S10.E06: Dessert Week

[Athena]

Quote

The cake layers stack up in an elegant and challenging bake. There's also a spherical celebration cake and a Technical where success lies in precise decoration.

Channel 4 UK Air date: October 1, 2019.

Netflix USA Streaming date: October 4, 2019. 

[halopub]

Overall the baking competence was up this week and the episode felt more like GBBO to me.

David and Steph's meringues were gorgeous. I thought Prue was unnecessarily critical about the color of Priya's. It was no different than the color of blueberry yogurt.

I sort of chuckled when all the bakers slow walked their technicals to the table and Noel had to be asked to refrain from jokes.

Was Henry wearing a spider web pin in Helena's honor?

Loved the striking look of Rosie's ruby bombe.

It was nice of the show to actually show some of Sandi's interactions with the contestants, including the laddie club chat by the fridge.

I'd like to try the spiced honey mousse and shiso sorbet. I've made fresh shiso juice and can see how it'd might work in a dessert.

"I knew what I was going to nick from the tent." Poor Henry did look pretty despondent before the judgements were announced - he was just draped on David while sitting on the outside couch.

Closeups of the showstoppers

Closeups of the signatures

[allonsyalice]

Priya's parting words made me tear up.

[jpgr]

4 hours ago, halopub said:

Was Henry wearing a spider web pin in Helena's honor?

He had a small Welsh flag pin (for Michelle) and the spider web (for Helena). What a sweetie!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Yay, dessert week!

I'm not a huge fan of pavlovas and meringue cakes. I don't dislike them but I don't looooove them. When Prue said that the danger was in the bakers overcomplicating their meringue cakes, I thought well, yeah, because if they do a classic one, half the time they're criticized for playing it safe.

I am not crazy about spice desserts so when David said he was making his meringues with clove, star anise, and cinnamon, I wasn't too enthused. His fig and blackberry meringue cake with vanilla crème diplomat turned out very pretty. He had just the right amount of figs and blackberries on top to decorate it.

Henry's pistachio meringue with chocolate crème pâtissière and raspberry jam looked messy and wonky.

Rosie's salted caramel French meringue with raspberries, cream, raspberry lime curd and chocolate ganache was simple looking but it sounded really delicious. Hush your mouth, Paul! Chocolate goes with raspberries and salted caramel!

Alice's black forest inspired cake with chocolate meringue, chocolate mousse, cherry buttercream, and cherry compote sounded really good. Unfortunately the chocolate mousse melted and left her cake looking like baby diarrhea. The cherry blossom meringue arch she mad to top the cake was very pretty and added some nice height.

Steph's Eton mess inspired cake with pistachio meringue, raspberries, white chocolate cream cheese, and candied pistachio spikes was very elegant.

Michael's chocolate orange cake with orange crème au beurre filling, caramelized hazelnut spikes, chocolate meringue, and dark chocolate orange ganache looked very simple. It's too bad that so much of the moisture trapped by the chocolate ganache seeped into the meringue and softened it.

Priya's meringue cake with amaretto crème pâtissière, almond dacquoise, and blueberry crème au beurre was very colorful thanks to the blueberries and flowers. Oh, girl, when Prue says you've used too much alcohol, you really have a heavy hand - like Sandra Lee level.

The technical had a lot of components. Two and a half hours to make mango compote, coconut panna cotta, raspbery jelly, coconut lime streusel and a biscuit? Sheesh. And when announcing what the technical challenge is, the bakers clearly do not need to spend that much time listening to Noel and Sandy fuck around. Stop making lame jokes and let them get started!

This technical showed exactly why you need to read ALL of the instructions before you begin making anything. If they had read that the biscuit had to be balanced on top of the glass, some of them might have chosen something slightly larger to cut them out.

Wow, this is David's FOURTH time coming in second in the technical challenge? Always the bridesmaid. Congratulations to Alice for winning!

Bombes are the kind of showstopper that seem simple in theory but can go terribly wrong if things don't set.

