The Apprentice finalists Scarlett Allen-Horton and Carina Lepore look back at controversial series: ‘We stayed out of the drama’

The final two tell The Independent they were there for 'real business reasons' the entire time

Lord Sugar is close to choosing the winner of what has been a very controversial series of The Apprentice.

The 15th run of the BBC's long-running reality series was plagued with a race row drama, which led to the channel blocking a fired candidate from speaking to the press in conjunction with her elimination.

Rising above the controversy were finalists Scarlett Allen-Horton and Carina Lepore, who are hoping to win Lord Sugar's £250,000 investment for their recruitment and bakery businesses, respectively.

Ahead of the final, we spoke to both Allen-Horton and Lepore about their time on the show, why they stayed out of the drama and which candidates they felt posed the biggest competition.

Did you both think you had a good chance of making the final?

Carina: Well, I knew that Scarlett was my biggest competition. But I did also feel it was meant to be and that I was going to reach the final.

Scarlett: If I’m being really honest, I thought that I had a good chance of making it into the final five as we progressed through the weeks, but when I did those interviews, I thought there was a really strong possibility of me going home at that point. I think both of us were very consistent performers, but it depends on who Lord Sugar likes – that’s the only thing. When we were in the boardroom, I realised that actually it comes down to, not just your performance, but your personality and obviously your business plan, and you don’t know what his thoughts are going to be on that. So, it was a really difficult one to gauge.

Which of your fellow contestants did you think were your toughest competitors throughout the process?

Carina: I think Pamela was a strong candidate, only because I feel like she had a really established business.

Scarlett: For me, I actually thought that Marianne was strong competition because she’s also got a very credible business. She’s very business-savvy.

When you walked into the boardroom on day one, what was going through your head?

Carina: I couldn’t believe it.

Scarlett: You walk in – and you’ve been sort of trying to assess each other outside – and then, all of a sudden, you feel like you’re watching TV.

Carina: I was about to say that! Because I've watched every series in the past, I was like: “Hang on? Am I actually here with Lord Sugar?”

What was the hardest part of the process?

Scarlett: I think for me it was being criticised in those interviews. The boardroom after it was gruelling as well, to be honest with you. You’re being constantly ripped to pieces – everything that you have built and done is annihilated. The other thing that I was worried about was actually having a business and just worrying I’d lose clients off the back of [the show]. Thinking about those kind of things was hard.

There's no shying away from the fact that this year's series has found itself at the centre of a lot of controversy. What are your views on everything that went down?

Carina: We stayed out of it. Scarlett and I – it’s not us at all. Whatever all of the other candidates choose to do or say, it’s up to them, really.

Scarlett: I think that was reflected with me and Carina in the process – and even in the house. We wouldn’t get involved in anything like that. I think it’s fair to say we had our eye on the game. We kept focus.

Did you ever think that some of your fellow candidates might have applied to be on the show for non-business reasons?

Scarlett: I think that every person that was in there had credible business acumen.

Carina: I feel like they all went on there thinking: "We’re business people and we made it through to get on the show.’’ But yeah, as the weeks went on...

Scarlett: I think some of them had different game plans, which is understandable, I suppose.

A lot of candidates have been extremely vocal on social media, which in turn has landed some of them in hot water – but you two have remained very quiet on Twitter. Was that a conscious decision?

Carina: I can’t even use Twitter! Most people are savvy when it comes to social media, but I’m not. I'm too busy. I work everyday – Scarlett’s probably the same – so scrolling through all the comments on social media isn’t my priority.

Scarlett: I actually had no social media before I came on the show, so the world of Instagram and Twitter has been quite eye-opening. I didn’t even understand what Twitter was. I guess it’s bit of a conscious decision, but like Carina said, more so than anything else, we are here for real business reasons and investment purposes, so you’re just conscious of that.

The Apprentice final will be broadcast on Wednesday at 9pm on BBC One