The Apprentice 2011: Nodding dogs and cat fights

Oli Christie, CEO of Neon Play, the independent mobile games studio behind iPhone hits like Flick Football and Paper Glider, gives his summary on last night's explosive episode.

It's week 10 of the wonderful business TV pantomime that is The Apprentice.

Smell what sells
The task this week was all about retail. Choose the right products, see what sells best, replenish your stock and then sell even more of it. It was like a mixture of the Generation Game and Bargain Hunt. With digital alarm clocks, nodding dogs and duvet sets being flogged over London, you could almost hear Brucey going "didn’t they do well". If only they did...

Tip top Tom
Logic should have been favourites for this task, and when Tom was left by himself to sell, he showed genuine confidence and flair for the first time - he actually seemed to be enjoying himself. This for me is a great example of people doing well in business if they're actually enjoying what they do.

Melody maker
But Melody (as per the Paris task) chose not to listen to Tom's rip-roaring nodding dog sales (of three). This was classic Melody and she is a good/bad example of how not to lead a team. All she cares about is herself and her opinion and you'll never build a business if you're not prepared to listen and learn and accept that you're not always right. People make a business tick so trust your team or why bother employing them?

Moan, moan, moan
How Natasha has got this far I'll never know. She is a typical example of a moaning employee that doesn't seem to get on with anyone, rubs people up the wrong way and drags people down with her constant negativity - and doesn't even do anything. In my experience, bad blood has no place in any company so get rid (legally of course).

Susan boils
Susan is young and naive, but sadly in business that is not an excuse. She has her strengths and when she's on a roll selling, she really is good. But she's weak and can't cope with people disagreeing with her and just gives up. In business, you need to stand up for what you believe in.

That's life, Jim...
This was probably Jim's best task and he needed it as he's been a complete bluffing buffoon in the last few tasks. Selling is what he does best and even though he had the audacity to describe himself as "charming", it was a good way of demonstrating that people like to do business with people they like - it's very simple. No harm in being "nice".

Helen back
Helen has not lost one task, but for the first time she really showed some actual bite, which was nice to see and showed she's not just an effective organiser. Offering to take over as PM was punchy and saying Melody was "a terrible team leader" to her face showed balls. Miaow. Don't underestimate her.

Are you serious?
As ever, some of the decisions beggared belief. Helen going on a doomed four-hour round trip to sell 30 duvets. Susan selling nylon duvets door-to-door in Knightsbridge. Melody selling £25 watches in Poundland. But hearing Nick Hewer going "woof woof" made it all worth it.

Melody off tune
The winning team were very lucky indeed to come away with a victory, and Lord Sugar was quite right to deny them a nice day out to Goodwood via helicopter. How gutted?! Of the losing team, Melody did deserve to go as her bluff and blunder started to unravel, but no doubt the Dalai Lama will console her in her time of need.

The final countdown
In my opinion, the next three to receive Lord Sugar's short finger of doom are Natasha (how did she get this far?), Susan (too naive and young) and Jim (too many metaphors). I think the final will be between Tom as Lord Sugar likes his product background, and Helen who has been the class act throughout. You can’t see anyone but Helen winning really, but you never know...