The Apprentice Semi-Final Just Made History For All The Right Reasons

After weeks of intense competition, the winner of The Apprentice 2022 is on the verge of being crowned. The semi-final of this year’s series will see the remaining four hopefuls battle it out in the notoriously brutal interview stage. Although, alongside the usual boardroom drama, the penultimate episode has also made history, featuring the show’s first ever all-female semi-final.

Following the double firing of Aaron Willis and Akeem Bundu-Kamara, contestants Stephanie Afflek, Brittany Carter, Harpreet Kaur, and Kathryn Louise Burn will now go head-to-head in a bid to become Lord Alan Sugar’s next business partner.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, the four remaining hopefuls shared their thoughts on being part of the BBC reality-competition show’s history-making semi-final.

“I think this is definitely the year of the girls on The Apprentice, and I am so proud to be a part of that,” said online children's store owner Afflek, adding that the groundbreaking semi-final is “reflective of society.” She continued, “Women definitely do have more hurdles to jump when it comes to business.”

Elsewhere, front-of-house manager Carter praised this year’s semi-final as being “inspiring for the next generation of women,” while online pyjama store owner Burn revealed that she isn’t surprised by the all-female line-up as “the girls were hungry for it.” She added, “to be standing with 3 strong, incredible girls, I just feel so proud and there’s no one else I’d rather be there with.”

Meanwhile, speaking to the newspaper, dessert parlour owner Kaur pointed out the ongoing hypocrisies between men and women in business. “I do find that if a woman is in charge and has a certain style of leadership, she can be accused of being bossy.” She concluded, “You don’t hear men being called bossy…”

Fans of The Apprentice appear to be equally as excited about the prospect of an all-female semi-final. “Very obsessed with the apprentice final four being all female,” one Twitter user wrote.

Another fan commented, “You know what… I’m pretty happy it’s an all female final four in The Apprentice. Best the men. Best them always,” while one viewer called for an entirely female cast in 2023, writing, “OMG Females absolutely smash The Apprentice. We need an all female cast next series.”

The Apprentice semi-final airs on Thursday, March 17 at 9 p.m. on BBC One.