Michael is honestly not my favorite baker left, but I totally cracked up when he said it was his birthday so he might go into the judging blind drunk. His black forest bombe with cherry cheesecake, cherry jelly, chocolate almond mousse, and chocolate cherry Italian meringue sounded good, but I wasn't sure if the freeze dried cherries would provide enough cherry flavor in the cherry cheesecake. Although Paul thought it looked very gaudy and 70s, I liked that he made a lot more effort with decorating than usual and that it was neat (he sometimes gets a bit messy). I think maybe if he'd used different colors, the judges would have liked it better.

A lot of people were up in arms about some of the women having their hair down in the kitchen and POTENTIALLY losing a stray hair into their food, so how do we feel about Paul sticking his finger straight into Michael's cheesecake batter?

Alice's tiramisu bombe with espresso soaked genoise sponge, espresso chocolate mousse, pistachio praline parfait, and mascarpone rum mousse looked exactly like I expected it to.

Priya's summer fruit bombe with creme de cassis soaked sponge, dark chocolate mousse, summer fruit bavarois, raspberry meringue shards, and dark chocolate ganache was not elegant as Paul said it was. The meringue shards are what went wrong for me. They were not all the same height and they made the cake look a bit childish.

Steph's bombe with dark chocolate mousse, coffee bavarois, amaretto soaked jaconde sponge, and chocolate glaze sounded good. All of those flavors go together well. I was glad that her mirror glaze didn't lose any shine while it was setting in the freezer. Awwww, I loved that David told Noel that he wanted her to win star baker for the third week in a row. Paul said that her bombe was perfection but she still didn't get a handshake!

Henry's idea to put cardboard circles between each layer so he could chill it all at once was interesting, but I was wondering why he didn't add a layer of plastic wrap (with the edges hanging over the edge of the bowl) to help him separate the layers when he took it out of the freezer. His bonfire bombe with cinnamon meringue, apple mousse, spiced honey mousse, cinnamon sponge, and cinnamon chantilly cream sounded like way too much cinnamon.

David took a huge risk making a sorbet. His rose/cabbage bombe with lemon pistachio genoise, lemon and shiso sorbet, raspberry and white chocolate mousse, and raspberry and rose jelly was pretty. I liked the piping technique he used on the outside.

Rosie's sunset bombe with honey cake, mango bavarois, lemon and hibiscus mousse, and caramelized salted white chocolate was so bright and pretty. I loved the pink and yellow colors inside too.

I'm surprised that Priya lasted this long so I can't say I'm shocked that she was eliminated.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Recipes

Signature challenge
Rosie's salted caramel, chocolate, and raspberry meringue cake

Technical challenge
Prue's verrines

Showstopper challenge
Alice's pistachio tiramisu bombe
Steph's cho-fee lava bombe
 

[Danny Franks]

As desserts go, everything produced this week was kind of disappointing. Not because of the bakers, but because of the challenges themselves. Meringue cakes? Eh, I'll pass.

Prue was definitely overly harsh to Priya, about her "disgusting mauve"  mousse (or whatever it was). Yes, it looked like a blueberry yogurt, and that makes me think that Prue is far too posh for such a common fruit.

I like Priya a lot, she seems like she'd be fun to hang out with. But she definitely deserved to go.

And I really liked Steph's interactions with Noel this week. She's coming out of her shell a lot more, after starting off fairly quiet. I guess three star baker awards will do that.

Henry getting offended when Paul doubted his jam making skills was funny.

I'm really enjoying the expressions on their faces as the technicals are announced and described. They all looked so baffled and mortified this week. But it was just a panna cotta dressed up as a cheesecake. As desserts go, I find panna cottas somewhat boring. 

It sucks for Michael that he had to bake for other people, on his birthday. I can't help but feel he's doomed to be next to go. He's bringing up the rear every week.

"I drink a lot of coffee." You know, I never would have predicted that, Alice.

[TVbitch]

David's signature was as pretty as the illustration of it. Too bad the flavors were too much. I think he is the only real challenger for Steph if he can get his flavors right.

I thought Priya should have gone last week, so glad she wasn't carried along again. 

Edited October 2, 2019 by TVbitch

[ShortyMac]

As soon as David mentioned his spices in his meringue, I knew it wouldn't work. It didn't appeal to me at all. I'm glad it failed. lol

I also knew that chocolate would not work with Rosie's lime curd. Raspberry, yes. Saw that coming a mile away. 

