On Your Marks, Get Set, Baaaaake! A Thread for Great British Baking Show / Bake Off & all of its sundry delights

Glasses, yay. Plaid, double yay.

^^yes

Again I'm still behind so I can't read the whole thread but...is anyone else finding Maggie increasingly loathsome? It's been creeping up on me, but my loathing bloomed in full when she said, "Watching the show, when people cried I always thought, Buck up, it's just a baking show after all. But now that it's happening to me it's very very important and relatable."

She voted Leave, didn't she.

My god Lizzie is a treasure. She as much as just called Noel an annoying attention-starved child and in such a dryly otm way that he can't even be mad at her.

We loved the way that Paul and Prue failed to mask their lack of enthusiasm for this week's Greggs-esque technical challenge (clearly imposed from on high, and not set by Prue at all). Normally, when sampling the professionally created version ahead of the contestants' attempts, they're full of delight and wonder. This week, it was little more than a desultory contractual munch.

That aside, it was a particularly likeable week, and I didn't want anyone to go.

George looking the adorable hard man in a flight jacket in the rainy episode, so cute. Chiggs is the surprise hottie through isn't he? Especially with glasses.

Maggie: Hate. Haaaate. Why does she have no lips? Actually why doesn't Prue either???
Freya: A contemporary teen ager with the same social media accounts as ever other teenager, sure, but I liked how easy she was with being the youngest and kidding around. I would have been a frozen nightmare of nerves. When she said her mum said her dad could pick her up on Tuesday, I laugh-cried, it was so cute.

So speaking of Prue...can she not raise her arms above her waist or something? She has such an awkward way of putting food in her mouth also like her mouth doesn't open properly. Is this a manners thing?

Maggie: Hate. Haaaate. Why does she have no lips? Actually why doesn't Prue either???

some of us poor souls just don't have lips, idk what to tell you.

Oh no, I shouldn't have. Sorry, Lily. The fact that I find her awful is making things about her seem awful that are really perfectly normal. Bad habit.

No worries! I was exaggerating, anyway, though I'm sure my lips will be totally invisible by the time I'm Maggie's age.

xxpost yeah Pru is basically the epitome of mannered eating, Mary Berry used to do similarly, a dainty bird-like nibble from one side of her mouth

was a bit sad to see this weeks eliminatee go, even though i was never fully a huge fan. but that final cake was fuckin tops, just incredible

crystelle’s moment eating her chili chutney was so funny, couldnt have scripted it better

and yeah that technical was v telling, in the pre-presentation all you ever heard about was the pastry but they barely said anything about the filling. def made me crave some sausage rolls though, i might make some for dinner

I'd thought the US was getting the full seasons on Netflix, so bummed this a.m. to see I've just caught up and now am waiting for the last two episodes.

For me, as much as the growth and creativity, it's the captured moments of friendly winks and camaraderie that make this show special.

I miss Mary Berry a lot.

i've only just finally gotten used to Prue. at this point it's Matt and Paul himself who most detract.

yeah i miss her kindness towards the bakers, she had such an affinity for home bakers (also it’s been her lane for decades).

I was so sure they were going to take everybody through to the final that when they said the name, I couldn't believe it for a couple of seconds.

yeah i kinda hoped in a way too

don't know if I can bear to watch the finals w/o him tbh

looking for small positives, at least this way they get their own episode of Extra Slice and don't have to share it

but yeah, would've hated having to call that, probably the best single episode in terms of results that I've seen

Semi-final carrying on the “controversial exit” tradition

Matt didn’t even say his usual “I have the terrible task of…” which made the departure feel quite abrupt. And *spoiler* looked quite gloomy :(

thought the same trishyb!

Me too! Seemed very, very wrong but I could see from the edit of PH’s comments that one of two contestants were for the chop.

