S10.E10: The Final

[Athena]

Quote

The stakes couldn't be higher as Paul and Prue set three challenges that test every aspect of the bakers' skills. Who will be crowned 2019's Bake Off champion?

Channel 4 Air Date: October 29, 2019

Netflix USA Stream Date: November 1, 2019

[Aulty]

Well done David. That was unexpected. I am sure he made a few bookies very unhappy.

After the Steph home video I though I knew where this was going. From low self esteem to Bake Off winner - a producer's wet dream. Alas, it all went pear shaped. It was hard to see Steph being so disappointed with herself. (on a more superficial note: she and her mom apparently watched the same eyeliner tutorial on Youtube)

Note to all future contestants: Make sure your don't overdo the booze! Everytime a bake holds a half empty bottle of strong liquor into the camera you know how this is gonna end.

What a lot of drama for Alice and her parents' cancelled flight.

The editing was a bit annoying again, when it looked like they had to decorate everything in the last 5 minutes.

I probably won't remember much of this series or the contestants. It just wasn't very memorable, was it?

Edited October 29, 2019 by Aulty

[ShortyMac]

I stayed off of Twitter and forgot about Facebook. Scrolling down my feed and spoiled. %#*!?

I would rather see Steph or Alice win. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Usually I know who I want to win by the time the finale rolls around. I was expecting Steph to win because she's been so consistently good all season (and she won star baker four times!) but you never really know what will happen.

Chocolate cake for the final signature challenge seemed a bit easy but I'm okay with giving the bakers a more open ended challenge that gives them more choices so that they can do something really awesome and creative (rather than being bogged down by a lot of nitpicky required elements).

David's chocolate, armagnac, and prune cake was simple but elegant. He tempered the chocolate really well and got a really shiny mirror glaze. Although I wasn't sure about the leaves initially, they added a little bit of decoration without going overboard. Using melted chocolate instead of just cocoa powder was a good way to make the cake moist. I kind of wish he had pureed the prunes to add moisture to the cake rather than throwing in big chunks (I like when people sneak healthy stuff like fruit into cakes to make them moist and slightly healthier and people don't even notice). It's rare that the judges say there's too much booze so his cake must have had A LOT of alcohol. Heh, I totally cracked up when he said his mom always removed the sugar and fat from recipes and then complained that the recipes weren't good.

Alice's pear, ginger, and maple chocolate cake was a mess. It was lumpy and uneven and there was too much stuff on the top. I don't know what the judges were talking about because the chocolate on top looked dull, not shiny.

Steph's black forest cake with kirsch chantilly cream and cherry jam sounded great. And I'm with Steph - I haaaate when a cake is supposed to be chocolate and it's just a brown cake. If you're going to say it's chocolate, you have to make it taste like chocolate (not just look like chocolate). Heh, and like Steph I was afraid of knocking over the hurdles in track. Her cake looked classic and restrained on the outside with perfectly even layers inside. And even more importantly, both the judges said it was chocolatey and delicious.

Ooh, Stilton souffles with lavash crackers for the technical challenge - I like that this was a challenging technical. Alice saying she'd never made a roux just added fuel to the "are these people serious?" fire. I know that a roux is cooking, not baking, but still.

Poor Steph. I never like to see anyone fail at the technical. It was hard to watch her crying but at least she kept going (as the saying from Project Runway goes, "You can cry, but you need to [bake] and cry"). On the opposite end of the spectrum, David did so well.

Awww, I felt so bad for Alice when her parents called to say that their flight from Dublin had been canceled. I am NOT blaming them at all, but this is exactly why I am too paranoid to fly in th day of an event. The closest I'm willing to cut it is flying in the night before. In fact, I bought tickets to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child over six months ago and the dates we got are for April 2020. We just found out a few weeks ago that a family member's wedding is the day after. Technically we could still see Harry Potter and then fly to the wedding the next morning (the play ends too late for us to fly there the night of the play) but I was like NOPE, that is cutting it too close. I do not want to miss this wedding if the airlines somehow fuck me over so we are going to sell these tickets so we can fly down at least 24 hours before the wedding. Anyway, I'm glad that Alice's parents were able to make it. I can't imagine already being nervous/stressed about the final showstopper and then finding out your parents might not make it there.

David's cheeseboard made of biscuit, cheese made of lemon poundcake, peaches made of saffron, orange, and apricot bread, and sausage rolls made of fig rolls looked pretty good. The sausage rolls in particular looked very realistic. The fact that he also made the red and white picnic tablecloth, the wax paper, and everything else on the board really put him over the top for me. He had the best looking nougatine basket by far. On a shallow note, his ass looked amazing in those striped pants.