Like Noel, I thought for sure that Steph would have gotten a handshake for her bombe. 

I so wanted Alice's and Steph's bombes. Coffee and chocolate together is one of my favorite things. 

Steph is Star Baker three weeks in a row. Wow. I think I'd like her mom - "Bloody hell!"

Not sad to see Priya go. 

[bybrandy]

I thought Priya should have gone twice now.   I didn't think she should have gone this week but I think 3 weeks in the bottom is enough to send anybody home so I am fine with her going.  I worry Rosie and then Michael are next.   

This episode felt more like GBBO to me than the previous two. I  was really only interested in trying a couple of recipes but I laughed many times and I have to say watching them all unmold their bombes was as tense as many suspensea sequences I've ever seen.

What is the difference between pavlova and meringue cake?   
 

Steph's mum's awed "bloody hell" and Steph's admonition not to curse?  Both hysterical.   

I think the parfait... um... insert fancy word here... looked good but I don't really want to buy fancy glassware to make a dessert.

[3 is enough]

I just love Steph.  She is so quiet, just plugging away, no drama.

I hope she wins it all.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 10/2/2019 at 5:49 AM, Danny Franks said:

Prue was definitely overly harsh to Priya, about her "disgusting mauve"  mousse (or whatever it was). Yes, it looked like a blueberry yogurt, and that makes me think that Prue is far too posh for such a common fruit.

If Prue was THAT opposed to the color (which I thought was fine, for the record), she should have offered some kind of suggestion. She could have told Priya to combine the blueberries with a more strongly colored fruit to make a darker/more pleasing color (maybe blackberries or boysenberries?). Or she could have told her to add food coloring (butterfly pea or blue spirulina for natural blue color or just straight up regular blue food dye). 

[kittykat]

After the last two over gimmicky weeks it was nice to get back to good ol desserts.

I know Alice can be a bit much but I love that instead of being upset over not being SB that she just hoped Steph would now know how good she was.  THAT'S WHY I STILL WATCH!

Paul and Prue are being downright Savage with the comments here.  I felt like the bakers couldn't win with the signature.  Prue didn't want them overcomplicating things but God forbid they play it safe.  Henry's tasted good but didn't look good, David looked good but didn't taste good.  Oy.

I did like the technical.  A good "lots of simple elements done precisely.". I'm just glad no one biffed it horribly.

Same with the showstoppers.  I did worry for Henry since it did not look that appetizing but after the travesty of the last week boots I'm glad Priya's number was up.

Unless one of them royally screws up a Steph, David, Alice final is looking likely.  I hope David gets an SB win soon. I don't see Michael or Rosie lasting, Henry could be a dark horse.

I still can't help but feel that something about this season feels off but I'm still enjoying the remaining bakers.

[dleighg]

I really wondered why Alice didn't think to wrap a warm, wet, dishtowel around her bombe to get it to unmold.

Edited October 4, 2019 by dleighg

[lilwhitelion]

50 minutes ago, kittykat said:

After the last two over gimmicky weeks it was nice to get back to good ol desserts.

I know Alice can be a bit much but I love that instead of being upset over not being SB that she just hoped Steph would now know how good she was.  THAT'S WHY I STILL WATCH!

Paul and Prue are being downright Savage with the comments here.  I felt like the bakers couldn't win with the signature.  Prue didn't want them overcomplicating things but God forbid they play it safe.  Henry's tasted good but didn't look good, David looked good but didn't taste good.  Oy.

I did like the technical.  A good "lots of simple elements done precisely.". I'm just glad no one biffed it horribly.

Same with the showstoppers.  I did worry for Henry since it did not look that appetizing but after the travesty of the last week boots I'm glad Priya's number was up.

Unless one of them royally screws up a Steph, David, Alice final is looking likely.  I hope David gets an SB win soon. I don't see Michael or Rosie lasting, Henry could be a dark horse.

I still can't help but feel that something about this season feels off but I'm still enjoying the remaining bakers.

Here's an article from USA Today about this season emphasizing style over substance.  

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2019/10/04/great-british-baking-show-bake-off-season-10-train-wreck-netflix/3851083002/

[peeayebee]

On 10/2/2019 at 2:41 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Michael's chocolate orange cake with orange crème au beurre filling, caramelized hazelnut spikes, chocolate meringue, and dark chocolate orange ganache looked very simple. 

