The Apprentice: Adam Corbally falls at the final hurdle

Adam Corbally has fallen at the final furlong and become the 12th candidate to be fired from The Apprentice.

Despite his impressive sales skills, the market trader failed to impress Lord Alan Sugar in the last task, which saw teams Sterling and Phoenix create a new “affordable” luxury product range.

Adam was chosen as Project Manager for Phoenix and decided to try and cash in on the popularity of high-quality jellies, telling the rest of his team: “I really want to go for the jellies… jellies are the new big thing, it’s going to be big.”

But it was his team mate Jade who had the best ideas.

Lord Sugar informed Adam that he was impressed with the visuals of their prototype shop, however he questioned his behaviour at the boutique chocolate shop (which mainly involved scoffing the chocs).

Jade informed Lord Sugar that she had devised the brand name and Nick Holzherr supported this, saying, “Absolute credit to Jade. She came up with the name, she came up with quite a few of the product ideas.”

The best salesman on the show was beginning to come unstuck…

Meanwhile, Team Sterling, made up of Ricky Martin and Tom Gearing, decided to try and sell male grooming products, which Lord Sugar branded “boring”.

However, the reaction to their presentation was good and the detailed research they had done was praised, so they were safe from the firing line.

On the other hand, Lord Sugar said that although Phoenix’s presentation was at first impressive, it soon went downhill.

Adam remained confident even when he was sat in the Losers Cafe, he said: “There’s no way on the planet that it will be me that goes tomorrow, no way.”

But back in the boardroom, his bubble was burst when Lord Sugar questioned Phoenix’s pricing strategy.

Adam told Lord Sugar he wasn’t sure where it all went wrong, but Nick and Jade make it clear they felt Adam was to blame. And to top it off Karren expressed her support for Jade, saying: “She was the good parts of this task.”

Delivering the final blow Lord Sugar said: “Adam – I’ve got to tell you, you have impressed me in the manner in which you have thrown yourself into everything head first. That aggression, that ambition and that enthusiasm, that in itself in fantastic really, and you’re a good salesman also.

“However, there are other areas that I have to consider, the shrewdness, the awareness, the getting the plot… Adam, I think it’s time for you to leave the process, You’re Fired.”

Jade, Nick, Tom and Ricky and now through to Sunday night’s final (BBC1, 8.30pm), when this year’s Apprentice will be crowned.