Overall, Alice's end of school picnic with strawberries made of raspberry macarons, ice cream cones made of orange and caradamom bread buns, and pork pie, chicken drumsticks, and scotch eggs made of carrot cake, lemon cream cheese, and lemon curd looked good. The scotch eggs looked so realistic as did the pork pie and the apples. I agreed with Prue that the actual ice cream was the one thing that obviously stood out as not creating a convincing illusion. The fried chicken was questionable too. The strawberry just looked like a macaron. I disagree with Prue about blueberries not having flavor. Blueberry muffins are delicious because the blueberries get so sweet when they're baked. But Alice's bread had one splodge of blueberry in the middle which is why there wasn't much blueberry flavor. Where was her required nougatine basket though? Is that what her ice cream cones were in? It didn't really look like a basket to me. It was very flat and uneven and the handle looked terrible.

Steph's fairy cakes made of spiced orange bread buns, strawberries made of macarons, and a chicken burger made of lemon poppyseed cake was a mixed bag. The burger looked great. The bun and the fried chicken patty looked great. Like Alice, the strawberries looked exactly like what they actually were: macarons. But I thought it was unfair for Paul to criticize Steph's for not being "glistening" when Alice's weren't shiny or realistic looking either. And since we're comparing, Alice had two, one of which wasn't even strawberry shaped (as noted by Prue). Steph had two little bowls full of her strawberries (by my count, she presented seven) and they were all strawberry shaped. Based on appearance, Steph did much bettet at her strawberry macarons than Alice did.

Paul can be obnoxious throughout his tenure on the show, but I really appreciated that he went to Steph's bench and gave her a huge after judging. She has been a frontrunner from the beginning and she knew that she bombed.

Congratulations to David for winning. His showstopper was great and he has made some really cool looking things this year.

I loved seeing the bakers' families and I always love seeing what they've been up to since the show ended. I really loved that this year almost all of the updates were that they are all visiting each other.

[Margo Leadbetter]

I’m really happy for David and I’m completely okay with his win. He’s GBBO’s version of Jay from S1 of Project Runway. Never won an individual challenge but when it counted at the end, he brought the goods. David was always cool under pressure, he was creative, methodical and meticulous and even though his flavors didn’t always hit the mark, it was clear that he’s a very talented baker. I felt so bad for Steph. It seemed like anything and everything that could have gone wrong did so. In the end though she took it in stride and I think the experience did her a lot of good. I’m glad Alice’s parents made it in time. It obviously meant a lot to her.

This may have been my favorite group of contestants and one of my least favorite seasons. I’ve been rewatching S3 (with my all-time fave James) and the difference between then and now is like night and day. Sure, there was still drama but it wasn’t manufactured due to insane time constraints and unrealistic expectations. The atmosphere was so much lighter. The past couple of seasons it’s been almost oppressive. Slowly but surely, the producers have been ramping things up and it’s now too obvious to ignore. I feel like the show that I adored—and I watch very little TV so I’m very picky—is no more and I’m kind of sad about it.

[Irlandesa]

I had a feeling about David.  Is he the first winner to never have won Star Baker?

[kittykat]

I'll still watch and I'm happy that he won but hide the results better GOOGLE.  

5 hours ago, ShortyMac said:

I stayed off of Twitter and forgot about Facebook. Scrolling down my feed and spoiled. %#*!?

I HATE when Google news trending puts an article titled " you won't believe what happened" followed by a picture OF THE WINNER!!! American have three more days.  It was at the top of the page no less, NO ESCAPE!

I got nothing on FB thank God. 

[ShortyMac]

Now having watched, I will say that David absolutely crushed the showstopper. It looked incredible. I'm genuinely very happy for him.

I want chocolate cake.

I always love seeing the bakers become friends and get together after filming ends.

Until next time...

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Recipes

Signature challenge - chocolate cake
Steph's black forest chocolate cake

Technical challenge
twice-baked stilton soufflés with lavash crackers

Showstopper challenge
Alice's orange & cardamom ice cream buns
David's cheeseboard cake
 

[Lois Sandborne]

Poor Steph. All those little cascading crises piling up on each other out of nowhere, you could just see her getting more and more anxious. I was actually amazed when Paul went to hug and comfort her after the showstopper.  It was clear how cut up about it all she was.