I thought it needed more decoration, but actually if it were a mirror glaze I think it would have been really pretty.

Quote

A lot of people were up in arms about some of the women having their hair down in the kitchen and POTENTIALLY losing a stray hair into their food, so how do we feel about Paul sticking his finger straight into Michael's cheesecake batter?

Yup. There was too much finger-licking in this ep. Ugh.

Quote

Priya's summer fruit bombe with creme de cassis soaked sponge, dark chocolate mousse, summer fruit bavarois, raspberry meringue shards, and dark chocolate ganache was not elegant as Paul said it was. The meringue shards are what went wrong for me. They were not all the same height and they made the cake look a bit childish.

Agree. The meringue rods steepled up made it all look like a setup for a campfire.

Quote

Paul said that her bombe was perfection but she still didn't get a handshake!

I'm drawing a blank, but has Paul ever given a handshake on a Showstopper Challenge? I was thinking maybe he's only given them during Signature & Technical Challenges.

Quote

Henry's idea to put cardboard circles between each layer so he could chill it all at once was interesting, but I was wondering why he didn't add a layer of plastic wrap (with the edges hanging over the edge of the bowl) to help him separate the layers when he took it out of the freezer. 

That would have been smart.

I was wondering if it would help removing the bombes if you grease the bowl before you put in the plastic wrap.

On 10/2/2019 at 5:49 AM, Danny Franks said:

Henry getting offended when Paul doubted his jam making skills was funny.

"The cheek!"

I loved the look of David's meringue cake. The powdered sugar on the fruit was so pretty. And Steph's cake with the pistachios's around the edges was beautiful.

In the Showstopper, I thought David's cake looked like a pinecone. Not that that's bad, but it's not a rose.

The decoration on top of Alice's bombe was so cool. It looked like someone had dropped some balls into a pool of chocolate.

I was sure that Henry was going home. His Showstopper got the most severe criticism. I think everything about it was criticized.

Edited October 4, 2019 by peeayebee

[Jenniferbug]

I'm not enjoying this season nearly as much as previous ones. The contestants are nice enough, but I feel like we're missing the gravitas and experience brought by some of the older contestants in the past. I can't shake the feeling that this group knows this show can lead to stardom, and are gunning for it. I don't really know why I feel that way- it's not any specific contestant or event I can point to, it's just a weird feeling I have. Maybe because the cast this year is so young, photogenic, but don't seem to have the basic knowledge of past contestants? 

Also the more I get to know Prue, the less I like her. She has made some downright rude comments this season, and they're not tempered by also giving advice. She seemed very unlikable this episode. 

I do enjoy Noel and Sandi so I'm glad to have them around and Paul is same as ever. 

The challenges this week were certainly better than the last few weeks. I'm not sure anything will be worse than the finalists cooking on a campfire last season, but some this season have been close! 

I figured Priya was gone when they actually showed she had a personality for the first time. 

This season just doesn't have the same charm as previous seasons, and that makes me so sad. 

[krankydoodle]

9 minutes ago, Jenniferbug said:

I figured Priya was gone when they actually showed she had a personality for the first time.

They kept mentioning that she tends to talk a lot, but I don't remember seeing much evidence of that.

I've never really warmed to Prue, but I was surprised by how negative she was about Priya's meringue. They've generally been a bit more diplomatic in their criticism, like describing something as 'unappetizing' or 'clumsy.' To say that the color was outright horrible seemed a bit much. I wonder if they've been told to stop pulling punches during judging.

I also thought it was a bit awkward of Noel to ask David about the possibility of Steph winning star baker again. I did like seeing the bakers just hanging out together, though. Anyway, I agree that the show has become much less enjoyable than it used to be.

[Danny Franks]

15 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

If Prue was THAT opposed to the color (which I thought was fine, for the record), she should have offered some kind of suggestion. She could have told Priya to combine the blueberries with a more strongly colored fruit to make a darker/more pleasing color (maybe blackberries or boysenberries?). Or she could have told her to add food coloring (butterfly pea or blue spirulina for natural blue color or just straight up regular blue food dye). 

