The Apprentice spoilers follow.
Series 18 of The Apprentice is officially underway, with one candidate sent packing after a difficult task in the Scottish Highlands.
Tonight's (February 1) premiere saw Lord Sugar and his aides, Karren Brady and Tim Campbell, welcoming this year's 18 contestants.
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By the end of the episode, Oliver Medforth was fired, leaving his hopes to become Lord Sugar's next business partner behind.
The season's first task saw the candidates host a corporate away day, with the group that generated the most profits sailing through to next week.
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The contestants were divided into two teams — the women, led by chartered company secretary Onyeka Nweze, vs the men, led by music producer Virdi Singh Mazaria — to work on their bespoke tour.
The women decided to capitalise on the Scottish landscape with a Loch tour and a Highland Games experience for £286 per person, while the guys opted for a land tour and traditional Scottish dancing for £240 per person.
The following day, the groups led their excursions. The men's tour arrived to lunch 45 minutes late. The delayed start to the meal and an unfortunate alcohol mix-up led to a cold main course, an underwhelming dancing session and very unhappy guests.
Meanwhile, there was chaos in the women's kitchen after the candidates accidentally covered fish cakes in the dessert's crumble mixture, before serving raw crumble. The group seemed to redeem themselves somewhat with their team building exercise and exhilarating tour.
Related: The Apprentice finalist Dani Donovan welcomes first child and shares sweet name
At the end of their Scottish adventure, the candidates reconvened in the boardroom to find out how well their tours went. Both teams had to give refunds to their clients, but the girls' final profit was £122.43, while the boys lost £506.40, meaning that at least one of the men would go home.
Following a heated discussion, project manager Virdi, sales executive Oliver and management consultant Steve Darken were placed in the firing line. After much deliberation, Lord Sugar chose to send Oliver home for his lack of contribution.
"A little disappointed to go out first but it's been a fantastic experience in this process and I wish every candidate the very best of luck," said Oliver as he was driven away in the black cab.
The Apprentice airs on Thursdays at 9pm on BBC One, with spin-off series You're Fired airing immediately afterwards on BBC Two.
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Sara is an entertainment journalist who specialises in TV and film. After studying journalism at the University of Roehampton, Sara joined Digital Spy in 2023, writing news (and the occasional feature) on all things entertainment. She has also written for the culture desk at The Evening Standard. A lover of all things TV and film, Sara can wax lyrical about everything from Bridgerton to The Witcher. She can also recite entire episodes of New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Parks and Recreation. In her spare time, Sara loves to knit, crochet and cross-stitch. Also a musical theatre aficionado, Sara counts Samantha Barks as one of her heroes and is a loyal fan of Jodie Comer.
