BradyB66

If you listen to the Bake Down podcast (which I highly recommend, by the way), two previous contestants, Jane who was in the finals in Series 7 and Howard from Series 4 are on it, often along with Dan from Series 9. They constantly state that the show sticks to the time very strictly. If they say you have 2 hours, you have 2 hours, no more. If you're not done at the end of 2 hours, tough. They do say that the editing will play around with what you see when. If you see someone racing to the freezer in a panic when Noel and Alison make the five minute call, that person did race to the freezer at some point, but it might not necessarily have been in the last 5 minutes.

And he actually has a matching fade in his eyebrows. It's hilarious! I think the real problem with this season is that they should have put the pastry skill week sooner and the gimmick weeks like Mexican and Halloween later. That would have weeded it out the less rounded bakers first. The majority of these bakers don't seem to have basic skills that a contestant needs. They seem really good at cakes, but clueless on custard, pastry, and have we even seen choux this year? They have to be fans of the show and they didn't realize they'd need to make more than cakes and biscuits?

Bread lion Paul was already on a holiday special. It’s available on Netflix. And he was still lovely and still had amazing artistry.

Next week is “Free From Week”, right? Not Vegan Week? That opens it up to a bit more variety. The last time they did that week the signature was sugar-free, the technical was gluten-free, and the showstopper was dairy free.

This week seemed underwhelming to me. The same ingredient as the focus of all three rounds? Kinda boring. At least when it's pastry week they can do puff, hot water, choux, etc. Bread week can have a wide variety of breads and techniques. Same with desserts and cakes and biscuits. Even vegan week, German week, and spice week offers some variety. But caramel week? How many times did we have to see the bakers hunched over the pan waiting for the sugar to melt and go amber? It's the same way I feel about chocolate week. I just feel like the focus is too narrow when the week is based around a single ingredient. The sugar dome seemed like an attempt to offer up something other than caramel-based drama. Poor George, I think he could have gotten a handshake for his showstopper and still gone home after that disastrous first day. I didn't realize how much I love Giuseppe until they were criticizing his showstopper and I could feel my mama bear defensive instincts rising in me. I think that's the worst he's done this season.

And really, how else do you instruct a baking amateur on how to get the most filling possible in a donut without using the word "hole"? Okay, you could say "opening" but they still would have sniggered.

Love Amanda‘s steam punk look! Is that Lottie and Priya?

They definitely used to have a microwave. Season 5’s Nancy proved her bread dough in it and gave Paul a case of the vapors.

Actually, he didn't get a handshake for the lion. He got a round of applause right before Star Baker was named. He was the only one who ever got that, though. But yes, he got one for his soda bread in that episode. That season is my favorite I've seen every episode about 25 times.

Ruby and Rahul got showstopper handshakes in Season 9. And I believe Steven got one during the Holiday Bakeoff.

"I feel like the fryer's gonna hit me and I'm gonna buuuuuuuurn!" I need that as my ringtone. I adore Lizzie more every week. Aside from the rampant innuendo this episode it had a lot of sweet moments from Paul. When Lizzie was nervously frying and Paul asked her if her elbows were sweating, when he quietly gave George the tip for opening his tongs, and his fakeout to Crystelle to bring her up for a handshake were all endearing. I wish he'd stop trying to live up to his reputation as the Simon Cowell of this show and be himself. Loved that Giuseppe didn't pack enough shirts because he didn't think he'd still be in the competition so he has to keep buying more.

I grew up among a lot of Dutch immigrants in NJ. I know a lot of college age young men who are 6’4” to 6’7”. Send your niece here and I’ll introduce her. :-)

I hear you. I’m Dutch and everyone immediately goes to drugs and prostitutes. Not Hitler levels, but annoyingly stereotypical. I loved the clip in the beginning of Giuseppe putting his hairband in. I had been wondering how he was keeping those curly locks out of his face.

So much this! The fact that it killed her to send somebody home made me love her more than I already did.

The seven children in my family. I started coloring my hair at 24. My brothers were all completely gray by the time they turned 30. And yet, they didn't look older than their age.