I don't think Prue has ever given constructive feedback. I remember commenting last year that I was sick of hearing "not your best" because it was unhelpful, meaningless and banal.

At least Paul, for however overbearing he may be at times, always seems to want people to improve. He'll give sound advice even to someone who has completely cocked up and is surely going home. He seems to actually appreciate the learning and thought processes and preparation that goes into everything that all the bakers create.

5 hours ago, kittykat said:

I know Alice can be a bit much but I love that instead of being upset over not being SB that she just hoped Steph would now know how good she was.  THAT'S WHY I STILL WATCH!

There's almost no attempt to catch people looking uncharitable or jealous, and you know that there are reaction shots that could be edited in to make people look like villains. But that's simply not the ethos of the show.

I really liked Alice saying that about Steph, because it shone a light on both of them - Steph, who has said before that she has always felt average and unremarkable, and Alice who is clearly a motivating, positive Good Person and a natural school teacher.

Edited October 5, 2019 by Danny Franks

[Rinaldo]

On 10/2/2019 at 1:00 PM, ShortyMac said:

Like Noel, I thought for sure that Steph would have gotten a handshake for her bombe.

44 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

I'm drawing a blank, but has Paul ever given a handshake on a Showstopper Challenge? I was thinking maybe he's only given them during Signature & Technical Challenges.

Handshakes are never given during Technical challenges -- they're done blind and the judges stay on the far side of the table. And they're almost never given for Showstoppers -- I can't say absolutely never, because I have a vague memory of one or two happening over the years (maybe Rahul got one for a Showstopper last year?) Really handshakes are 95% confined to the Signature challenges, with the judges moving from station to station.

I too was sure Henry was leaving. And though in a sense he might have earned that, I would be sorry to lose him, as his quietly snarky sense of humor greatly appeals to me. It's been often directed at himself, but he got in a good one at Paul this time ("the cheek!"), and his closing comments about polishing up his farewell speech and planning what to nick were treasurable. So was the sight of him on the exterior bench, snuggled up against David's shoulder.

[dleighg]

10 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

So was the sight of him on the exterior bench, snuggled up against David's shoulder.

I get that they were hanging out on the outdoor chairs while Paul and Prue decided the winner and loser. But why did they also show the same sort of thing right after they finished their showstoppers, and before the judging? I mean, there's no reason to have a gap (and every reason not to, since those things are chilled, right?) IIRC they showed them running out to the chairs with a "thank God that's over!" vibe.

Edited October 4, 2019 by dleighg

[Snow Fairy]

Maybe they waited for the crew to clean up the tent?

[jpgr]

15 minutes ago, Snow Fairy said:

Maybe they waited for the crew to clean up the tent?

That's exactly it. On the Bake Down podcast (referenced in the Media thread), Jane talked about how the bakers leave the tent for about an hour and a half after completing the Showstoppers. They eat lunch while the tent is cleaned up, so their bakes have to sit for that amount of time before judging.

[Adiba]

Rahul got the first showstopper handshake and then Ruby a few minutes later, as I recall. 

This episode felt like GBBO of seasons past more than the last two. I agree that Prue is sometimes harsh without giving any constructive advice— at least Paul tells them where they’ve gone wrong in the process. Mary Berry often seemed to temper her criticism with something positive if possible.

[dleighg]

3 minutes ago, jpgr said:

They eat lunch while the tent is cleaned up, so their bakes have to sit for that amount of time before judging.

didn't many of the bakers have things that would not necessarily "sit well"?

[Rinaldo]

I haven't heard the podcast, but that's exactly the conclusion I came to, long ago. During judging, the tent always looks clean and pristine, and it sure doesn't look that way the moment they've finished their work. Clearly, everyone had to exit while a general cleanup took place. (And I even privately assume that "Place your creation at the end of the bench" is at least partly to make sure that the crew doesn't throw out anything they shouldn't.)

