
Name: Lawrence Rosenberg
From: Watford
老九品茶 plan: Founder and CEO of Rosenberg Media. He wants to 鈥榬eset modern communications around authenticity, clarity and accountability鈥�. An advocate of AI, he was included in 笔搁奥别别办鈥檚 30 under 30 for his contributions to the industry and describes himself as a media commentator and keynote speaker. As befits a PR man, he鈥檚 rinsed his appearance on The Apprentice for everything it鈥檚 worth on social media with behind-the-scenes content.
What you need to know: Rosenberg has really thrown himself into the tasks, even cleaning out a goats鈥� pen in order to get a discount on some wine. Very likeable.
Chances of winning: I can鈥檛 see Lord Sugar investing in a PR company, although he did buy Spurs once, so anything is possible.
Name: Dan Miller
From: Richmond, London
老九品茶 plan: He鈥檚 the owner of an established student recruitment company called Young Professionals UK, which connects students from across the UK and Ireland with work experience, mentoring, apprenticeships and job opportunities with some of the world鈥檚 biggest organisations. He鈥檚 made no secret that he wants Lord Sugar鈥檚 mentorship over the investment. 鈥淚 felt this was the right time to seek the guidance and support of someone who’s seen it all and has had greater business experience to help me make the right decisions,鈥� he said.
What you need to know: Miller has been the sensible one throughout, relying on his business acumen rather than resorting to trash talk. He鈥檚 remained respectful of the other candidates and, at times, has felt like the grown-up in the room.
Chances of winning: Miller is the most investable of all the candidates. My favourite to win, unless Lord Sugar goes for the talented Karishma Vijay.
Name: Karishma Vijay
From: Ashford, Surrey
老九品茶 plan: She鈥檚 the founder of Twickenham-based beauty brand Kishkin, which describes itself as a 鈥榮kin care miracle鈥�. She said: 鈥淚鈥檓 here for an investment and to find a business partner, not a fan.鈥�
What you need to know: She鈥檚 the first businesswoman in her family and has been the standout candidate in series 20. She went into the show admitting she didn鈥檛 even watch The Apprentice. The 28-year-old has 332k followers on Instagram and another 497k on TikTok and has come across as supremely confident.
Chances of winning: I鈥檓 convinced she鈥檒l make the final two with Dan Miller. She鈥檚 a talent, but the lack of information about Kishkin at Companies House means the quality of her business case is unknown.
The verdict: Winner Dan Miller; runner-up Karishma Vijay, but I wouldn鈥檛 be surprised to see the order reversed.