Last updated at 2:46 AM on 19th May 2011
Optical tycoon Gavin Winstanley became the latest contestant to leave The Apprentice after his team lost this week's challenge by only 8.
The Scouse, 27, was given his marching orders after his team Logic only managed to find six out of a list of 10 items for the Savoy Hotel in London.
Although Logic managed to buy many of the items at a much lower price than rival team Venture, the fines they received for the missing items ended up pushing their total expenditure higher.
You're fired: Optical tycoon Gavin Winstanley becomes the third person to be fired from this year's Apprentice
Fighting for survival: Winstanley chose Vincent Disneur (left) and Zoe Beresford (right) to enter the boardroom with him
Defending himself in the boardroom, Winstanley clashed with sub-team leader Vincent Disneur, who claimed Tom Pellereau had 'saved him' with a last minute item.
Lord Sugar criticised Disneur for snatching the phone out of his colleagues' hands and interrupting their negotiations.
There appeared to be no team spirit between Logic with the colleagues contradicting and blaming each other for what went wrong.
Locked horns: Vincent and Gavin clashed over their management over the sub-teams
Natasha Scribbins came under fire for having the gall to phone up the Savoy's rival The Ritz and ask their procurement manager for a list of suppliers.
Observer Karren Brady crticised Natasha for being 'naive', while her teammates also said in hindsight they should have stopped her from phoning the Ritz.
Lord Sugar made a mistake: Gavin believed he should have stayed, blaming his teammembers for not listening to him
Decision time: Lord Sugar was torn between the three candidates as he discussed who to fire with Nick Hewer and Karren Brady
Winstanley ended up fighting for his chance to stay in the boardroom alongside Disneur, 29, and Zoe Beresford, 26.
Despite criticism of Disneur and Beresford, Lord Sugar chose to fire Winstanley for his bad leadership of an overall poor team performance.
He said: 'A task was out of hand, Gavin you're fired.'
Close shave: Susan Ma's team Venture just managed to win by 8 after overpaying for many of their items
Concerns: Brady watched Gavin struggled to manage his team, while Hewer was repeatedly stunned by the high prices Susan's team was paying
After being fired, Winstanley said: 'I thought it may come down to whether Lord Sugar would prefer me or Vincent as his business partner, and with me having the experience of growing my own business I thought he would have gone for me.'
Reflecting on sales executive Disneur, he said: 'He's ultra confident and where I come from, being ultra confident, most people always think it is arrogance. I personally don't think it is arrogance. It's just that I didn't have experience with people with that much confidence in how he looks, how he dresses, how he talks, and how he works.'
Nick Hewer noted Gavin 'lacked the authority that 21-year-old Susan had' when it came to getting his team to listen to him.
Tension: Vincent annoyed Ellie Reed (far right) when he took the phone out of her hand when she was making a negotiation
A lot of loo roll: Team Logic successfully managed to occur the large delivery of toilet paper for the Savoy
Upon receiving the list of 10 items, including loose leaf tea and chandelier candles, 21-year-old Susan Ma took charge of team Logic managed to secure locations for most of them and split into sub-teams.
But Venture took several hours researching suppliers before they finally ventured out, losing them valuable time in the field to track them down.
What Venture lost in time, Logic lost in finding good deals and was criticised by Lord Sugar for going to the most expensive parts of London to find deals.
High tea: Susan Ma's Venture team paid well over the odds for top quality tea - coming into criticism from Lord Sugar for overpaying for their items
Finding a bargain: Gavin did manage to find the organza silk at a good price in Shepherd's Bush - unlike the rival team who bought it in upmarket Mayfair
He was stunned to learn Ma had approached a rare tea company to buy the camomile tea leaves, asking: 'How can tea be worth 995?'
He cited the fact the owner negotiated down to around the 400 mark showed them how overpriced the tea was, while Venture managed to buy their tea for around the 250 mark.
'Naive': Karren Brady and Lord Sugar criticised Natasha Scribbins for phoning the Ritz's procurement manager to give her a list of their suppliers
He also criticised them for buying a top hat and organza silk in Mayfair, remarking: 'St James and Mayfair isn't exactly the pound shop area of London.'
Lord Sugar noted that Ma's team only managed to lower the price of a top hat by one penny - not exactly a good discount.
Making a deal: Both teams manage to buy Aberdeen Angus fillet steaks - but paid widely different prices
Despite paying top prices, Ma's team Venture returned to the Savoy that evening with 9 items, meaning their grand total came to 1,381.69.
However, Logic's lack of items meant their bargains was superseded by the fines, with a total of 1,389.20.
Lord Sugar questioned Winstanley for enquiring after the top hat in a drycleaners called 'Top Hat'.
Post-mortem: The group welcome Zoe and Vincent back after their surviving the firing line
On reflection, Winstanley said: 'I didn't go in there to buy a top hat. I went in there to ask if they knew anyone around there who sells top hats.
'It was just a chance to ask someone who may have cleaned a top hat. But, to be honest, I think my friends and family are never going to let me live it down.'
He tipped natural skincare entrepreneur Ma, 21, to go far in the competition: 'She's got a lot of bottle for a 21-year-old.'
Amazement: The winning team were treated to a personal acrobatics show at a circus-style burlesque club in Covent Garden
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