AFTER episode one of season 17 of The Apprentice, viewers up and down the country were eager to see what happened next.

The show, which pits contestants against one another in a series of business challenges, saw Lord Sugar put the candidates through their paces once again in episode two.

Episode two saw only 17 candidates in the running to secure a £250,000 investment from Lord Sugar after Emma Browne was fired last week.

The second episode saw the contestants battle it out as they competed in the bao bun industry, leaving two fired in an unexpected move.

What happened in episode two of The Apprentice 2023?

This week saw the two teams compete in the bao bun market and attempt to please Lord Sugar by having the highest overall profits.

Who left in week two of The Apprentice 2023?

Two contestants left The Apprentice as fans were left shocked by the development.

Kevin D'Arcy, an accountant from Dublin,was fired from the show, while Shannon Martin, a bridal business owner from West Yorkshire opted to leave.

D'Arcy, who was fired after pricing his bao buns too low, reflected on his experience, saying: “Looking back, you remember the best bits and the fun times. You remember how much you laughed and got on with the other candidates.

“Overall, I think I met some amazing people. People I perhaps wouldn’t meet in my normal life, and I think being one of the slightly older contestants, it was interesting to meet some of the younger candidates and understand what they’re into and what their interests are.”

Speaking of his favourite part of the bao bun challenge, he said: "The market was fun. We had this thing when we steamed a new set of buns, we’d have a countdown ‘three, two one… fresh bao buns!’. That stopped the entire market, and everyone would come over to see what was going on.”

He also revealed that sharing a bedroom on The Apprentice "felt a bit like you were on a stag," adding that he and his team got up to mischief after winning week one's challenge.

Shannon Martins, who chose to leave, said of her decision: 

“I think that going into the process, I was already having some doubts of whether I should go in or not.

“But when you’re given such an amazing opportunity, you’re not ever going to turn that down, it’s an opportunity of a lifetime that I’m forever grateful for.”

Adding: “But I’m a perfectionist, I need to know what’s going on all the time and not being able to know how things were going on at home or what was happening at work was really hard for me. The unknown is definitely not something I’m good at.

“The more I thought about it, the more I thought, ‘Am I in here for the right reasons? Do I really want a business partner? Is this what I want? Do I want my life to change?’ and it really made me realise I love my life, I love the team and I love everything about my life.

“I knew that I could potentially win the show, and did I really want to win and have my life completely changed? No, I didn’t. I wasn’t in there for the right reasons.”

The next episode of The Apprentice will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 9 pm next Thursday.