The Apprentice 2019: Fired candidate Souleyman Bah says he’d reject an offer from Lord Sugar now

The para athlete and motivational speaker said the business magnate has ‘missed his chance’
1/19
Isobel Frodsham16 October 2019

The latest candidate to be fired from The Apprentice said he would not accept an investment offer from Lord Alan Sugar now as he “has missed his chance.”

Souleyman Bah, 20, was axed this week after “not being positive enough”.

The businessman was criticised by Lord Sugar, judge Claude Littner and his teammates Riyonn Farsad and Lottie Lion for not “giving solutions to problems” during this week’s task.

But Souleyman has now hit back at the scolding – and said he would not work with Lord Sugar now as he “prefers sweetener over sugar”.

Toy troubles: Lubna, Marianne, Riyonn and Souleyman filming their online video 
BBC

He told the Standard Online: “I would say ‘Sorry Sugar, I’m into sweetener now’” adding: “No, [he would not work with him] not at all. He’s had his chance.”

Discussing his exit from the show, he said: “It’s mixed emotions really, I’m gutted because I don’t think I was the right person that was fired, simply because I wasn’t responsible for the failure of the task.

"I raised some very valuable points that could’ve helped us win if anyone had actually listened to me, which no one did.

“I’m also relieved I’m out of the process because I can finally go back and enjoy normal life, not living with people that are just about to chuck you under the bus,” he joked.

The candidates were asked to design a toy for six to eight year olds, produce an online video to promote their brand and pitch the toy to John Lewis and famous London toy store, Hamleys.

Hit back: Souleyman says he raised "valuable points" about the product
BBC

Lord Sugar also mixed the men and the women up for this week’s challenge after the men failed to win twice.

The first group, led by Riyonn, saw them make a talking turtle called Tommy, which can be worn on childrens' hands, and gives compliments.

The second team, led by Pamela Laird, saw the group create a unicorn which can be covered in slime and lives in a “slime kingdom”.

Pamela’s team ended up winning the task after John Lewis ordered 2,000 units.

Tommy: The team's toy, a talking turtle called Thomas, was dubbed as too childish by prospective buyers
BBC

During the episode, Souleyman – who is also a para athlete aspiring to take part in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics - was seen criticising his group’s toy, much to the chagrin of his teammates.

His comments ended up leading to his firing, with Lord Sugar dubbing him a “commentator not a participator”.

He added: “Souleyman, to put yourself forward, to come into this process, was a giant leap and brave.

“Having said that, you’re a sportsman, and you know positivity is a very, very strong point in teams.

"And yet, you weren't bringing any positivity to the team, and it is for that reason, with regret, you're fired."

At the end of the programme, when most candidates express regret after leaving the show, Souleyman was defiant in his response.

He told the producers: “Next time Lord Sugar sees me, I’ll be a champion in athletics, with a gold medal, and I will also be a champion in business with a big, fat cheque.”

Adding who he thought should have been kicked out of the competition, Souleyman said: “I think Tom [Skinner] or Riyonn. Tom because it was Tom’s creation, and his creation lost us the task.

"And Riyonn because he was the PM and was elected as he said he’d made toys in the past. He also completely detached himself from the creation of the toy and took no responsibility for it in the boardroom.”

Creator: Thomas Skinner championed the toy during the programme 
BBC

Following his exit from the show, Souleyman said he is focusing on training for Tokyo 2020 - but added that he would be interested in starring in I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!

“Remember the clip of me spitting poo in South Africa [from the first episode]?" he said. "If I got a phone call from I’m a Celeb I would take them up on that offer.

“I’m into all that kind of stuff – I think you should get stuck in and have fun.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in