Lois Sandborne

Oh my God I love Lottie. This was probably my favorite group of returnees since they started doing this; I enjoyed all four in their original incarnations so it was A+ casting putting them all in at once. I liked Manon doing the tribute to her octopus fail. Vegan meringue and ice cream in the technical was fun to watch too, and I got a big laugh at Antony trying to turn his bowl upside down over Noel's head. I've started tuning out during the showstoppers, and the bûche entremet definitely sounded kind of dumb to me, but even with the goofy molds they all used their cakes all came out looking impressive. And Chiggs's with the pistachio and cardamom and mango and all sounded especially delicious. They really all did a great job, and Manon was a worthy New Year's winner.

I'm an avid viewer of Kids Baking Championship, and in my experience, the kidtestants they cast are as far as you can get from cutthroat or nasty. They're incredibly competent, and some of them are pretty precocious and camera-ready, but they're generally cute, sweet kids who love to bake and are really good at it. (Another plus for the show in my eyes is the hosts/judges who are super good at relating to children.) I've only seen a couple episodes of Junior Bake Off, but it seems accurate to say the skill level is lower. It's just an observation.

We watched while we were cooking this week. I'm glad they incorporated the Philippines story, but I think they could've talked a little more about it. It probably stuck in my head because I clipped a headline about it out of the actual newspaper to bring in to Current Events class. I don't think kids have either of those things anymore, lol. I thought this was pretty good. Very slick. The pacing could've been more even; I thought they spent too much time wandering around with the mountain climbing and other irrelevant details when I was ready by Episode 2 to find out what happened in court. But I am a lawyer, and I didn't much care for John and Todd, so that probably made it seem a little draggy. And I was totally surprised by Michael Avenatti's involvement. He's such a sleaze, and apparently always has been, it really didn't reflect the best light on their goals. I love a good David vs. Goliath story, but it's a little diminished when David is a jerk too. I really liked the framing of having all the interview subjects take the Pepsi Challenge though. That was a fun thread to follow.

Fair enough! 😄 He is never going to outrun that mousse thing. They already made a lot of (hilarious) hay about it on Extra Slice this week, and I know it's going to come up again when he's on the show next week. Just a classic moment. But I'll say that when they announced that challenge and showed the example, I figured the bakers would be assembling the tarts flat and piping the mousse inside the rings, and maybe part of the challenge would be getting the proportions right for it to stand up once it set. I was confused by the whole concept of freezing and cutting out the shapes, and trying to fit them in after the fact. So yeah maybe Sandro wasn't the only lost one. You can have some extra fun spotting the imperfections on the example plate while Paul and Prue are going on and on about what makes for a "perfect" technical. Back in the bygone days of the Masterclass episodes, I used to think Mary and Paul were more involved in the actual example baking, but I've since become more jaded, and I'm sure now that everything is made by production staff.

When I heard Netflix was making a documentary about a Pepsi sweepstakes, I thought it would be about the fiasco in the Philippines where the company ended up manufacturing hundreds of thousands of bottle caps with the winning number, and technically entitled all of those people to a million dollar prize. I remember hearing about both of these stories as a kid, but I guess I didn't realize how far apart they actually were in time. Pepsi clearly learned nothing between disasters, but I wonder if this doc will touch on the earlier drama at all.

It's Mr. Flagbeau, and I agree that the delivery is unforgettable. A ton of lines are memorable not (just) because they're funny, but because of how they landed. Case in point, I've just started my seasonal viewing, and I watched the Thanksgiving episode from the first season. There are quite a few lines just lodged in my brain, like Suzanne asking, "Anyone care for a homemade roll?" and wailing, "My pie burned up!" And especially Anthony leaving after dinner, saying, "Happy Thanksgiving; thanks again for turning me in for murder."