Kevin was sticking to the trishyb scenario - as I was, initially - but during the last ad break I called it right on both counts. Quite possibly the highest standard of any week I've ever seen; Chigs' signature in particular looked mouth-wateringly good.

he was billy no-handshake in round 1 which suggested he was in for it, but winning the technical you'd think would count for something

That was brutal. I mean the Freddie/Bowie debacle obvs.

Boooooooooo

What happened to judging based on the whole season, like with Lizzie?

I've been thinking about it today and it wasn't fair but I honestly don't know who should have gone instead. Chigs would have been acceptable but he had such a brilliant week. As did Chrystelle. I like the idea that all four should have gone through

otm

best episode yet — stunning exit

Chigs was the obvious one to go, imo, as the only one who actually fucked up a round. But they do always give the showstopper a ridiculously high weighting

Like Jordan, I don’t know what the hell they were doing when out of the blue they said they were judging Lizzie on the whole season. The whole criteria for their decision is less than transparent at this point.

They only judge based on the whole season when they absolutely, definitely can't decide between people based on the current week, is the impression I get. It would all be a lot clearer if they assigned points, I suppose.

It feels like, if you do really well every round, you still score lower than a contestant who has one disaster + one showstopper

Chigs showstopper didn't even look that good, in comparison. If Jurgen had just upped the green colouring maybe he'd have scraped through.

The construction of Chigs' showstopper wasn't that amazing, but I thought the apples did look really impressive, especially once they were cut.

Anyway, it's Giuseppe all the way for me, now. I love him – and feel bad for criticising his hair back at the start of the series.

what an amazing semi final

i am so sad over the elimination but it was such a tight decision i’m not like, outraged…honestly very much in love w all the finalists — this is like the King Louis season where everyone is just so great & talented

i thought chigs’ purple apples looked kinda gross? but i guess they tasted amazing so

if this show has taught me anything it’s that i will never, ever, be faffed enough to make entremet…so stressful!

I'm sort of disgusted with myself for finding Chrystelle disingenuous but the feeling persists. I think Noel, not exactly the model of perspicacity, was otm when he teased her about wanting it so bad it hurts.
Can someone release me from feeling guilty about this?
Anyway, I'm team Giuseppe, all the way.

i just how she always seems to incorporate a family element into one of her bakes - i think something about that def won me over this season. her interactions w noel are great. and seeing her still-stunned face after getting star baker: everyone is hugging & saying goodbyes and congrats and she is just stock-still almost the whole time like O_O

shes not my fave but she has for sure grown on me. i am fond!

Chrystelle, one of Jurgen and Giuseppe (there's almost certain to be a SHOCKING EPISODE where one of these guys face plants and is bumped), and then a wildcard
― When Young Sheldon began to rap (forksclovetofu), Monday, October 18, 2021

chrystelle seems like a decent enough person for a goldman sachs vampire

She seems like someone who is good at everything.

One of life’s winners!

I think Noel, not exactly the model of perspicacity, was otm when he teased her about wanting it so bad it hurts.

I thought it was very revealing that when she fucked up the first round a couple of eps ago, her reaction was to absolutely knuckle the fuck down and slay the next two rounds so she could stay in, which she did, and she did. I have a lot of admiration for that.

she is tenacious!

She is, no doubts about that! And an awesome baker. It's going to be a cracking final - genuinely think anyone could win from here.

the standard of baker this year has been wicked high

She's arguably the best finisher this season and probably one of the best in the show's history.

I thought that G was going because of how Prue kept carping about not getting the pine nuts, and Chigs' finishing looked like a step behind what the others managed. One of biggest disagreements with the judges is how they thought J's showstopper was under-decorated, I loved the minimalism and thought it fit aesthetics perfectly, and his was the one I most wanted to taste!

I think the show has gone through all of its funny bits and Matt and Noel only have the bad ones left. It's especially bad when they rope Paul into it.

the bits at the beginning are lame but I like their general banter, it’s an extremely earnest and wholesome show, I’m not looking for something too subversive

yeah same

so between these two episodes, the technical challenge is utterly meaningless and has no bearing on the final result, cool