Talk is Jeep for One Cocky Hopeful ; the Apprentice

APPRENTICE hopeful Mark O’Rourke drives around in a pimped Toyota Landcruiser – with a personal number plate.

The company director, a possible early favourite to land the Apprentice title, has several photographs of the black 4WD showing its garish chrome alloy wheels and even more outrageous number plate on his Bebo site.

The wheeler-dealer’s gas guzzler has the number plate 06 D 69.

On one photograph, O’Rourke – whose bebo identity is markorourke69 – proudly showing off his new 24-inch chromed alloy wheels claiming that a “bit of bling never hurt anyone”.

The wanna-be business tough guy, who claims “boxing aint bad”, does manage to show part of his softer size.

The Dubliner has a Pekinese dog called Twinkle.

The 26-year-old businessman carries the small furry animal like a baby kangaroo in the front of his jacket.

O’Rourke’s soft-side will come as news to Bill Cullen who is believed to admire Mark’s working-class values.

But things started badly for O’Rourke in the first show last week when he was the first leader of the losing Dynamo boy’s team.

The boys and the girl’s team, Phoenix, were given EUR350 each and told to sell fruit on Dublin’s Moore Street.

But after a day of haggling and dealing, the boys lost out on a home-cooked meal by Harvey Nichols chef Thomas Haughton and had their pride dented by the girls after making a profit of EUR570 – just EUR15 less than the girls.

Dynamo’s failure to outsell the girls left Mark looking physically upset.

“I’m not happy. I thought we put 110 per cent into it and I decided to stick it out on Moore Street. When I saw the girls moving off I thought they were struggling but obviously not.

Before joining the contestants on The Apprentice, O’Rourke worked with the family-owned Deckclad Architectural Salvage.

The company, which is based in Newlands Cross in Dublin offers reclaimed bricks and timber.

Although one of the more popular items on the firm’s catalogue are O’Connell Street lamps.

The lamps – which are reproductions of those found in the capital’s sell for between EUR300 and EUR350.

(c) 2008 Sunday Mirror; London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.