I hate feeling so underwhelmed and irritated going into the finale. I want to be excited and optimistic. But the show just isn't what it used to be. However I thought the signature and technical challenges were pretty good this week. Both made sense as patisserie challenges. Charlottes are just removed enough from what a home cook might think to do, but still in the wheelhouse of what we can do. And they are delicious. I liked the sound of everybody's, especially Sandro's with the banana and caramel and chocolate. And I had to roll my eyes yet again as Paul and Prue acted like they never heard of peanuts before, and recoiled at the idea of peanut and fruit. PB&J is a thing all over the world now, okay? Just get into it. I think vertical tarts were a smart challenge too, although it was obvious they didn't have enough time to make and cool their tart mousses, hence everyone sticking them in the freezer, and Paul's universal criticism that the consistency was bad. Poor Sandro, not able to figure out that cutting his circles of mousse in half should give him semicircles. The showstopper was, yeah, just another excuse to build a biscuit tower. I though Syabira's looked really impressive. She has been consistent in putting out really composed and elegant presentations, and this was no exception, down to the piping on the letters on the molecules. I liked Abdul's the best though, with the stained glass effect, even though it looked more like a Christmas tree to me than a rocket. He's been coming on really strong the last few weeks; I hope he gets the chance to show off even more of his potential in the final.

Dammit! I think you're right but that now guarantees that both of these will be stuck in my head all weekend. The charter school arc continues. Wasn't the rival school that got their mail a few episodes ago also a charter? I am intrigued to see how our heroes can come out on top on this one, and still have it be funny, because in the real world school choice is just a pit of despair. Loved seeing Leslie Odom Jr. as the sleazy CEO, and I'm glad they didn't let him leave without singing something, even if it was that jingle. I also liked seeing Tariq again. He is fully terrible as a boyfriend, but it doesn't look like they're actually going back to that well. And he's hilarious. I laughed when he said the on-sight words could catch hands. I might be wrong, but I thought he was clearly lying about having a new girlfriend, just as a defense response to Janine turning him down. When he picked up his phone it didn't look like he dialed or anything. I just thought that was part of the joke about him being terrible as a man. Who do we talk to about the Winston Duke thing? I just wanna register my support on the record.

I didn't realize they were into a new season. I'm going to have to dig that up! THIS. The judging is so goofy. One week someone can have terrible execution and great flavors, and win through, and some other time it'll taste great and look appalling, and it's "you can't just lean on your flavors." In past seasons people have been dinged and eliminated for presenting incomplete bakes, but Janusz is missing a whole spring roll and still comes in first or second in the technical. Bake Off always talks that good game that anyone can go at any time, but they definitely take past performance into consideration when they feel like it, and it also often seems like they change the weight and significance of each challenge on a whim as well. Sometimes a great technical or a remarkable signature matters more than the showstopper, and sometimes not. For me, that makes it really hard to understand why Maxy of all people got the chop this week, when everyone was more wretched than not. Top Chef makes a big deal too about their judging being week to week, but they're much more consistent with it. That Guardian article nailed it: "The solution appears simple enough: straightforward challenges (you can even repeat them from earlier episodes, we don’t care!), kinder judging and a bit more time. After all, Bake Off is supposed to be a show that encourages you to try it yourself. But with everything these bakers have been subjected to, no one would want to be in their shoes." Enough said.

But that doesn't explain the proving drawers. I don't think the "home kitchen" feel is the reason they do and don't provide certain things. Some contestants have speculated that they don't have enough or strong enough freezers, and don't use air conditioning to amp up the drama, which it naturally does. I know the show has shared reasons for some of that, but I'm inclined to think like the bakers. I don't think the production is actively sabotaging anything, but they do what they can to manipulate the circumstances so the content is as dramatic as possible.

I'm from the south, and S'mores are a summer-into-fall thing for me. I guess it's probably because we like camping and bonfires up through October, when it's getting brisk and chilly but not too cold to scare off the wimps like me. I agree with your whole post. Thanks to Roku I've been re-watching the first few series, and thinking much the same, that Bake Off has been getting a little less enjoyable each year. I haven't made up my mind on if it was the switch to Channel 4 that did it, or a change in producers, or just the natural way of long-running competitions or what, but Bake Off is different. There has always been a varied talent pool among the bakers, but in the last few series I've had the feeling they were casting for types and personalities, people who would be popular on the internet, instead of just good home bakers. I don't think in the first season they would've dreamt of casting someone who had never made custard before. Or take Janusz and his drip cakes; I think the show probably knew he was limited in real skills and knowledge, but he would be such a charmer that no one would care. And everyone knows the challenges have gotten out of hand, whether it's expecting them to make brioche or puff pastry in two hours, or asking them to study up on architecture and mechanical engineering in the evenings so they can sculpt a biscuit tower that moves. Whatever the reasons, I know I've found myself in the last few years being excited and making plans to catch the premiere, and then by the time we get to the semifinals, having to remind myself at the weekend that there was a new episode. World Market also carries varieties of digestives, including the chocolate and caramel ones that are basically a delightful pack of round Twixes. They have a not bad selection of UK and European treats and staples. (And this is not an ad, because otherwise I hate World Market.)

What the hell.

No production of Company is available to stream, as far as I know. (Would that it were! I would drop a hefty portion of my coastal elite fortune to see the original cast at home on demand.) Andre Braugher's two most mainstream, well-known projects, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and the critically acclaimed Homicide: Life on the Street, each ran for years on Fox and NBC respectively, no streaming required. Sorry you missed them. I was intrigued by the idea of the Second Chance, because I remember wishing for just such a thing years ago, for people like the Harriet Tubman contestant, and the guy who didn't get credit for his Sgt. Pepper's answer. It's a little disappointing that they only chose to invite people back from the most recent two seasons, and who just sort of ... didn't win. I was also disappointed no one knew Nina Simone today, and that she was mistaken for Aretha Franklin.

That would make sense. I didn't think Halloween was generally very popular in the UK, but I guess it would be something Noel was into. With all the talk now about sustainability it could be fun to try an austerity theme, like cooking from old wartime methods or using rations for the week. I guess they did something kind of similar the time they tried "alternative" ingredients. I was amused wondering when this week was filmed, since it was obviously not during spooky season. And I was disappointed that the challenges were just vaguely autumnal: apple cake and fake s'mores. The showstopper was pretty Halloween-y though, and Janusz and his cricket truffles did terrify me. I agreed with Abdul about it being a little silly for them to make digestives. I would never make graham crackers from scratch, even for Bake Off. Maybe on biscuit week. It's nice that Syabira got Star Baker, but it didn't seem like a very challenging week. I don't think she will make it to the finals; I'm still feeling Maxy, Sandro, and Janusz. Although Abdul could sneak in there. His lantern was impressive. And Maxy was a little fragile. I hope she will hold up. Kevin certainly lucked out. I thought the sloppiness of his spider would send him home; it truly did look awful. But I guess it tasted better than Dawn's biscuit bricks.

I don't want to do a lot of comparing this show to other shows, but I have to say I love that Abbott has its very own Eagleton, and part of me hopes the charter school is as rich a source of brilliant plot shenanigans as Eagleton was on Parks & Rec.

Ay yi yi. I mean, tacos? They have to be trolling. Especially because, so the tortillas were the only sort of baker-y part of the challenge, and then they didn't give them a press? Most home bakers who are interested in making tortillas are not in the kitchen pressing masa dough between pie plates, Bake Off. What a goofy challenge. They should've done sopapillas. In the signature I did like learning the names for a lot of the pretty things I see in bakeries around here but don't get because I don't know what to call them. I shall now definitely pick up a concha or two next time I see one. I think the bakers in all their research should've realized that chili peppers aren't quite such a ubiquitous feature in Mexican desserts. Good for Maxy getting another Star Baker. Her showstopper looked great. Someone on the Bake Down podcast had a good idea that Sandro should've flipped his mustache to a unibrow and it would've been a perfect Frida Kahlo homage. I have had very tasty corn custard and sweet corn ice cream (I'm currently living in the Midwest), so I was on board with Syabira's corn cake. I'm not sure it was as bad as they said. Kevin's pyramid looked amazing. I agree with Paul (the horror!); they're definitely separating out into tiers at this point. I figure Maxy, Sandro, Janusz, and Syabira seem like finalists. But I do think Kevin is a better baker than they've been giving him credit for as well. Sorry to see James go. There was just so much going on there with his showstopper; it sounded a mess with chocolate, lime, strawberries and cream, and of course chilis. I will miss him and his adorable accent. And it was sad to see Rebs go, just because she was so broken up about it, but it was definitely her time.

I thought this was an odd one, even for Bake Off. For a Bread Week, there wasn't a lot of bread baking. Paul didn't even get to stick his thumb in anyone's dough. The pizza challenge and whatever those things were in the showstopper were all about the toppings and fillings. And the fillings and such didn't sound great. I know breakfast is supposed to be the one meal the English really excel at, but the thought of beans and black pudding and runny egg on a pizza turned my stomach. Really, they hardly mentioned the pizza crusts or the breads that went into the cake sandwiches at all, and I think they all ended up just making white bread? Yawn. The pan au raisin (?) thingies for the technical challenge did look and sound delicious, but that was a pastry challenge, now come on. It did please me that as Paul was going on and on about not wanting "tails" on the buns, the camera zoomed in on the tails on the example plate. In other news, Carole and her "apple catchers" made me laugh. And lucky for James, I finally learned his name this week since there were a manageable number of people to keep track of. I did presume from the start that no one would be eliminated, just out of fair play, so it wasn't very suspenseful on those grounds. Maybe that had something to do with the episode feeling weird.

As soon as I put together that Janine was getting booted in Philly I got my hopes up for a Sherry or Garfield cameo. I actively dislike sports, I don't like monsters, I don't really know what team he represents, but I love Gritty. I laughed at Gregory getting his Ben Wyatt on, though. This episode was great. Not just because of welcoming everybody back, but the whole development day idea, looking into what everybody does to prepare for their students was really great. I remember when I was in elementary school and we had "Staff Development" days I would wonder what they were doing; I doubt there were very many mixers. I love that we know a little bit about everybody's personal lives (Janine girl, let's get you some financial counseling), but that the show really is about school, and the characters as teachers. And custodians. And not storage-ass hoes.

That was funny, and I also laughed at Noel and his glee at getting to talk about flies while still being on topic. "On your marks, get set, flies." Garibaldis are my least favorite British biscuit. It doesn't help that they're called "squashed fly" biscuits, but even before I learned that they were off-putting for some reason. Maybe dried fruit just doesn't go in a biscuit. But, I did think they were a good choice for the technical challenge. Something simple and "classic" that you could figure out pretty easily. Except for the chocolate feathers, lol. All of the macarons were so pretty! I don't enjoy eating them, so I didn't pay that much attention to the details about any of them, but Maxy's did look really good, and her salted caramel flavor sounded delicious too. I like to see the bakers helping each other out as in Bake Off days of yore. More of Janusz offering finishing touch services to the other contestants, please. The contestants are starting to crystallize, and now I can call her Compost Carole instead of the lady with purple hair. It was surprising to see her struggle so much this week. Her mask was pretty before it collapsed. It was sad to see Maisam leave, but I forgot, or I guess I never took on board the fact that she's only 18. She was unlucky being the least good of a not so bad week. I figured when they pointed out that her mask was only gingerbread that would be enough to cut her. I could've seen it being Rebs instead, but it'd be hard to argue against her elimination either way.

