The Apprentice episode 10 ends in tears as emotional double firing reveals this year’s final five
"I wouldn't have gotten this far without her"
The Apprentice series 20 has whittled down its final five candidates – but first, Lord Sugar had to sack two candidates in yet another double-firing.
Sugar has been ruthless in the boardroom this year. The first episode ended on a double-firing, with Nikki Jetha and Georgina Newton sent packing after the disastrous task in China.
In week nine, another two candidates hit the road: Conor Galvin and Levi Hague. And, best of all, Sugar deployed the rarest firing of all: a triple, getting rid of Andrea Cooper, Megan Ruiter, and Carrington Saunders in one brutal sweep.
This week, the candidates who made it back to The Apprentice house entered the final five. Alas, for these two candidates, it was the “end of the journey”.
Who was fired in The Apprentice episode 10?
Two candidates were sacked in week 10 of The Apprentice: Kieran McCartney and Rothna Akhtar.
Lest we forget, Kieran sealed his own fate last week with a “ballsy” offer.
After landing in the boardroom again, he told Sugar: “If I stay in this process, I’d like to be the project manager on task 10 to prove to you what I can do. If we lose, we shake hands, I walk out.”
True to his word, after losing to Karishma’s team in the pet product task, he didn’t wait around. “We had a deal,” he told Sugar, before thanking him for the opportunity and leaving.
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If it were a different week, the rest of his team would have been safe. Unfortunately, Karren warned them all that Sugar wanted to get rid of two candidates this week, meaning someone else had to go.
It came down to Rothna and Dan Miller, but after failing to secure any sales with the corporate clients, it was Rothna on the other end of Sugar’s finger.
Rothna reacts to “gut-wrenching” firing
“It was disappointing in that immediate moment, but it wasn’t a complete shock because I was standing against Dan, who I knew had a really good business,” she said, speaking after the show.
“I was in shock because I was so close to the final five and I just felt this wave of disappointment. But slight relief because it’s an intense process. It was gut-wrenching when you’re so close to making final five.”
Rothna had been praised by other candidates. Notably, she was singled out (alongside Karishma) by Harry Clough, and Conor said he’d be “shocked” if she didn’t win.
After Dan returned to the house in episode 10, Karishma broke down in tears.
“You guys know I was so quiet in the beginning. And I remember in the hotel, before we left Hong Kong, everyone was eating. There wasn’t enough space on the table, so I was sitting by myself, and Rothna was like, ‘Come sit with me,'” she said.
“I don’t think I would have gotten this far without her.”
Who’s in the final five in The Apprentice series 20?
Five candidates remain in The Apprentice series 20: Karishma Vijay, Dan Miller, Lawrence Rosenberg, Priyesh Bathia, and Pascha Myhill.
You know what that means. Next week, they’ll sit down for an almighty grilling, as Sugar’s advisors (including Claude Littner) dig into their business plans.
While their fate remains to be seen, Karishma remains the bookies’ favourite to win and secure Sugar’s investment.
“It feels like the tables have turned. I am no longer proving myself. I get to sit across from the REAL business tycoons and I get to show Lord Sugar who I really am and who he is potentially shaking hands with,” Karishma said after reaching the final five.
“I’m nervous for the interviews because I might not have all the answers, but one thing I do have is a business that has changed lives and I hope that is enough.”
Read more: The Apprentice candidate declares ‘never again’ after revealing ‘biggest shock’ from 2026 series