[Margo Leadbetter]

As much as I like this group personally for how supportive they are of each other, they’re definitely not the most talented bunch. At this point in the show’s run, for a contestant to say they’ve never made something as basic as choux or a genoise is almost unbelievable. The show has always claimed that these are supposed to be the best amateur bakers in the UK, but if that’s the case here, someone must have drained the talent pool because it’s awfully shallow (with a couple of exceptions). Whether or not it has to do with their overwhelming youth, I don’t know—17-year-old Martha almost always killed it—but there’s something to be said for experience and that’s sorely lacking here. Sadly, I think the show has finally run its course and should probably be put out to pasture. As much as I’d hate to see it go, I’d hate it much more if it became such a joke that that would be what people would remember, instead of the incredibly fresh and charming show that was so beloved.

ETA I guess when they were making such a big deal about Stef possibly being named star baker three times in a row as something that never happened before, they were only talking about the current run because I’m pretty sure Ian was the first to accomplish that feat.

Edited October 4, 2019 by Margo Leadbetter

[Athena]

1 hour ago, Adiba said:

This episode felt like GBBO of seasons past more than the last two. I agree that Prue is sometimes harsh without giving any constructive advice— at least Paul tells them where they’ve gone wrong in the process. Mary Berry often seemed to temper her criticism with something positive if possible.

I don't mind Prue, but she's not the best judge. Paul and Mary are better. Mary was known to be extremely nice and was actually too helpful to the bakers in earlier seasons that producers had to tell her to stop with the tips. I think Paul has softened his own criticism to compensate for how Prue is a more critical judge. 

1 hour ago, Margo Leadbetter said:

ETA I guess when they were making such a big deal about Stef possibly being named star baker three times in a row as something that never happened before, they were only talking about the current run because I’m pretty sure Ian was the first to accomplish that feat.

Aside from Steph and Ian, the first person to become Star Baker three weeks a row was Richard Burr in BBC Series 5. Richard was a fantastic baker and got SB five times overall. I do really like Steph. She's basically getting a Nadiya edit. She's gaining more confidence by the week and she doesn't really know how good she is. 

I don't think the issue is with this individuals in this group. They all seem to adore each other and we do have some entertaining and good bakers. The producers casting inexperience is the issue. I prefer this season a smidge more than the last one because the challenges were more overwrought and while Rahul was a good baker, he looked perpetually stressed out.

[MisterGlass]

Thanks @Athena, I thought Richard had a three win run.  And good for Steph.  Her bombe was beautiful and sounded delicious. 

I thought it was Michael's turn to go, but I'm not surprised to see Priya leave.  I am sure she was on probation in the judge's minds.  I also want to defend the color of her blueberry cream - it looked exactly the same as blueberry ice cream, and perfectly normal.

I thought Henry would never get his mousse separated from the cardboard circles.  I half expected a piece of cardboard to still be in it when Pru was raking through the mousse with a fork.

I was reminded this episode that while it's "Where's Waldo?" in the US, it's "Where's Wally?" in most places.  Noel's sweater did remind me of the books.

[Mabinogia]

25 minutes ago, MisterGlass said:

I also want to defend the color of her blueberry cream - it looked exactly the same as blueberry ice cream, and perfectly normal.

Yeah, I didn't get what was so horrifying about the color. It was a light, soft color. Maybe not the most appetizing color of food, but then I don't think a lot of the garish colors used to decorate cakes are that appetizing looking, the ones that are so clearly just food coloring. At least this one looked like it was because of the color of the food. 

I was worried Michael would go on his birthday weekend. So glad that didn't happen. Priya, as much as I liked her, has been circling the drain for a few weeks now. It was well past her time. 

I am having a struggle with this season. I pretty much love all the bakers. Sure they aren't the most talented bunch but they all seem to genuinely care about each other and bonded in a way I haven't seen in a while. However, this season feels far more produced for drama than previous seasons. It feels more like a standard competition show than the casual baking show I grew to love (by the first ep I ever watched. Seriously, I haven't fallen in love with a show that quickly in a very long time.) I just so wish these bakers had been on the old BBC version of the show. I almost wonder if their skills would seem better too, without stupid themes like the last two we had. 1920s? How is that even a baking theme? Desserts. THAT is a baking theme, and one of my favorites, probably because it's not the same thing over and over. 

[peeayebee]

5 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

Handshakes are never given during Technical challenges -- they're done blind and the judges stay on the far side of the table.

Of course! Thanks for the reminder. 

