'Apprentice' reunited: Liz Locke, Dan Harris

The Apprentice can be a launching pad for fame and financial success, but it can also be a cruel, cruel mistress. Two candidates who experienced very different results on last year's show were Dan Harris and Liz Locke. Liz was a boardroom record-breaker who was robbed of a semi-final spot by Stuart Baggs's "field of ponies" speech. Dan was the first candidate axed after a sausage task disaster in week one. Reality Bites caught up with the pair to reflect on their experiences.

How has life been post-The Apprentice, Liz?
"I was really taken aback by the number of opportunities that came my way. There were new starter roles, jobs back in the financial industry, fashion and TV things and I couldn't believe it. But when it came down to it I started working with Omni Capital, which is a new business from the young entrepreneurs the Candy brothers."

Are you happy that you have proved wrong the people who thought you were using the show to start a showbiz career?
"I think there is always that mixed opinion on a television programme, but I went on there to improve my opportunities in a business sense and that was always my goal and main drive. It was never about proving people wrong, it was just about achieving what I wanted to achieve in the process."

You came out of the show very well, but others are not so lucky. Do you think it is a dangerous programme to enter?
"I think it's always a risk when you put yourself up to be scrutinised by the public and a business panel. You are put under intense pressure, but I come from a banking background and I thrive under that pressure. I think people who came from different backgrounds may have been portrayed in a way that was really fuelled by the pressure, rather than them actually be like that as people. Pressure gets people to react in a way they wouldn't normally. And there's no turning back. Once you say or do something, it's all caught on camera. It's a huge risk and you are putting your faith in other people's hands."

What are your tips for this year's candidates?
"Just remain true to yourself. It's easy to get caught up in the tittle tattle and periphery. You are with people you wouldn't spend time with normally and I made friends for life. Even with Stuart Baggs! He's not a bad guy, he's younger than me and I learnt from him. He definitely believes in himself and whether he's right or wrong, there's something to be said for that. We had a fun time in that house. It was like being back at uni again."

How did you handle Lord Sugar?
"I think the trick is not to be intimidated by him. You are there for a reason and you must believe you have a value for him. Don't start slagging other people off, I think that's counteractive. Just focus on yourself and what you can be for him."

Would you change anything if you went back?
"The only thing I might have done is when Stuart started speaking about a field of ponies, I should probably have told Lord Sugar, 'With a field of ponies, comes a field of something else'. Maybe I should have been quicker to retaliate. But other than that, no, everything has worked out brilliantly for me."

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When you meet the other Apprentice candidates, do you get ribbed for leaving first, Dan?
"I try to be quite self-effacing about it. I always bring it up and I try to get the jokes out myself first. There's a definite camaraderie from Apprentice candidates and it's a unique experience not many people get to do."

What would your advice be for the candidate fired first this year?
"It will bring back some really sore memories for me. It was a tough time, but you put yourself out there and I knew the risk of being project manager and getting fired in the first week. You get so psyched up in there, nobody wants to go out first, but the nature of the competition is someone will lose. Those early weeks are a lottery as you don't know the people's personalities, so my best advice would be to not take it personally. But that's really hard to do."

Do you regret taking part?
"I don't regret doing it. It's the only thing I used to watch on TV and I used to sit at home screaming about it. You just feel an idiot screaming at the TV when nobody can hear you, so I thought it would be great to take part in that. So I went for it. Of course, I'd have liked to have stayed longer, but it was a great experience."

Did you feel like you were unfairly portrayed at all?
"They took certain elements of my character and amplified those, but I don't think it was necessarily unfair. Watching it back, you can hear lovely plinky plonky music when the girls' team are on and then it's all doom and gloom for me and the boys. There is certainly some editing going on, but it wasn't unfair."

What do you make of Baggs the Brand? TV hero or TV villain?
"He's a TV character! I am familiar with The Brand. He's so young and he did really well to get where he got. He knows he's a Marmite character, but what you see is what you get with Stuart. He won't be loved by everybody, but he's got a lot of followers on Twitter. People do like him."

What's the secret to handling Lord Sugar?
"Don't assume you can read him. He says people try to read him and end up on a losing wicket when they do. I'm usually pretty good at reading people and with him, I just couldn't at all. I didn't know which way the conversation was going and right till the moment I was fired, I didn't know which way he would go over me and Stuart."

Liz, Dan and fellow former Apprentice candidates are taking part in the Crestbay Poker Challenge at Fox Poker Club on Thursday, May 12.

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> 'Apprentice' audition videos: The girls
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> 'The Apprentice': Episode one preview
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> Read our full coverage on 'The Apprentice'