It’s taken until episode three of the latest series of BBC’s popular show The Apprentice for us to find out the team names. But the choices of Empower and Unison haven’t gone down too well on Twitter (although, admittedly might be better than one of the potential options ‘Polaris’).
Team names are always so …. Hmmm…. Well…. How can I put this? … … Vanilla or just plain inappropriate like being named after a missile!! #bbcapprentice #TheApprentice
— Janet Hopper (@MustBeTheJanay) October 16, 2019
Probably the worse team names that’s the candidates have come up with on the apprentice #TheApprentice
— Jack (@thesimpsonRFC) October 16, 2019
Is it just me or do these team names get worse and worse every year? #TheApprentice
— Joe C (@Joe_C_London) October 16, 2019
Empower and Unison. Huh. Actually the most down to earth / non-stupid Team names… ever? #TheApprentice
— Daniel_Bevis (@Daniel_Bevis) October 16, 2019
Every year the team name selection on the Apprentice is a hot topic on social media, with many quick to judge or jeer the choices. And now research has revealed which of the 28 former team names on The Apprentice are the most confusing, after we quizzed 2,811 people to see if they could correctly define the words used in the team identities.
The Apprentice team names: What are the most confusing?
‘Connexus’ was one of the most confusing team names, with only 26 per cent knowing it was Latin for ‘a connecting structure’. ‘Eclipse’ also proved difficult to understand, with 26 per cent of people correctly guessing the definition of ‘when something becomes less important’. Less than half (46 per cent) knew ‘venture’ was something that involved risk and just over half (57 per cent) knew Apollo was a God of music, poetry, light, prophecy and various other titles. When it came to Team Graphene, 60 per cent knew it as the word for of carbon in a single atom, but 9 per cent thought it was a computer programme made to use graphs and 3 per cent thought it was magazine dedicated to graphic design. The majority (83 per cent) knew Team Typhoon was named after a violent storm with strong circular winds, but 6 per cent thought it was a tea brand and 11 per cent didn’t think it was a real word at all. With some of the words offering surprising definitions, it begs the question if the candidates themselves even truly understand the words they’re using for their brand.
QUIZ: How well do you know the Apprentice team names?
How well do you know The Apprentice team names and TV show? Take our quiz to find out.
Why is it so difficult to choose a team name?
Claire Gamble, MD of Unhooked Communications, which carried out the research, said: “The Apprentice is brilliant entertainment, but it doesn’t always portray the realities of running a business. It’s always funny watching the teams try to come up with their names and so often get criticised for being too literal, overly complicated or just plain cringeworthy. But that’s the joy of the show, you don’t need to be a business or marketing expert to have an opinion and it highlights just how some seemingly ‘easy’ jobs – like coming up with a brand name – are actually more difficult than you first think. We can’t wait to hear the associated gags Lord Sugar comes up with too.”
The Apprentice: Worst team names revealed
Based on a quiz of 2,811 people, here are the most confusing team names from previous series of The Apprentice ranked in order of who knew the correct definition of each word. Quiz results available to share. Please credit Unhooked Communications with link: https://weareunhooked.com
Team name | Definition | Who got it right? |
Connexus | A connecting structure | 26% |
Eclipse | When something becomes less important | 26% |
Venture | An activity involving risk | 46% |
Apollo | A god connected to things like music | 57% |
Graphene | A form of carbon in a single atom | 60% |
Synergy | The power of a group working together | 65% |
Titans | Someone who is clever, important or strong | 67% |
Summit | The highest point of a mountain | 68% |
Sterling | A precious metal of particular purity | 68% |
Forte | The ability to do something well | 68% |
Tenacity | A determination to keep doing something | 71% |
Renaissance | A growth of interest in art or music | 72% |
Nebular | A cloud of dust or gas in outer space | 75% |
Invicta | Undeafeted | 75% |
Endeavor | To try to do something | 80% |
Collaborative | To work together with someone else | 81% |
Typhoon | A violent storm with strong circular wins | 83% |
Logic | A way of thinking based on good judgement | 85% |
Impact | The force of an object hitting another | 85% |
Stealth | A quiet, careful action to avoid attention | 86% |
Evolve | To develop gradually | 88% |
Empire | A large organisation | 89% |
Versatile | To easily be used for different purposes | 90% |
Alpha | A Greek letter | 90% |
Phoenix | A mythical bird able to regenerate through flame | 91% |
Veolicty | The speed at which an object travels | 91% |
Vitality | Energy and strength | 93% |
Ignite | To cause something to start burning | 96% |
Casetteboy vs The Apprentice
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