“The Apprentice” has found its bully, sergeant major and army officer — oh, and its first scapegoat.

So scary was the bully that she was even likened to the villain of the last series Katie Hopkins.

But at least you could watch and learn from Hopkins and admire her lucidity, if not her morals.

This bully — step forward Jenny Celerier — is just, well … brutish.

Admittedly, the two women share the same naff dress sense — white suits for Hopkins and ties and neck scarves pulled just a little too meanly and tightly for Celerier.

But Celerier just alternates between ignoring her team or shouting at them, reducing some to tears in front of others.

“I am the project manager and I have not finished speaking”, must surely become her catchphrase.

Making Shazia Wahab the scapegoat for the laundry exercise was a masterclass in hypocrisy.

While Wahab showed enthusiasm and initiative, Celerier came up with the idea of charging five pounds to launder a pillow case and asking for tips from customers whose clothing had gone missing. 

Was this even more embarrassing than the kiss-o-gram policy adopted by the girls’ team in the last series?

Unlike her comments on “The Apprentice” Web site, Wahab was not a “stubborn cow who wants to have the last word” — she was too much in shock at Celerier’s tactics and criticisms to put up a fight in the boardroom.

Under Celerier’s leadership the girls, who won the first challenge, were reduced to arguing among themselves rather like washerwomen, as Adrian Chiles described it in the post-programme analysis.

The boys on the other hand were transformed under the leadership of Raef Bjayou, who really can’t be that posh AND be on television.

After the first week of the business TV reality show, the candidates are beginning to stand out more than the boys’ haircuts, and possibly even Alan Sugar’s increasingly garish ties.

And an early likely winner is Simon Smith who slipped seamlessly into his former role as an NCO in the Royal Artillery, following the orders of Bjayou and putting in the hard graft.

As he said himself: “I’m the sergeant major and Bjayou is the officer. It’s like the old days.”

Once, kids had to work hard to become famous.

Whatever their chosen route, it would usually involve endless hours of practice — be it in the gym, on the pitch, at the keyboard or on the stage.

Now, with the advent of the reality TV star and the explosion of shows like the X Factor, America’s Next Top Model, Laguna Beach and the like, it seems anyone can do it and earn themselves millions in the process.

In the meantime, the media obsession with celebrities like David Beckham and Paris Hilton reinforces the yearning for stardom.

No wonder then, perhaps, that many children think it’s hardly worth bothering with their studies any more, as a survey of teachers by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers found.

“Celebrity culture can perpetuate the notion that celebrity status is the greatest achievement and reinforces the belief that other career options are not valuable,” the Association said.

Are kids becoming dangerously celebrity-obsessed these days or do they still have their heads screwed on? And if it really is a problem, should schools be trying to counter the trend more actively?