[kittykat]

I know that the themes always included are: Cake, biscuit, bread, dessert, pastry and patisserie (which is usually week 9).  That leaves about 3 themes that are up in the air.  Earlier seasons did ones like: sweet dough, tarts, puddings.  Later seasons added an international week like Italian or Danish. Bi wish they went back to those simpler themes.

I've been having issues with the technicals as well.  This one was fine and I'm mostly ok with Paul's but I feel a lot of Prues have been ridiculously hard to the point that it's not enjoyable.  I get they want to push the bakers but there's a line.

Although I do think there isn't the normal amount of talent this year.  Again there needs to be a list of "things you must know" before going on the show.

[Snow Fairy]

The blueberry color was better for me than the sunset cake. Those colors inside were too bright and not so appetizing.

Don't they put their cakes in the frigde during the cleaning? It tends to be extremely hot in the tent, for an hour and a half even the best cake would lose its touch

[GaT]

9 hours ago, Jenniferbug said:

I'm not enjoying this season nearly as much as previous ones.

I feel the same way, only I don't know why. It just seem to be missing something.

[Snow Fairy]

For me, this season misses Mary. And even Mel and Sue. 

Edited October 5, 2019 by Snow Fairy

[Writing Wrongs]

I just re-watched all the seasons on Netflix and Paul has given a handshake on a Showstopper before, I just can't remember which season. 

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, Writing Wrongs said:

I just re-watched all the seasons on Netflix and Paul has given a handshake on a Showstopper before, I just can't remember which season. 

It was Rahul who got the Showstopper handshake.

[libgirl2]

I enjoyed  this episode a bit more than the others as it was said, it felt more GGB. I"m still not super impressed with the bakers but I"m warming to them. I knew David's signature would tast awful. Too many harsh flavors but it was gorgeous. I am thrilled for Steph. As soon as I saw that bombe I knew if it tasted good should would get star baker. And if what nice to see a technical that no one "bombed' on.

[Rickster]

18 hours ago, lilwhitelion said:

Here's an article from USA Today about this season emphasizing style over substance.  

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2019/10/04/great-british-baking-show-bake-off-season-10-train-wreck-netflix/3851083002/

Maybe this belongs in the media thread, but I'm curious if  UK press reviews been having the same reaction to the trend of the show since the move from the BBC.

[Mezzaluna]

It took me a while to put my finger on what was different about this season - very few "senior" bakers. Usually we'd have a few bakers with much more baking experience (good or bad) and so the outcome of the bakes was more varied.

At this point the bakers who are left have a collective sameness. Not that I don't love them! But I'm not seeing anyone who's over-the-top except Steph in terms of winning it.

And I LOVE the chemistry between Noel and Sandy. Just as amusing as Mel and Sue but different.

[skipnjump]

Like some of the other posters, I'm not really into this season as much as other seasons.  The bakers really don't seem to have the skills that others have had in the past.  Maybe it was a deliberate casting choice to go for bakers without as much experience?  It's great that they are friendly, but casts in the past have been friendly and they had the skills. 

All I have to say is that if I got cast on the show, you know I would practice how to make things like choux paste, genoise, etc.  I'm also not a fan of Prue.  She doesn't give feedback very well.  With Priya, she needed to have offered alternatives for the blueberry color she thought was so awful.  Not just keep saying how awful it is.  And I'm not really a fan of her technical challenges.  I'll keep watching but then I'll go back and watch the past seasons....

[bugsmum]

I don’t like Prue. Part of the charm of this show has always been its good spirit.  Mary could find something positive even in something that was pretty much a disaster.  Prue just goes negative.  It’s unnecessary and it’s annoying. 

[lovinbob]

On 10/1/2019 at 7:28 PM, halopub said:

Loved the striking look of Rosie's ruby bombe.

Oh boy, I didn't. Not bad from the outside, I guess, thought I agreed that torching it wasn't a great idea. But the inside looked so harsh and artificial. All I could think is what a mess it would make. 

I positively hated Michael's bombe. I remember back in season 2 when Paul would criticize Brendan for his retro bakes, but they were always neat and well presented--just dated looking. Michael's was messy and ugly. Reminded me of a dessert Dolores Umbridge would have served.