Alice's pork pie and scotch eggs looked amazing. Her chocolate cake sounded good to me as well; too bad she used only cocoa powder and couldn't get it looking well. But David is a worthy winner for sure. He's been a strong player all series, and everything he made this week looked beautiful. I've never heard of Armagnac, but he's definitely not the first person to tip in too much of some obscure liqueur, and that was really all they had to hold against him.  That cheeseboard was super impressive. It wasn't until Paul commented on it that I even noticed that the tablecloth wasn't real.

I was also a bit surprised when they cut Steph from the winners' discussion so quickly.  I know they say they judge week to week, but she's been so dominant this series, it was just a bit of a shock not to hear at least a cursory discussion about her strengths and her chances. I hope she doesn't go back to watch that part.

Edited October 30, 2019 by Lois Sandborne

[Athena]

Well deserved and I was happy for David. I like Steph a lot and she was my favourite going in but once she started tumbling in the technical and the Showstopper, she couldn't recover. It was stressful watching it as it was last season with Rahul. I felt so bad for her.

On the other hand, I loved watching David work through his Showstopper. He was so clean, chilled and professional through that bake and all the rest. I know they kept saying "underdog" but David's consistency has always made him stand out in this group. His flavours were an issue but he won it on the day and I loved his picnic. It deserved the win. I thought Alice was the dark horse and not at all surprised that she was closer to it than Steph either. 

13 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I had a feeling about David.  Is he the first winner to never have won Star Baker?

Yes but David has been the closest to win several times. He won it in the week where it mattered most. 

[Occasional Hope]

Yes, if you're only going to be star baker once, the final's the time to do it :)

I think they were pretty even after the first round, then David was clearly the best in the technical (and poor Steph clearly worst).  The showstopper was a bit closer but David definitely won it with Steph having another disaster.

[Danny Franks]

Well. That was anti-climactic. David has been pretty dull throughout this season, as far as I'm concerned, and that didn't change in the final. As usual, when asked to bake something sweet, he failed (chocolate cake that tasted of nothing but Armagnac), but clearly won the technical, and there was the slimmest margin between him and Alice in the showstopper.

A bad weekend for Steph, and you could see the pressure getting to her. They've hinted at her lacking in confidence a few times, and you could really see that when she was saying how stupid she felt in the technical. I felt so bad for her, because you could see that self-recrimination of 'of course I screwed it up!' hovering, throughout the technical and the showstopper.

Alice had a suitably dramatic crisis, which had her crying prettily, but no less genuinely than Steph. I imagine that was due to the Ryanair cancellations this summer (when that cheapskate airline had its pilots go on strike over pay and conditions), but I'm sure that the Bake Off producers moved heaven and earth to get Alice's parents on the first available flight with another airline.

Regarding that technical, it wasn't as stupid as last year, but it was still rather cruel to throw a savoury, twice baked souffle in between a chocolate cake and a sweet cake/biscuit showstopper. I would barely even consider a cheese souffle to be something a baker makes, even though it's technically baked. How many of them did Paul bang out, when working in his dad's bakery or in hotel kitchens? Not many, I'd wager.

There was talk of them going back to basics for this season, but that didn't really materialise. Over-complication, over-thinking of themes and bakes, odd, non-baking elements. The producers need to realise that viewers aren't tuning in to see exciting, weird new themes. This show is about familiarity and that cosy, comfortable feeling of knowing 'oh, it's bread week this week.'

[TVbitch]

"There's no crying in baking!"

That was all a bit dramatic. Good thing David is a stoic sort or else the whole tent would have been in tears. I give them credit for awarding him the win, cuz after we learned that "Steph was in a bad place last year and baking saved her," I thought for sure she would win. Then when she was out, I thought it would be Alice, so the will-they-won't-they parental drama could have a big happy ending. But they chose who was best on the day, so well done. (Last year I felt they gave it to Rahul so he would not have a total meltdown.)

I must say, I am not a fan of "make your dessert look like a hamburger" challenges. I just want to see gorgeous bakes!

[dleighg]

On 10/29/2019 at 5:41 PM, Aulty said:

on a more superficial note: she and her mom apparently watched the same eyeliner tutorial on Youtube

no kidding! I have to say it works better on a brunette than on a blonde.

[dleighg]

On 10/29/2019 at 9:04 PM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Although I wasn't sure about the leaves initially, they added a little bit of decoration without going overboard.

Did they show how David made those leaves? They were unusual. 

