It will be a clash between two of the fiercest candidates in the final episode of “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition,” as Louie Sangalang and Jessica Ramella gear up for one last challenge.
The final two remaining global candidates have outlasted 14 others by staying true to themselves, focusing on the task at hand, and ultimately playing their cards right leading into the finale.
Despite what’s at stake – a $250,000 contract to work as ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong’s “Apprentice” and Chief Of Staff – the Filipino and Venezeulan have actually found a fondness for each other.
"When I first started speaking to Jess, there were a lot of similarities in the ways we think and the ways we act,” Louie said.
"We put a lot of value in deep and meaningful personal relationships. And there's a parallel in our lives that really connects us. We've gone through hardships, instances in our lives that have broken us down, and I think that in a way, we mirror each other's lives."
Louie, who originally worked with Jessica on Team Valor at the start of the show, knows that he’s up against someone who has the capabilities of taking the grand prize.
But for the 43-year-old cancer survivor, he doesn’t really have a problem losing to Jessica who, like him, clawed her way to the finale.
"She will always have the highest regard on my end because I've seen how she really fought for her place to be in the finals," Louie said.
"I think that's the reason why even if she's my greatest competitor in the finals, it doesn't matter for me. She deserves to be there."
Jessica, on the other hand, echoed Louie’s sentiments, calling Louie “the best” and expecting a hard showdown between the two of them.
"Louie and I have said since day one that we wanted to get to the finale, and if we got to the finale, we wanted to compete against the best," Jessica said.
"Louie is just that, he is the best. So for me as a finalist, I couldn't ask for a better partner to go and spend this last challenge with. I couldn't ask for [anyone else] that would give me a hard battle and make me feel proud of myself if I win, but also proud of myself if I don't – because next to him, I already know that I won."
Catch the season finale of ‘The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition’ on One Sports on Monday, June 14, at 9 p.m.