Kent's "fired" Apprentice candidate reveals behind-the-scenes secrets

KentOnline / KMTV

Deal-born and raised Jonny Heavy was looking for Lord Sugar's investment in his tutoring company.

Transcript

00:00And I'm afraid to say, it's because after six weeks I haven't seen much from you, that

00:07Jonny, you're fired.

00:10Thank you so much for the opportunity, Faranus, Brady, Tim, you're my heroes, thank you.

00:13Good luck.

00:14Lord Sugar, you too.

00:16Jonny, good to have you here.

00:30I mean, commiserations for that moment, I know it obviously aired last week.

00:35We've been following your journey the whole time on The Apprentice here, we've been talking

00:38about it sort of week in, week out.

00:41First of all, what does it sort of feel to look back at that and look back at your time

00:44on the show?

00:46Do you know what, even though obviously it's hard being fired, it was such an incredible

00:50experience and I keep saying to people, this is the only firing I'm ever going to draw

00:54attention to on my CV or LinkedIn, because actually it's quite cool being fired by Lord

00:58Sugar in some way, shape or form.

01:00But no, it was an absolutely fantastic opportunity, I loved it.

01:04Was Lord Sugar right?

01:05He said he hadn't seen much from you in six weeks.

01:07Would you disagree?

01:08Of course I disagree, honestly, there are so many moments where I feel like I put myself

01:14out there, whether that was speaking bad German in week one, whether that was making

01:18mistakes with all the rhubarb in week three.

01:20But jokes aside, I do feel I played quite a big part and yeah, I feel like Lord Sugar

01:26missed a trick there, you know, it's a shame he didn't really see.

01:30But the thing is, with Lord Sugar, he only sees the bits when you're in the boardroom,

01:33he's not actually with you on task, he relies on Tim and Baroness Brady to kind of feed

01:37back.

01:38So yeah, I do feel maybe he didn't realise how much I did, but oh well.

01:42Yeah, and there's also something to say for what we see as viewers as well, because I'm

01:46sure there's a lot that goes on that isn't captured on the cameras.

01:49I wonder how much you can tell us about that behind the scenes, were there a lot of things

01:53that didn't come across how they were in the moment, or do you have to reshoot things?

01:57Because of course, it's a TV show at the end of the day, it's done for entertainment.

02:00They put together these montages of incredibly awkward, uncomfortable moments as well, but

02:04it's for people to watch and enjoy as well.

02:07So how much does it reflect what actually happens?

02:10Yeah, you're completely right, because obviously tasks are two days, sometimes three days,

02:15and that's edited down into about 20 minutes of television.

02:18So you don't get an accurate representation, depiction of what really goes on, because

02:23there's just so much that goes into it.

02:25So when you watch it back, we are so nervous watching it back as candidates, because we're

02:30watching it, you know, first hand with the British public, and we have no idea what will

02:34make the edit, what won't make the edit.

02:37So yeah, you're completely right.

02:38In terms of reshooting, it's reasonably, especially the boardroom, is actually very real, it is

02:42just kind of one take.

02:44On task, occasionally you do have to film bits again and do bits and bobs again, but

02:48it is crazy seeing it from that perspective, just the scale of it, and the amount that

02:52goes into filming a task is completely unbelievable.

02:56You mentioned watching it with some of the other candidates there, I think I've seen

02:59pop up quite a few times, yourself and some of the others on TikTok, showing just how

03:04close you guys are.

03:05Are you still in touch with them all?

03:06Yeah, no, I am.

03:08Honestly, I've come away from the process with Friends for Life, and I think often people

03:11think I'm making that up, they think we're kind of enemies, but honestly, one minute

03:15we're kind of throwing each other under the bus in the boardroom for Lord Tugger's £250,000,

03:20because why wouldn't you?

03:21But actually, we've gone through the process together, and we're the only people who understand

03:25what it's like, and that does create this kind of one of a kind bond.

03:28So yeah, I've left with Friends for Life, for sure.

03:31Yeah, of course, that's the sort of reality aspect of it, you're living in the house together,

03:35and you're actually together.

03:38One thing that we always remark at and always laugh is when you're woken up early in the

03:41morning and you're given 20 minutes to get ready.

03:44How true is that?

03:45Do you know what, you do get 20 minutes to get ready, you 100% do.

03:49I think what people don't quite understand is, yes, you've got to get 20 minutes to get

03:52ready, and you don't just walk out the door on to task with camera crew running after

03:56you.

03:57It's not quite like that.

03:58You get 20 minutes to get ready, but then you have to get mic'd up, we have to film

04:01our exit shots leaving the house, which can take up to one or two hours, which is why

04:05people say, why set light when you leave, but you only get 20 minutes?

04:08You do get 20 minutes to get ready, but then there is the whole other world of actually

04:12filming, which does take a long time.

04:14So leaving the house probably an hour to two later after we wake up, but yes, you actually

04:18do get 20 minutes to get ready, because your days are so intense, there's so much to do

04:22in terms of the task, but it also takes so long to film everything.

04:26So you do have to get up so early just to fit everything in.

04:30Well, as we mentioned, we've been following along your journey.

04:32I think a lot of people across the county have been, just to kind of hear Kent on screen

04:37is always exciting.

04:38And there was one moment which you did mention Kent, not necessarily in English.

04:42So we'll relive that now, and then we'll have a quick chat about it.

04:46Johnny spoke a little bit of German.

04:48So we thought...

04:49Did you, Johnny?

04:50It was two or three lines, Lord Sugar.

04:51Is that all?

04:52I'm Johnny and I come from Kent, I think.

04:54Hello, how are you?

04:55Hi.

04:56I'm Johnny.

04:57I live in Kent, in the countryside, where you live.

