Lord Sugar was forced to make a difficult decision in this week's Apprentice semi-final, axing show favourite Neil Clough after he blundered with his business plan in the interview rounds.
Clough had been a roaring success during most of the tasks on the BBC One reality show and Sugar expressed huge disappointment that the popular candidate hadn't managed to come up with a realistic business proposition for him to invest £250,000.
Sugar told Clough that if he had come to him for a job, he would give him one tomorrow, but said that there was no way they could go into business together.
"Neil, I'm going to be very, very honest with you here... very, very honest," said Sugar. "Because I think you all deserve me to be honest with you at this late stage in the process.
"I am bitterly disappointed with your business proposal. Now, I know that 10 weeks ago, when I first met you, I think I just flipped through all of you very, very quickly, what's your idea… what's your idea…what's your idea... And you said something about estate agents. But it don't work and I'm shocked.
"I tell you, I am totally, absolutely shocked, because if I didn't care about you, if I didn't think you were any good, I couldn't care less to be honest."
Sugar added: "It's sickening for me to sit here and think that someone that has been as powerful as you, ends up... the right man, you know, but with the wrong plan. It's disheartening for me, and you won't move away from it Neil.
"If this was all about me giving someone a job, I'd give you a job tomorrow. But coming into business with me? I'm afraid not, my friend. I'm sorry, I'm disappointed and I'm sure even Nick [Hewer] and Karren [Brady] will be disappointed but Neil, it is with regret that I have to say, you're fired."
A tearful and emotional Clough left the boardroom claiming that he had let Sugar, his family and wife down with his performance on the show.
"I'm absolutely heartbroken by it, you know it's the first time I've ever had a tear in my eye, and it's probably not going to be the last one tonight, because I put absolutely everything into trying to win this. I'm the right man, without a plan, and that is really gutting for me," said Clough.
Sugar was less generous in his firing of Jordan Poulton, whose business plan was ripped apart by the guest interviewers.
"From what I can understand, you want me to invest in another business that's already been going, that you don't even own yourself," said Sugar.
"I've got nowhere further to go really with this business plan of yours, Jordan. I've got nowhere else to go. Jordan, you're fired!"
Francesca MacDuff-Varley made it through to the final three and was the last candidate to get fired by Sugar, who claimed that he was willing to take a risk on Luisa Zissman and Leah Totton in the final instead.
Zissman and Totton will compete head-to-head in next week's final for the £250,000 investment from Lord Sugar.
