The Apprentice contestant quits show early after ‘ill-informed’ remark

Dr Jana Denzel, one of the hopefuls on the season 19 of The Apprentice, has quit the early show after being spoken to by production after making an “ill-informed remark” while filming the BBC One show. 

Jana, who has a dental practice in Harley Street, will leave the competition early in an upcoming episode after, according to PA, he referred to a character during a task with an inappropriate description, and was told that his “use of language was not acceptable”. He then decided to leave the show early.

Speaking to PA about the news, a spokesperson for the show explained: “We were made aware of an ill-informed comment made by Jana during the process and action was taken.

“Whilst we have made it very clear to Jana that his use of language was not acceptable, we are confident there was no ill-intent behind it and the concerns of all parties involved have been addressed and resolved.

“Jana withdrew from the process for completely unrelated and separate reasons, and he has our full support.”

Candidates have quit the process on several occasions in the past. In 2022, Shama Amin quit due to health reasons, as did Reece Donnally in 2023. Speaking about why he left, he told STV News: “I was presented with a choice, you know, and I had to listen to my body. It was filmed last year, and I don’t want to ruin the TV-magic for anyone so I won’t say much about that – but sometimes you have to choose your health over wealth.” 

© BBC/Naked/Ray Burmiston

Contestants leaving early doesn’t usually doesn’t impact the show, with Lord Alan Sugar choosing one or two people to ‘fire’ in each episode. 

Episode three, which saw the contestants attempt to collect several items for the least amount of money in Stratford-Upon-Avon, saw Carlo Brancati become the third candidate fired by Lord Sugar. Have you been enjoying this series so far?

The Apprentice is on Thursdays at 9pm on BBC One