On 10/2/2019 at 8:49 AM, Danny Franks said:

"I drink a lot of coffee." You know, I never would have predicted that, Alice.

Exactly. Her manner is not my favorite. But she was very sweet about Steph! 

BTW, is Alice a teacher by any chance? 😏

Edited October 5, 2019 by lovinbob

[WatchrTina]

Well, the show made me cry for the first time.  Maybe it's because I binge-watched prior seasons but this season I have to watch one week at a time when they are released, so I have time to get more emotionally attached to the current batch of bakers.  Or maybe it's just that this remaining group all seem so nice and so humble and so mutually supportive that I can't stand to see any of them sent home. 

Tough week. Those bombs looked devilishly difficult and yet we didn't have a single catastrophic failure (which was a definite possiblity).  Congrats to Steph for getting a mirror glaze on hers AND for winning star baker 3 times in a row.  

Edited October 5, 2019 by WatchrTina

[theatremouse]

I was frustrated about David's judging because while my impulse is that all those spices in a meringue cake would be unpleasant, I think it's totally not for the reasons Prue and Paul were originally complaining. The spices he chose totally go together. They're in all sorts of stuff together all the time. The issue was not "why all three". It's that if you don't balance those three reallllllllllly well, it'll be overwhelming (which it sounds like it was) and it doesn't really go with the delicateness of something like pavlova. 

And yeah, if the blueberry thing was bad, fine, but the piping wasn't messy, so if it tasted fine I do not understand the complaint. "Blue" is not a color I think of as unappetizing. It's excessively fake looking colors or colors that are reminiscent of actual real life gross things that can make something look gross. I was totally perplexed at Prue going on about how it looked.

[Mabinogia]

13 hours ago, kittykat said:

I've been having issues with the technicals as well.  This one was fine and I'm mostly ok with Paul's but I feel a lot of Prues have been ridiculously hard to the point that it's not enjoyable.

That's the problem, watching them being set up for failure is not enjoyable and the heart of this show is how much joy it brings. This is a show I watch to get over a bad day, to put a smile on my face, to remind me that people don't all suck. It's my happy place. Part of that was not focusing on manufactured drama and tears. This season seems heavy on manufactured drama, with challenges that are too complicated for the talent they chose for the season and themes that are meant to stump the bakers rather than inspire. Booooo

If the bakers this season hadn't been so enjoyable I'd have stopped watching this season by now. 

[WatchrTina]

Wow, I just read the USA Today review (link posted above) and I have to say I'm a bit shocked by their harsh opinion.  I've been binging the show -- watching the latest episode of the current season when it is released and then binging an entire prior season over the course of few days.  I suspect I'm not watching the seasons in order -- perhaps that's why I'm not seeing these huge changes from the old BBC/PBS days vs. the current Channel 4/Netflix arrangement that the reviewer is so struck by.  I just know that I still enjoy the show and I like the new judge and new hosts (even though I loved Mary Berry and the dynamic duo of Sue & Mel).

Well, USA Today is entitled to their opinion.  And I'm entitled to ignore it.

[GaT]

2 hours ago, skipnjump said:

Like some of the other posters, I'm not really into this season as much as other seasons.  The bakers really don't seem to have the skills that others have had in the past.  Maybe it was a deliberate casting choice to go for bakers without as much experience?  It's great that they are friendly, but casts in the past have been friendly and they had the skills. 

This is the first season to be broadcast in the US as it happens, so I'm wondering about how much say Netflix has in casting. US reality shows usually have a cast that leans toward young, I really hope they aren't going to start casting this show to appeal to US audiences. One of the things that makes this show great is that they don't do young & "types" casting.

[rejnel]

Once again, I'm at a loss as to the British (or the show's) definition of "dessert." It's fine if "dessert" just means something that's not covered by the other episode categories--not biscuits, not bread, not pie, not cake, not patisserie. But when bakers say things like "I never make desserts," I find it very confusing. Are cakes and pies not desserts?

[Mabinogia]

I was just thinking about the skill level and I will say that, though the level is lower, I am glad that it is uniformly lower. They are all pretty equal skill wise, some a little better some a little less experienced, but there is no obvious ringer or cannon fodder. I just wish that whoever comes up with the challenges had taken the lower skill level into account and took the technicals down a notch.