Lord Alan Sugar sensationally accused TV chef Gordon Ramsay of ‘ripping off’ The Apprentice with his TV show, Future Food Stars, in an interview last week.
But Gordon told MailOnline he doesn’t understand why Alan included a food task in an upcoming episode of The Apprentice, when the show is about how to run an office.
Gordon, 56, suggested that Lord Sugar took inspiration from HIM, saying: ‘What have bao buns got to do with running an office?’
‘What have bao buns got to do with running an office?’ Gordon Ramsay has hinted that Lord Sugar copied HIM with food task after he accused chef of ‘ripping off’ The Apprentice, (stock image)
Tuesday’s episode of The Apprentice will see the candidates manufacture bao buns to sell to the public, but kitchen explosions and a maths meltdown lead to a grilling in the boardroom.
Tycoon Alan, 75, previously said that Gordon should ‘stick to his day job’ after he launched the new series of Future Food Stars last year.
It sees 12 entrepreneurs compete for a £150,000 investment of the restaurateur’s own money to start a food business.
He insists the format of Gordon’s show is a ‘virtual rip-off’ of The Apprentice and says he doesn’t understand how lawyers allowed it to go ahead.
Don’t hold back! Lord Sugar previously accused Gordon of ‘ripping off’ The Apprentice with his show Future Food Stars
But speaking highly of Lord Sugar, Gordon said: ‘I love that guy.’
‘The Apprentice is an amazing format. And when the BBC approached us three years ago and asked if they could entice us to develop an exciting food hero sort of entrepreneur programme, I got so excited.
‘We started to unearth all this talent. Since then, we’ve gone off to the US and next month, we’re off to Australia.’
Contemplating further, he said: ‘Yeah, Lord Sugar, bless him in his 70s… I don’t think that my level of competition and excitement is anywhere near his at that age.
Exciting! Gordon has also been busy promoting his new ITV1 show, Next Level Chef, alongside Nyesha Arrington and Paul Ainsworth, (pictured)
Special: Gordon’s new eight-part series follows 12 chefs competing to win a £100,000 prize, plus a year-long mentorship from the Hell’s Kitchen front man and his fellow judges and starts on Wednesday night
‘But I was fascinated with the bao bun challenge they had on The Apprentice. What’s that got to do with running an office?’
When asked if Lord Sugar could have been inspired by him, Gordon replied: ‘Who knows? But I love that guy.’
His words come after Lord Sugar said: ‘I think broadcasters, Channel 4, Channel 5, and ITV have tried for many years at least for 17 years to try and replicate the elimination process of The Apprentice. I say this with great respect to them but they’ve failed.
‘Last year, Gordon Ramsay had some cockamamie idea… I like Gordon and I think he’s very good and should stick to what he should do, cooking and all that stuff.
Alan told MailOnline that Gordon should ‘stick to his day job’ after he launched the new series last year, which sees 12 entrepreneurs compete for a £150,000 investment of the restaurateur’s own money to start a food business
‘He had some thing, which was like, I don’t know how the lawyers allowed it because it was a virtual rip-off of The Apprentice. No disrespect to Gordon but stick to your day job mate that’s all I would say.’
Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars aired for the first time in 2022 on BBC One and the second series will begin later this year.
The show saw Gordon challenge cooking hopefuls with a series of tasks, explaining in episode one that his aim was to ‘catapult someone to the next level and invest £150,000 of my own cash into their business.’
The cast this year includes Online Antiques Marketplace owner Gregory Ebbs, Safari Guide Joseph Phillips, gold medal-winning boxer Marnie Swindells, and Rochelle Anthony, who runs a Hair Salon and Academy
Gordon stated that he ‘handpicked’ 12 of the UK’s best up and coming food and drink entrepreneurs, with the show later being dubbed as ‘The Apprentice of food.’
Meanwhile, the seven-time Michelin star chef has another new show launching on ITV next Wednesday, Next Level Chef, which will see an array of hopefuls including home cooks, influencers, and professional chefs battle it out for a £100,000 prize and 12-month mentorship.
The show will air 24 hours before the new series of The Apprentice continues on rival channel BBC One.
And Gordon is also very busy with his new ITV1 show, Next Level Chef.
The series is hosted by Gordon, who also serves as a mentor along with accomplished chefs Nyesha Arrington and Paul Ainsworth.
Gordon’s new eight-part series follows 12 chefs competing to win a £100,000 prize, plus a year-long mentorship from the Hell’s Kitchen front man and his fellow judges.
Next Level Chef premieres on Wednesday night at 9pm on ITV and ITVX.
THE APPRENTICE 2023: MEET THE CANDIDATES
AVI SHARMA
Occupation: City banker
Location: London
Key info: Youngest candidate and believes that Lord Sugar’s investment will get him out of the “rat race” of city banking
He says: ‘Some say I’m delusional, I prefer the term optimistic.’
