The Apprentice 2022 finally has its winner, after weeks of business pitches, disagreements, tense interviews (including the return of Claude!), and everything else we've come to expect from the high-pressure BBC series.
It was an all-female final this year, as Harpreet Kaur and Kathryn Burn went head to head in an effort to impress Lord Sugar and win his £250,000 investment to help get their respective businesses off the ground.
We saw Harpreet's dessert business Oh So Yum versus Kathryn's matching pyjama business Pyjamily, as the two women were joined by previous contestants to create logos, promotional material, and generate interest in their business and USPs.
Both women then had the opportunity to present their businesses to Lord Sugar and industry experts, who grilled them about their long-term goals and why they think customers would be interested in their brands.
Ultimately, after some tense deliberation, Lord Sugar concluded he would like Harpreet to be his business partner and that he would invest in Oh So Yum this year, leaving Kathryn in second place.
But viewers were all in agreement about one thing, which was how respectful the two women had been towards each other, as sometimes things can get quite heated between contestants as they're forced to compete against each other.
Despite weeks of drama and mishaps, with plenty of memes generated, the final boardroom meeting was actually quite touching and many took to Twitter to praise Kathryn for being so kind towards Harpreet, despite knowing her business would not get the sought-after investment.
Fair play to Kathryn for being so gracious. Harpreet deserved it, even though she drove me round the bend some episodes. #TheApprentice #TheApprenticeFinalMarch 24, 2022
I knew it would be Harpreet but Kathryn was generally pleased for her which was very nice to see. #TheApprenticeMarch 24, 2022
Congrats to Harpreet and good on Kathryn for looking genuinely pleased for her - we don’t often see good grace on this show #TheApprenticeMarch 24, 2022
Kathryn showing Harpreet love is nice to see#TheApprentice pic.twitter.com/8lNWzxtMOvMarch 24, 2022
Aww it's sweet that Kathryn seems so genuinely pleased for Harpreet #TheApprenticeMarch 24, 2022
Speaking about her win, Harpreet has taken to Instagram and wrote: "Introducing @Lord_Sugar latest business partner….ME!🎉
Lost for words that I’ve won the @apprenticeuk but I’m so excited for this new chapter with @ohsoyum__ 🙌🏼"
She has also shared details of her rebrand after appearing on the show, as her business was formerly known as Barni’s World, but it has changed to Oh So Yum after working alongside other contestants and designers to bring the bakery to life.
Kathryn has also had her say on social media, adding: "Unfortunately I didn’t get the investment for @myeverydaypyjamas but I couldn’t be anymore happier for my beautiful bestie @harpsi_kaur 🥺 you really do deserve this and I’m so proud of you ♥️"
With The Apprentice over for another year, fans will have to wait to see the next round of contestants hoping to get Lord Sugar's investment, but for now it's Harpreet who'll be seeing her business grow over the coming months.
Episodes of The Apprentice are available on-demand via BBC iPlayer.
