Fired Apprentice star spills show secrets with intense workouts and 'scary' aides

The Apprentice star Alex Short is the latest contestant to be fired from the boardroom after a fish themed task.

While the first team swam to victory with their ‘catch of the day’ and huge profit, Alex and his team failed to make waves in the boardroom.

With a smaller profit and failure to even mention their choice of fish earlier in the task, it was Project Manager Alex Short who ultimately met the end of Lord Sugar’s firing finger.

However, despite tempers flaring in the boardroom after the task, which saw Akshay Thakrar and Alex talk over one another in a heated debate, the star has since revealed that the action is far less dramatic off-screen.

Speaking to Daily Star and other press, The Apprentice star Alex Short has now spilled behind the scenes secrets on what life is actually like on the show.

He explained that anything that happens in the task is soon forgotten once contestants go back to the house, and that there are no hard feelings, saying: “It’s very similar to playing a game of football, or a game of rugby. Once the game is over, it’s forgotten about. It’s in the past.

“Stepping into the house is like stepping into the changing rooms. You’re back to being normal and it’s a great opportunity to get to know each other, when you haven’t got the pressure on you when you’re on task.

“It was really enjoyable to do that. We did loads of fun things like cooking for the whole house, doing HIIT training the garden. We had some really cool experiences and great memories.”

Talking about memories of living with the other contestants in the house, Alex spilled some secrets on what the cast get up to when the cameras are not rolling, saying: “I had the opportunity to cook for the house twice. I didn’t give anyone food poisoning so that was a plus. It went down okay!

“That was good, as we’d pick a meal to cook, get the ingredients and then everyone would chip in. Someone would do the slicing and dicing, someone would be cooking whatever in the frying pan.

“It’s a nice vibe to dine together and get to know each other.”

He also added that he and his fellow contestants were whipped into shape by former rugby player Conor Gilsenan, who was fired after the ill-fated toothbrush challenge in week two.

Alex said: “Conor was the main man for the HIIT training, obviously from his rugby background. He was whipping us into shape in the garden. That was really cool as well. At that time the sun was shining as well, so that was cool.

“Then when he left, it was me, Francesca and a couple of others, we all just come together and copied what Conor taught us. Then carried that on through.

“You’re sitting there in the evenings chatting, like you would do, getting to know each other. We’ve all been chucked in a house together, so it’s cool.”

Looking back on the time he spent with the contestants, he said: “There’s a hell of lot of experiences you can take with you. You can’t even pay for some of the experiences we got to do,” adding, “Also meeting the people in there that I’ve got to meet. I feel like I’ve made some amazing friends in there.”

With the current series airing on BBC One, Alex is excited to finally get back together with his fellow contestants after the winner is revealed, as he explained: “We have to wait a certain period of time before we’re allowed to do that. It’s frustrating because there’s some great characters. I’ve really got to get to know them outside of the tasks.

“It’s hard to pinpoint it down to individuals, as I think everyone got on really well, especially within the house. For me, it’s counting down on when we can get back together and share the experiences properly.”

One of the main experiences they did share was the intense pressure to create products under the watchful eyes of Karen Brady and Tim Campbell, who Alex admitted are slightly scarier than Lord Sugar, saying: “I’ve never had such a burning sensation in the back of my head, as when we were on task as you could feel their presence there.

“You know they’re watching every move, every step that you’re doing. They can be [scarier] yeah, for sure.”

Having caused a stir with a toothbrush inspired product in week two, and then redeeming himself on the winning team during the drinks task, Alex explained that no detail goes uncovered by Karen and Tim.

He said: “They’re Lord Sugar’s eyes and ears. They pick up everything. Nothing goes unseen. Nothing goes unheard.”

In another striking revelation however, Alex added that Lord Sugar does have his funny moments off screen, despite handing out harsh criticism in the boardroom.

He said: “It’s a bit surreal. I’ve pretty much watched most series, so you’re used to watching him [Lord Sugar] doing it to others, but there’s obviously that element of being in the room with him.

“He’s a successful businessman who has achieved a lot of things. When he says those things, you have to take them on board.”

Alex added: “Obviously because of the Covid situation, we only got to see him within the board room, but there are times when the cameras aren’t rolling and he’d say a funny remark. He’d say a couple of things.”

Despite the harsh criticism that he and the team received in the fish themed task, Alex has no regrets over the products he has created, saying: “I tend to not focus on any of the negatives, I don’t carry them with me.

“Realistically, you look back on some of the products you’ve made and I think you’ve just got to come away from it, looking at the funny side of it, because you cannot take life too seriously.

“We’re in the process to take it seriously, but sometimes the outcomes do not come out as we planned them to be. When that happens, you have to look at the funny side of things – and we did that – especially with the toothbrush and the logo.”

However, he did make a humorous admission that the fish task had affected his love of one his favourite foods, adding: “Mate, it has ruined it completely for me. I used to love monkfish and now I can’t even look at it. It has changed the whole aspect of it now.”

Alex also explained that taking part in the series had a positive impact on his career outside of The Apprentice too, saying: “Now it’s really exciting with the journey I’m taking with my business.

“Just alone with the exposure of the show, it has brought in fantastic opportunities.

“I think where we were always an established company with a decent size, it has just helped us to meet new clients. It’s extremely exciting.”

The Apprentice airs Thursdays on BBC One at 9pm

For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk