babs1226

It seems that most people I've seen feedback from feel that Billie was robbed. I agree to an extent, because what she did was really impressive for 40 minutes. In fairness to Julie, though, having to cook lamb to just right is more challenging for most cooks than making a parfait is for Billie. She is an amazing cook, no doubt, and she's a genius with flavors. I just feel like Julie had to work harder to produce a dish as delicious as Billie's. The judges said that they decided that Julie's was the dish they would want to eat over and over. Was it fixed for Julie? Maybe. I'm willing to bet that Julie will use her pin the next time she has to cook in an elimination.

I like all 3 UK versions: professional, amateur & celebrity.

When he was on the phone with her, you could see photos of her on his wall. He was definitely stalking her.

Doesn't it seem like every time they show someone bragging like that, they stuff up?

I think they only did that so they wouldn't have 3 fans in the bottom 4. Billie has probably done more pressure tests than anyone else in the competition. My sense is that they used her as a place holder, because they were fairly confident that she would nail it.

I have to agree with you. I thought this was a pretty weak group of amateur cooks, but I think maybe we were spoiled after last season. Since we didn't see the auditions, I also wonder what they cooked to get into the top 12. It makes me think of that awful season 5, where they brought 22 people into the room on day 1 and said "congrats, you're our top 22." We know how that season turned out. I'm not saying this season is like that one, but it's difficult to imagine any of the 4 remaining "fans" making it to the final. Unless of course the show makes sure one of them does.

I was holding my breath at the end and hoping that the little montage Harry got meant that she was going home. I would have been devastated if they sent Daniel home instead. I'm sure Harry's been kicking herself ever since for straying from what she does best. I am glad she did. I am happy to see her gone. I knew what song Marco was referring to as soon as he mentioned it. I remembered that it was Bobby Sherman who sang it, and that I was in high school when the song came out. Nice to know it was a hit outside the US.

I thought this pressure test was kind of boring. I think I like Marco best when he is pushing the cooks. I thought it was funny that Mel referred to Montana as a dark horse and then she didn't make the grade. If there was a dark horse in the challenge, it was Keyma. Someone on another forum was complaining yesterday that Keyma and Steph don't get enough attention. Sometimes you have to give it time. I think Keyma is the most versatile cook of the remaining "fans." I don't think we have seen Daniel make a dessert yet. I agree about Montana seeming to be out of her depth. Harry can just leave any time as far as I'm concerned. I find her presence annoying, and I don't think she's an impressive cook.

It looks like the winner of Celebrity MCAU will be in the Master Class tonight. I don't remember his name, but I liked him, and I was happy that he won.

Thanks, gf! :) I must have zoned out because I remember Jock's feedback, and some of Mel's, but not all of Mel's and not Andy's. How odd! Oh, maybe that was when I got a text from my sister! That would make sense.

@SnazzyDaisy You posted while I was typing. Your post is very entertaining! I agree with everything you said. LOL'd at Andy's comment about Billie. I must have missed it. Really, Andy?

@katisha In Billie's season, she was pretty much invisible until later in the season, if I recall correctly. She just quietly cooked her way to the top. It was such a pleasure to see her win. Heston Blumenthal was a guest judge and offered her a job at the Fat Duck right after the finale. I enjoyed the service challenge as well, but the judges continue to annoy me with vague feedback. They really kind of suck at it. It's too easy to tell when they are being sincere and when they are making sh*t up. Montana annoyed me when she mentioned that she beat Billie in two service challenges. It's a good thing that she mentioned that this was the first time one on one. Based on her dessert this time, I think it's fairly clear that she wasn't the driving force behind the fans' winning dessert team. Seriously, she knew she was going up against Billie, and the best she could come up with was a lump of (disgusting sounding) ice cream and some sliced berries? It was a perfect opportunity for a crumb! Maybe she doesn't know how to make a crumb? I guess we will see.

It was sad to see Matt go, and I would have much preferred that it be Montana, but I thought she did a great job of improvising at the end. If Matt hadn't stuffed up the cake portion, it might have been a different outcome, but we'll never know. I liked when the guest judge told Montana not to worry about what the other contestants were doing. I wish the judges would say that to all pressure test contestants, as I think some of them get more stressed out about keeping up with everyone else than about their own dish. I remember Therese's last pressure test where she was so concerned about doing everything quickly that she took no care to make sure she did everything right. Fortunately, the others in that cook didn't try to keep up with her. So far in this competition I haven't really seen any remarkable ability from the fans, especially compared to last year. It's hard at this point to imagine any of them in the final. We shall see.

Does anyone remember, in at least one original recipe season, if someone played their immunity pin, which of course they had to do before the cook, the lowest ranking contestant that was safe had to take their place? It was probably just one season, thankfully. I really like the way they do it now, where they can play the pin at any time, but it sucks for the other folks in the challenge. I really like Ali, and I am sorry to see her go. They obviously want Matt to stay, as he got the coaching about the broccoli, but I can't help but wonder how things would have turned out if he stuck with the broccoli. This is the first time that I can remember watching an elimination and not wanting anyone to go home, after Sarah dropped out.

@SnazzyDaisy Perhaps they will do something similar later in the season, maybe in place of the mystery box. I think of the mystery box as an invention test, so I don't really miss the other. They have had more service challenges so far, probably because of the two team thing. Now that it's done, maybe they will vary things. I did like the fact that this service challenge was for immunity and not for elimination purposes.