MMA: Lara Alvarez survives after being on the chopping block on 'The Apprentice'

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MMA: Lara Alvarez survives after being on the chopping block on 'The Apprentice'

ABS-CBN News

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Pinay candidate Lara Alvarez left behind her 10-month old son and is away from her country for the first time in her life, competing in the TV reality show 'The Apprentice.' Handout


Although aware that joining "The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition" would push her to her boundaries, Lara Alvarez did not imagine she'll be in a sink-or-swim situation early in the competition.

Alvarez was one of the first three candidates to be sent to The Boardroom, alongside fellow Team Conquest members Alvin Ang and Nazee Sajedi as they defended their positions from the get-go in front of ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong and senior vice president of corporate development and strategy Niharika Singh.

"During that moment, I felt like I was fighting for my life. In my mind, I'm saying I didn't go all the way here to be eliminated this way," Alvarez said.

It sent a shock to the spine of the single mother as she found herself as one of the first to be on the chopping block.

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Despite being in a difficult situation, Alvarez knew that for one to win "The Apprentice," one must really want the title so bad.

"I should have spoken more and made sure that they heard me," she said, echoing Sityodtong's sentiments inside The Boardroom.

Alvarez thought she could have been more firm in pushing what she believed in during the first business challenge, where the candidates were asked to build a "ONE at Home" essentials kit, a marketing plan, and a product prototype to be pitched to the hosts.

After all, Alvarez understood the target audience well given her background.

"Chatri asked us, 'Who else thinks that the product is crap?' And I raised my hand and explained that Roman [Wilson] and I were insisting on putting other items in the box since I also made a research on the Singapore market,” Alvarez said.

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“Also, on the night before the pitch, I tried to present to the team how I could be presenting on the pitch and they liked it, but the team said that it's already too late since the pitch is only a few hours away.”

Luckily, the challenge was a non-elimination one and Alvarez, along with Ang and Sajedi, lived to fight for another day.

Alvarez is now more determined to learn from these mistakes as she vowed to "never let other people out you to the side."

"It's not bad to talk about yourself and what you can do so that people would trust your ability. It's a bit of culture shock because here in my country, you would be branded arrogant if you talk too much about yourself and your achievements, but I realize that in the bigger world where there's a mix of culture and views, it 's important to give facts about yourself so that people wouldn't underestimate you," she quipped.

Alvarez revealed she is more motivated than ever to win this high-stakes game of business competitions and physical challenges.

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"After that near-elimination, I told myself I wouldn't be coming back to that chopping block in the next challenge. I had to do much better and speak more. I was more motivated because I already felt how it was to defend yourself before Chatri and Niharika, and it's not easy to be in that position," Alvarez vowed.

All of this hard work, after all, is for her baby boy back home.

"Thinking of my son gives me more fire to overcome all my self-doubt and bring out what I'm good at in the next challenge. I just keep on thinking about the possible changes that I can bring to my son and family's life if I win the competition and that motivates me," she added.

She is eyeing to claim that US$250,000 job offer to work as Sityodtong's protégé at the ONE Championship global headquarters in Singapore for a year.

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