The Apprentice arctic controversy that saw one candidate’s dramatic firing as fans can’t believe ‘circle of stupidity’

The Apprentice arctic mistake has taken over the internet as shocked fans got creative to their responses to this week’s dramatic episode.

From excitedly anticipating which candidate would be the one who left The Apprentice each week to imagining just what it would be like to live in The Apprentice 2022 house, there’s nothing quite like the return of the long-running show to up the drama this year. Now The Apprentice 2022 candidates are really being whittled down and Week 5 sadly saw one person fired from the process after a crucial branding mistake contributed to the downfall of their team. It all surrounds the word “arctic” and it didn’t go unnoticed or uncommented on by viewers at home, as well as by Lord Alan Sugar and his advisors. 

But what is The Apprentice arctic controversy and how have viewers reacted to the unbelievable mistake that cost one unlucky candidate their place in the process? 

*Warning: spoilers for The Apprentice episode 5 ahead!*

What is The Apprentice arctic controversy?

Never was spelling more important in an Apprentice task than in Week 5 and with Wordle taking over social media, it’s perhaps no surprise that viewers are still struggling to get past the huge error that saw former odds-on favourite Francesca sent home. Tasked with creating a brand new computer game with its own distinct character, the teams set out confidently with Brittany becoming project manager for Diverse. 

In stark contrast to Infinity’s prison break game, Brittany opted to go down the more original environmental route. For her computer game, the hotel front of house manager briefed her team on a snowy arctic setting, complete with endangered animals that would need to be rescued. 

Whilst Brittany definitely gets points for originality, the simple concept and serious subject matter would later come back to haunt her in the boardroom. Though it was Francesca as sub-team leader on the branding side that really stole the show in terms of unbelievable choices and kicked off The Apprentice arctic frenzy. The decision to name the game ‘Arctic Saviour’ is a little underwhelming. But the actual logo and name they went with—‘Artic Saviour’—will surely go down in Apprentice history.

As Karren Brady pointed out in a brilliantly direct aside, “If they mean Arc-tic then they’ve forgotten the C. At the minute ‘artic’ I think of articulated lorry.”

This is something Lord Sugar himself pointed out later in the boardroom after what soon became an inevitable loss for team Diverse. To which Francesca had a simple answer: it wasn’t all her fault! 

Though she did accept some of the blame for this massive spelling error, the sub team leader was also quick to point out that neither of her team-mates, Akshay and Sophie, noticed it either after checking with them. 

Ultimately, her defence wasn’t enough to save her from becoming the latest candidate to be fired despite Brittany coming under fire for her unusual environmental concept. And it really didn’t help that despite being set in the ‘artic’, there were penguins featured in the game which live almost 12,500 miles south in Antarctica. 

Lord Sugar seemed to not be able to get past the mistakes and how they showed the investors the teams went on to pitch their games to, that Diverse weren’t all over the detail. This lack of faith in the team led to zero orders for Artic Saviour and Francesca bid a final farewell to the boardroom and the process. 

Fans are still not over that huge mistake

Spelling mistakes might be a minor problem when you’re essay writing at school but in the world of business the stakes are far higher. The Apprentice arctic mistake cost Francesca her place in the competition, but whilst fans of the sustainability company owner will no doubt be sad that her time in the process is over, the online reaction to the mistake has been pretty hilarious. 

Taking to social media after The Apprentice arctic controversy aired many viewers have been getting creative when it comes to poking light-hearted fun at this flawed product name. Posting an ever-popular recreation of the Spider-Man pointing at Spider-Man meme, one fan wrote simply, “The circle of stupidity”, seemingly referencing the less-than-successful sub-team of Francesca, Akshay and Sophie.

They also delightedly gave a special nod of recognition to a little-thought-of “hero”. Of course, in The Apprentice, the designers aren’t exactly supposed to present their own opinions or corrections, but simply to bring the teams’ visions to life. 

But that didn’t stop this person from praising the logo designer for allowing the spelling mistake to go ahead, writing, “Shoutout to this guy who could’ve corrected the spelling but didn’t. Hero. #TheApprentice”. 

Whilst someone else combined The Apprentice arctic mistake and the penguin relocation mistake in one Tweet featuring an adorable penguin GIF as they commented, “#TheApprentice heading to the Artic now”.  

“They’ve always been one of my favourite bands”, another fan said, sharing a hilariously re-edited picture of the British rock band Arctic Monkeys.

It seems safe to say that that The Apprentice arctic mistake isn't going to be forgotten anytime soon...

How to watch The Apprentice 2022

If you missed all the spelling mistake drama in The Apprentice episode 5 then never fear! All the episodes that have aired so far are available to catch-up on over on BBC iPlayer, including this week’s gaming fiasco. The remaining seven episodes will be shown at 9pm on BBC One every Thursday before joining the others on the broadcaster’s on-demand service. 

But if you’re abroad when The Apprentice airs then sadly you won't be able to watch the show as you normally would at home, thanks to regional restrictions. However, luckily there’s an easy solution and you can use a VPN to continue watching this hit show. This is a handy bit of software that changes your IP address so that you can access on-demand content or live TV just as if you were at home. 

Our sister site, TechRadar, has tested all of the major VPN services and they rate ExpressVPN as the absolute best. They say, “It’s compatible with all of your devices, supports most streaming services, and ranks among the fastest. You can even install it on devices like an Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox, and PlayStation. So for a one-stop-shop, you can’t go wrong with Express.”

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If you've never installed a VPN before, don't worry, it's quick and easy. Just follow these three steps:

1. Download and install the VPN following ExpressVPN's easy-to-follow instructions.
2. Once you've installed your VPN, open the app and select your server location as anywhere in the UK.
3. With your VPN installed and server location set to UK, you can now watch The Apprentice online. 

Now you know all about The Apprentice arctic mistake, there's plenty of time to marvel at all the dramatic moments so far before the teams head to North Wales to conduct tours for visitors next episode.