Who won The Apprentice 2024? Winner of final with Rachel Woolford and Phil Turner revealed

The latest series of The Apprentice saw a new batch of 18 candidates compete to win a chance to be Lord Sugar’s next business partner and an investment of £250,000.

Over 12 weeks, they competed in a range of tasks designed to put their skills to the test in the ultimate job interview. From being tasked with creating a Formula-E brand, been “Hungary” for success selling tours in Budapest and turning on the charm on a TV shopping channel, it’s been a long road to the top.

Just two finalists remain, here’s everything you need to know about who has been named as Lord Sugar’s next business partner in season 18 of The Apprentice.

Who where The Apprentice finalists?

Pie company owner Phil Turner and Boutique fitness studio owner Rachel Woolford were the two final candidates competing to be named Lord Sugar’s next business partner.

Speaking about making it to the final five, Turner said: “I think after the journey I’ve had and so many losses, I feel as if I’ve probably had the toughest route to the final five that maybe any candidate has ever had. I feel really proud of myself.” Woolford opened up about experiencing “imposter syndrome”, and said: “I’ve always had a little bit of imposter syndrome and going into The Apprentice I didn’t have a choice but to show up and do my best. It made me realise that my capabilities are a lot higher than I believed they were.”

What was the final task on The Apprentice?

For the final task, finalists Rachel Woolford and Phil Turner went head-to-head with the help of some familiar faces, as they brought their business plans to life and pitched their idea in front of Lord Sugar and industry experts.

Who won The Apprentice season 18?

The Apprentice season 18 winner has been named as Rachel Woolford. In the final boardroom, Lord Sugar’s trusted aides, Baroness Karren Brady and Tim Campbell MBE, gave their thoughts on her performance before Lord Sugar made his decision. 

Baroness Brady said: “This business is her life and her passion for it really comes across. The issue really is just how expensive it is to open gyms, and she’ll burn through your investment pretty quickly.”

With Tim Campbell MBE adding: “I think the thing with Rachel is that she’s going into a great industry sector and she’s a great advocate for her product and service. It’s about the scalability of that. Can she systemise what she’s done very well at two gyms over at many, many more?.”

Each finalist gave one last plea on why they should be crowned the winner, with Lord Sugar making his decision telling the two contestants: “Let me conclude here. This is a very tough decision, I’ve got to say because I’ve got two very, very credible people in front of me.”

He continued: “I’ve got Rachel who claims she’s making money and that she’s going to make even more when she gets the second gym up and running but gyms are, with all due respect, two-a-penny. Specialist pies are not and it’s a market that I’m very interested in but how can I be interested in it if there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. There’s a loss-making business at the moment which you tell me is going to turn around and be okay and that’s my dilemma.”

Revealing: “It’s very, very hard for me. I’m having trouble here. But my gut feeling is telling me that, Rachel, you’re going to be my business partner.”

After learning of her win, Rachel said: “To take part in the process has been incredible and to come out a winner is just something beyond my wildest dreams. I was twenty-four years old when I started North Studio. I was just a girl from Leeds and now I cannot believe it, I’m going into business with Lord Sugar and he’s investing in me.”

Sarah McCann is a Trends Writer for NationalWorld who specialises in stories around TV, Film and Health. If you liked this article you can follow Sarah on X (Twitter) here. You can also share your thoughts in the comment section below.