DANI DONOVAN
Occupation: Hair salon owner
Location: Hertfordshire
Key info: Believes she deserves to win the programme because her business fills a ‘huge gap’ in the market, saying: ‘It baffles me that no one has done it yet!’
She says: ‘I think I’m a different kind of business owner, someone who is a lot more relatable to people.’
EMMA BROWNE
Occupation: Senior account executive
Location: County Kildare
Key info: Laser focused on making her unique business idea a resounding success
She says: ‘I am disgustingly competitive. I will go to any lengths to win this investment.’
JOSEPH PHILLIPS
Occupation: Safari Guide
Location: Worcestershire
Key info: The “James Bond of the business world” with a degree in Zoology
He says: ‘If Lord Sugar wants to invest in a business to help save the ocean, one lip balm at a time, then I’m his guy.’
MARK MOSELEY
Occupation: Pest control company owner
Location: London
Key info: A former soldier who says he can ‘sell to anyone’ with the gift of the gab
He says: ‘If Lord Sugar doesn’t pick me, then he’s missing a trick.’
MEGAN HORNBY
Occupation: Sweet shop and café owner
Location: East Yorkshire
Key info: She says her business fills a gap in the market and has the potential to be nationally recognised.
She says: ‘I think that no matter what situation I am thrown into, I will always give one hundred percent truth, even if it’s hard to hear.’
ROCHELLE ANTHONY
Occupation: Hair salon and academy owner
Location: Bedfordshire
Key info: Describes herself as ‘tenacious, fierce and determined’ and says together with Lord Sugar they would be ‘an absolute force to be reckoned with.’
She says: ‘I’m always being compared to the Kim Kardashian of the business world because I’m doing business with a hint of glam.’
SHAZIA HUSSAIN
Occupation: Technology recruiter
Location: London
Key info: Wants to champion a varied representation of diverse women in the world of business
She says: ‘I don’t need any friends in business. I am here to win this.’
SOHAIL CHOWHARY
Occupation: Martial arts school owner
Location: Southampton
Key info: Raised in a council house and worked hard to create business and warns other candidates to be ‘wary’
He says: ‘I am calm and collected, but if they do come at me? I will bite and I will sting, and I will leave my mark.’
BRADLEY JOHNSON
Occupation: Director of construction company
Location: North Yorkshire
Key info: Self-made business that turns over half-a-million after being made redundant just four years ago
He says: ‘I have a business plan that will see us turn over seven figures after year three and who knows where else that could take us.’
DENISHA KAUR BHARJ
Occupation: Financial controller
Location: Leicestershire
Key info: Says she wants the investment opportunity because she wants to ‘be mentored by the best to be the best’
She says: ‘There’s only one Denisha Kaur.’
GREGORY EBBS
Occupation: Owner of an online antiques marketplace
Location: Shropshire
Key info: Previously worked as a professional cannon-firer in Malta
He says: ‘I would say, a willingness to try different things and not being afraid to be slightly different is one of my biggest strengths.’
KEVIN D’ARCY
Occupation: Accountant
Location: Dublin
Key info: Started his water sports equipment business during lockdown, whilst working in his job in the financial services
He says: ‘With Lord Sugar as my business partner, I know we can ride that wave into the UK and beyond…’
MARNIE SWINDELLS
Occupation: Court advocate
Location: London
Key info: A gold medal-winning boxer and imaginative businesswoman
She says: ‘I deserve Lord Sugar’s investment because I have given my blood, sweat and tears to my business.’
REECE DONNELLY
Occupation: Theatre school owner
Location: Glasgow
Key info: Is determined to become the first Scottish candidate to secure Lord Sugar’s investment and claims to be the youngest CEO of a further education college in the UK
He says: ‘I’m here to prove that Scotland is filled with forward-thinking entrepreneurs and that we are not in fact a haggis-eating, kilt-wearing nation.’
SHANNON MARTIN
Occupation: Bridal boutique owner
Location: West Yorkshire
Key info: Is hoping to be the first business partner to bring Lord Sugar into the lucrative bridal industry.
She says: ‘Lord Sugar needs to be my next business partner, so I can make him millions.’
SIMBA RWAMBIWA
Occupation: Senior sales representative
Location: Birmingham
Key info: Is a self-confessed ‘perfectionist’ who says his business will improve the quality of people’s lives
He says: ‘If people can’t buy into you, they’ll never buy anything from you.’
VICTORIA GOULBOURNE
Occupation: Owner of online sweet business
Location: Merseyside
Key info: Former flight attendant who started business in lockdown which grew into social media success
She says: ‘I’ve travelled all over the world and am not afraid to take on a challenge.’