WARMINSTER’S Oliver Nohl-Oser has become the third contestant to leave The Apprentice after being fired last night.

The 33-year-old, who heads a worldwide sausage distribution company, got the sack from Lord Alan Sugar during a task where contestants had to design and manufacture their own brand of sweets, before heading to Brighton to sell them.

He was one of 18 contestants going for a £250,000 investment from Lord Sugar on the BBC One programme.

The founder and director of a sausage company fell foul in a food-based task after being elected project manager for Team Nebula by Lord Sugar when he mixed up the single-sex teams.

Lord Sugar asked the candidates to manufacture sweets and sell them to trade and the public in Brighton.

Nohl-Oser struggled to make decisions when it came to the pricing strategy, and Lord Sugar also did not fancy his choice to produce salt and vinegar fudge.

The businessman, who has previously said his greatest business skills lie in his marketing ability and his powers of persuasion, was often challenged by members of his team and he also had issues with the creation of the goods in the kitchen.

After pitching to trade and selling to punters in the East Sussex town, Team Nebula made a total profit of £615.08 while rivals on Team Titan, who produced cappuccino and strawberry champagne-flavoured sweets, made £785.66.

Nohl-Oser opted to bring fellow contestants Paul Sullivan and Mukai Noiri back into the boardroom with him to face Lord Sugar in the showdown.

Lord Sugar was unimpressed with their efforts, telling Sullivan that his aides Karren Brady and Claude Littner "put the alarm bells up as far as I'm concerned in that they think you've gone into a kind of despondency, but I've got no time for people like that".

He told Noiri: "Mukai, you've got an explanation for everything but when you kind of add it all up, it doesn't add up to a row of beans, really to be honest."

But he finally aimed his firing finger at project manager Nohl-Oser, admitting he was "confused" over why he failed miserably.

Lord Sugar said: "Oliver, your best hope for £250,000 is to buy yourself a scratch card... You're fired."

Nohl-Oser admitted that he "got flustered" and that "with a lot thrown at me I slightly began to panic".

He stressed that despite losing the task with lower profits than rivals Team Titan - led by Alana Spencer, also chosen by Lord Sugar - they "had the lowest cost of production" and that "we made a profit".

For all of his failings in the task, Nohl-Oser does think he is a natural leader.

He said: "Maybe not with other people, though, because there will always be crossed wires. But in my own industry, yes."

Following his departure, the sausage company boss said: "I couldn't be more motivated and determined to go full steam ahead with my business plan."

He hopes to license his food companies further afield and will press ahead despite not having won Lord Sugar's investment.

He added: "I'm really in a good place. Of course it would have been nice to get to the final, but just being on the show, I really must congratulate myself for getting on with the thousands of people who apply."

  • The Apprentice continues next Thursday at 9pm on BBC One.