The Apprentice star Jana Denzel quit because he felt ‘labelled as disruptive by production for complaining about being made to look bad in tasks’

The Apprentice star Jana Denzel quit the show because he felt ‘labelled as disruptive by production for complaining about being made to look bad in tasks’.

Cosmetic dentist Dr Denzel left the show in episode five after deciding that the other contestants wanted to win Lord Alan Sugar’s £250,000 investment more than he did. 

He later came out and said that the real reason for his exit was because he felt hut by a comment from Lord Sugar about him being ‘quiet’. 

But a source has now told The Sun that Dr Denzel left because of the fall out from a complaint he made to production.

‘Jana felt that he was being tripped up in tasks designed to make him look bad,’ the insider claimed.

‘He understands reality TV has to be about entertainment, but was unhappy about how unfair and staged it felt.

The Apprentice star Jana Denzel quit the show because he felt ‘labelled as disruptive by production for complaining about being made to look bad in tasks’, a source has claimed

Cosmetic dentist Dr Denzel left the show in episode five after deciding that the other contestants wanted to win Lord Alan Sugar’s £250,000 investment more than he did

‘He raised concerns to the production staff, expecting some support, but felt that he was shrugged off and instead warned about being disruptive to the integrity of the show.’

The insider alleged that Dr Denzel felt labelled as ‘troublesome’ by production after raising his concerns.

They also said the Harley Street dentist felt his contributions to tasks were ignored in the boardroom which led to him questioning whether he and Lord Sugar would make a good partnership.

Dr Denzel was the project manager for his final task of making Easter eggs but his team lost the challenge and he then decided to ‘step away from the process’.

As he departed, Lord Sugar said: ‘It’s been a pleasure having you here … you seem a stand-up fellow, I wish you well.’

Speaking himself last week of his exit, Dr Denzel set the record straight as he claimed the real reason he quit the programme was actually because of a ‘really hurtful’ remark from Lord Sugar.

He said he thought he had performed ‘really, really well’ until episode four, when the formidable boss said to him: ‘You’ve been really, really quiet since the last few weeks.’

Dr Denzel said he was ‘hurt’ by the remark because he was putting in ‘100 per cent’ and claimed that was what led him to quit the show.

Dr Denzel was the project manager for his final task of making Easter eggs but his team lost the challenge and he then decided to ‘step away from the process’

As he departed, Lord Sugar said: ‘It’s been a pleasure having you here … you seem a stand-up fellow, I wish you well’

‘I’ve been one of the best performing candidates here for the last few weeks, I’ve been really giving it 100 per cent and all of myself. But you just say that I’ve been really, really quiet is really hurtful,’ he said.

‘That moment onwards, I looked at him and I was like, You know what? Maybe this just isn’t a great fit, then, because if I’m positively contributing and giving 100 per cent of myself, and you’re saying I’m really, really quiet and you haven’t seen much from me, then I don’t think this is going to work.

‘So, I actually made my decision in that boardroom at the end of episode four, and I said to the producers as well, I don’t think this is [going to] work or be a great fit for me because I don’t like how that was going down.’

He admitted in ‘hindsight’ that he could have spoken up more in boardrooms, but maintained that Lord Sugar has access to the records of who led which negotiation.

Dr Denzel, who has spoken of pride at his Sri Lankan heritage and refugee parents, made headlines ahead of the series when it emerged he described a black person as ‘coloured’ during a task.  

He had been part of a team on the BBC reality show creating a character for a marketing campaign when he is understood to have used the phrase.

Two women on his team were said to have been particularly upset by the comment, which was reported to show bosses, and he then underwent diversity training.

Dr Denzel, who has spoken of pride at his Sri Lankan heritage and refugee parents, made headlines ahead of the series when it emerged he described a black person as ‘coloured’ during a task

After filming, Dr Denzel sat in on talks with producers to ensure he understood the remark was offensive.

Speaking about the racism row, a show source told The Sun: ‘The team had been discussing what the character should look like, and there were suggestions from some members to make sure the character was inclusive.

‘It was then that Jana made the “coloured comment”, which particularly upset two female candidates on his team.’

‘While his co-stars did push back and make it clear to Jana the comment was unacceptable, it was then escalated further when it was flagged to the production team, who pulled Jana aside.’