05:01I'm directly here from the area.

05:03Wonderful.

05:04I mean, it's a lot of fun, isn't it, Johnny?

05:06Looking back at that now.

05:08What is horrific about that is every time she replies in English, which is just the

05:12ultimate insult to my German.

05:14It's so funny.

05:15I mean, you know, if it's doing my limited German to try and build a rapport with the

05:19German vendor to get a good price for our tour, why wouldn't I do that?

05:23But I don't think Baroness Brady was very impressed.

05:25You can see by her various eyeballs there that she's not very impressed with my German.

05:29And talking about some of your language skills and stuff, how much actual business knowledge

05:33did you take away?

05:34Did you learn a lot from the other candidates as well, Lord Sugar himself, Baroness Brady

05:37and Tim?

05:38Was there a sense of that amongst the filming, the chaos, the trying to make it fun as well?

05:43How does it look for you turning now perhaps a bit of a name for yourself into translating

05:49that into your business as well?

05:50Because that's a huge part of it.

05:51And of course, the show gives you that exposure in its nature, whether you win or not.

05:55Yeah, I think it does teach you a lot because Lord Sugar, Baroness Brady and Tim, they are

05:59obviously incredibly experienced business people and they give you a lot of practical

06:05advice.

06:06But the other thing the show teaches you is it throws you curveballs.

06:09You've got limited time.

06:10It's a reality show.

06:11So there are constant curveballs and it teaches you to be adaptable because I don't think

06:15The Apprentice is about the perfect end goal, whether it's a product or a service.

06:19What it's about is, OK, this has happened.

06:21How can you adapt quickly and make a good decision quickly?

06:25And I think these are such valuable skills for business.

06:27And you're right, the exposure it's brought my own business and my tutoring company is

06:31just incredible.

06:32And that's why I did it.

06:33So yeah, overall, lots of business stuff and it's done great things for my business.

06:37Yeah, I've seen a lot of a lot of positive feedback from your audience on your TikTok

06:42and your social media.

06:43Lots of people commenting on there, especially recently you opened up about your facial scarring.

06:48You said that you hope that by being on the show, you're able to sort of buck the trend

06:51of what reality TV was supposed to look like.

06:55What does that sort of response been like?

06:56What was that like for you to open up like that?

06:58Yeah, so obviously I do have a facial difference and I'm actually really pleased it wasn't

07:02mentioned in the first boardroom, for example, because I do want to be an advocate for the

07:07fact that people who look a little bit different don't actually have to justify themselves,

07:11whether that's applying for The Apprentice or a reality show, but actually just in a

07:14normal boardroom setting or applying for a normal job.

07:17But there was a lot of speculation.

07:19So I did decide to kind of talk about it on my TikTok very candidly.

07:23I naively thought this would kind of put it to bed.

07:25But no, it kind of completely blew up and actually did incredibly well on TikTok and

07:29got a lot of views.

07:30But actually, I didn't mind that because it's kind of put me in a different light now.

07:34And now I really am kind of waving the flag for people with facial differences.

07:38So I think actually this is another opportunity the show's opened up, which I didn't even

07:41realise it would.

07:42So despite it not really putting it to bed as such, it has enabled me to speak about

07:47it candidly, which I think a lot of people really got behind me for.

07:51And I'm really grateful for that.

07:52Yeah, absolutely.

07:53And just sort of being allowed to be yourself sort of freely as well.

07:57But of course, you say about your success, your business is doing really well as well.

08:01What's the sort of goal with the tutoring?

08:03Where do you see it all going in the future?

08:06So obviously my business plan for Lord Sugar's 250,000 was to expand my tutoring company

08:11into different targeted locations across the UK.

08:14So we can offer that personalised service, but in different locations.

08:18Because what a lot of tutoring companies do is they kind of expand rapidly with just one

08:21base in London.

08:22And that results in a really non-personalised service for its clients.

08:26So I'm still seeking investment, that hasn't changed.

08:29It might not be Lord Sugar's 250,000, but I hope, you know, I'm still using that business

08:34plan in a way with maybe slightly less money, but I still am really eager to secure that

08:38external investment so we can expand in the way that we want to.

08:41Absolutely.

08:42And I just want to know a little bit about your journey on the way into business as well,

08:45because you are from Kent, but you're not actually based here anymore.

08:48So are there any teachers or schools or anybody that we could shout out to sort of maybe blame

08:53for your rise to success?

08:56So I went to Deal Procurement Primary School, I was brought up in Deal in Kent.

09:00And then I went to Canterbury Style School, then I went to Dover College, I went to a

09:05few different schools.

09:06But yeah, I always come back to Kent.

09:09The only reason why I'm in Liverpool now is because I went to the University of Liverpool,

09:12and then I fell in love with the city and stayed here to grow my business.

09:15But I'm always coming back to Kent to check on business, but obviously to see my family

09:18as well.

09:19I love Deal so much.

09:20Kent will always be my home, for sure.

09:22Amazing.

09:23It was lovely to see that shout out on the show as well.

09:26And very quickly, you probably can't disclose much to us at all, but we're going to ask

09:31anyway, who do you think or hope is going to win?

09:33Well, do you know what?

09:35I've got a kind of bet from the show, Amber Rose, and she's still in it.

09:38So I reckon she'll go very far and she's got my bet.

09:42So there we go.

09:43Amazing.

09:44Johnny Hever, thank you so much for talking to us today and sharing your apprentice behind

09:49the scenes and all that you experience.

09:50We wish you all the best and hopefully you can tutor us and improve some of that German

09:55as well, perhaps.

09:56Dankeschön.

09:57Wunderbar.

09:58Dankeschön.

09:59Thank you very much.

10:00Thanks, Johnny.

10:01Bye bye.

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