Opinions are fine. But the facts are that immigration agencies in the US are still backed up in the same way today. The same quota -- or preference category -- systems still exist, and are just as, if not comparatively more stringent, because the demand is much greater now. Wait times for visa applications, particularly in India, China, and nations in South and Central America are decades long. Immigration courts are hugely backlogged as well. And despite how it might be spun in news outlets, people who are risking their lives to cross our borders to seek asylum are doing so legally, fleeing torture or persecution because of race, religion, political speech, and other horrors, because physical presence within this country is legally required to claim asylum here. Until it was made undeniable and inescapable, many people in the 30s didn't want to acknowledge that Jewish people in Europe were being persecuted, because it sounded outlandish and inhuman, and it was happening far away from them. I see yet another parallel to that in how people view immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers today.

I'm so happy this show is back for another season. I never heard anything about it after Season 1 years ago, so I just figured it was over. The premiere was great. I'm glad the diabolical TV people are still after Ursula, I'm glad to see Tati making gazpacho and Andres talking to the Moon, and I'm sorry but intrigued that Renaldo is being haunted by a pageant queen. I hope there won't be a lot more focus on Tico's daughter. Tico either, actually. And I really, really hope whoever is in charge of HBO leaves this show alone to be its wonderful self.

Thanks for this heads up! I saw the first couple seasons when they were easier to ... obtain ... but it's been years since. I just re-watched the first series. It is very fun to look back at those 2010s production values and styling choices, and to compare how much of a glow up everybody had as soon as the show really started taking off. I'm surprised by how few of the contestants I remembered apart from the winner, meanwhile I recalled pretty much all of the little detours, especially the pudding and pie making. And I was very much not surprised by how much I preferred those early challenges. With the new series premiering, it did not escape me that the very first showstopper challenge was to make a chocolate "celebration" cake, and this year they were ask to build a 3D cake house.

My family calls it gravy frosting, I guess because it starts with a roux. But it is good stuff. We use it for red velvet cake of course, and I use it in anything that calls for whipped cream frosting because that stuff is gross. I think you might be referring to the lovely Jurgen? Giuseppe (though also lovely) was from Italy.

Sheree finally spoke on her site launch woes. And nothing of substance was shared: This is nonsense. From what I can tell, she's admitting to doing private label for the site and trying to bluster through all the questions and criticisms because everybody does it, and if you knew anything about fashion you'd know that, lol. But Sheree was the one blowing this up, to the last minute talking about designs and fabrics and pieces, and creating the fiction that she was going to produce actual fashion. And Sheree was the one who ultimately delivered a glitchy website full of a bunch of private label copies available elsewhere. Even if Sheree decided she'd go that way to just be done with it, she had her entire filming period and like a year after that to prepare her things and set expectations, so 1) the merch that's up on the site would actually be ready, and 2) everybody would know they were basically getting fan merch. And 3) none of it should be priced over $100, I don't care what she says. This stumbling, bumbling interview makes me feel a little sorry for Sheree. She clearly had no real passion for clothing or design, at least since right after her original show flopped. She should've just said when Andy first asked about it that she was focusing on her kids, or her house, or anything else. It would've still been a joke, because "She by Sheree" is just funny, but nobody would've expected her to actually make anything of it.

I always forget that there are so many of them at the beginning. It makes it hard for people to stand out, but they all seem lovely in general. I did remember Sandro, Max, and Janusz having a lot of personality and promise. And the lady with purple hair too. And good for Janusz being the first ever Star Caker. All the signature cakes seemed a little off to me; I think a sandwich cake you should be able to pick up and eat in a bite or two, but they were all so big. I of course rolled my eyes at the 3D showstopper, and none of them stood out to me, i.e. I can't remember anything about of them from Tuesday night except a lingering question about what pebble dash is. The red velvet challenge made me wonder how it is they've never had a US baker on the show before. There are plenty of American traitors living in the UK, but unless I'm forgetting someone, none have ever made it into the tent.