The Apprentice (Irish TV series)
Irish TV series
The Apprentice is an Irish reality television series, in which a group of aspiring young businessmen and women compete for the chance to win a job as "apprentice" to Bill Cullen, an Irish businessman.
The first series of the show aired on TV3 on 22 September 2008, and finished on 8 December 2008, with Brenda Shanahan as the winner. Shanahan worked at Cullen's company, Renault Ireland, on a 12-month contract worth €100,000. Steve Rayner, a Business Development Manager, won the second series in 2009. That series also featured Breffny Morgan. Michelle Massey won the job in the 2010 series, while Eugene Heary won in 2011. It was announced in May 2012 that the programme would not be renewed for a new series.
The Apprentice is modelled on the American series of the same name, which starred entrepreneur Donald Trump, but is styled more closely around the British series starring business magnate Alan, Lord Sugar.
Bill Cullen's assistants in the Irish version of The Apprentice were his partner, and former model, Jackie Lavin and PR "guru", Brian Purcell.
Celebrity version
Due to the success and growth of the series in 2009, it was announced that a Celebrity version of the show was being sought by the producers and TV3.
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