And I have NEVER seen a recipe call for cold water in a bain marie. What was she thinking?

Edited November 1, 2019 by dleighg

[magdalene]

Ha, they got me!  I was pretty sure Steph was going to win. That pressure of winning star baker numerous times can work against you in the end. And David kept it together and won star baker the one time he needed to win it.  Congrats and good on him!

[Ceindreadh]

1 hour ago, dleighg said:

Did they show how David made those leaves? They were unusual. 

And I have NEVER seen a recipe call for cold water in a bain marie. What was she thinking?

I did a chocolate dessert once which called for it to be baked in a tin which was standing in cold water. But the intent in the recipe was to have a semi liquid core when the baking was finished. 

[libgirl2]

On 10/29/2019 at 9:51 PM, Irlandesa said:

I had a feeling about David.  Is he the first winner to never have won Star Baker?

when they announced the show stopper, my gut told me David would get it. He seems to really go all out with the visuals. I thought if he could nail the taste he would get it. Felt bad about Steph. I loved her, but it just wasn't meant to be.

1 hour ago, magdalene said:

Ha, they got me!  I was pretty sure Steph was going to win. That pressure of winning star baker numerous times can work against you in the end. And David kept it together and won star baker the one time he needed to win it.  Congrats and good on him!

Its like Prue said, he was the turtle that caught up to the hares. 

[dleighg]

I got accidentally spoiled so I knew who won which may have colored my perception, but it seemed clear to me that David had the best weekend. The article that spoiled me was all about how outraged viewers were that Steph hadn't won-- that she'd been robbed. It seemed pretty clear that she had an awful day so I really don't understand that reaction.

[libgirl2]

19 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I got accidentally spoiled so I knew who won which may have colored my perception, but it seemed clear to me that David had the best weekend. The article that spoiled me was all about how outraged viewers were that Steph hadn't won-- that she'd been robbed. It seemed pretty clear that she had an awful day so I really don't understand that reaction.

She wasn't robbed, she had some not so good baked. 

[Spunkygal]

Why would Alice’s parents (or whoever) call her right before starting the day’s competition with the news about the flight issue and that they may not make it? If she were my daughter, I would know that the news would send her in a tailspin and would just let her be oblivious about it. Then if the parents didn’t make it, someone could break the news to her when competition was over and before the picnic baskets were judged. 

[chaifan]

I would have loved to see Steph win, but as she said, she stayed one week too long.  It just wasn't a good day for her, all around.  I think David's showstopper was much better than Alice's - no comparison for me.  I would have been happy with any of the 3, but I think this was the right call based on what was done in the final episode.

Production question... The final is shot over 2 days, right?  If so, why are they wearing the same thing both days?  Not just the contestants, but Prue, Paul, etc., too.  Has this always been done?  I think it's weird.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

38 minutes ago, chaifan said:

Production question... The final is shot over 2 days, right?  If so, why are they wearing the same thing both days?  Not just the contestants, but Prue, Paul, etc., too.  Has this always been done?  I think it's weird.

Yes, the show has always been this way since S1. The producers had the bakers wear the same outfits for the duration of each episode because they thought that would make it easier for people to recognize the contestants. Someone from the show explained that in an interview in one of the early seasons. 

[chaifan]

46 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Yes, the show has always been this way since S1. The producers had the bakers wear the same outfits for the duration of each episode because they thought that would make it easier for people to recognize the contestants. Someone from the show explained that in an interview in one of the early seasons. 

Or, they could simply put their names on their aprons.  Wonder if anyone under the tent ever thought about that one?

My guess it really is so they can plug in candid shots wherever they want from either day.  I'd purposely screw with them by wearing my hair up one day, down the next, or different makeup or something like that.

[peeayebee]

On 10/29/2019 at 6:04 PM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

The fried chicken was questionable too.

I don't even remember the fried chicken. I'll have to go back and see how it turned out.

Quote

Where was her required nougatine basket though? Is that what her ice cream cones were in? It didn't really look like a basket to me. It was very flat and uneven and the handle looked terrible.

I remember when they were all making their baskets that she laid her sheet over a bowl or pan to create a container, like maybe a basket. But again, I don't remember what it looked like in the end.

Quote

Steph's fairy cakes made of spiced orange bread buns, strawberries made of macarons, and a chicken burger made of lemon poppyseed cake was a mixed bag. The burger looked great.

The burger did look great, but I esp loved how it looked when Paul sliced it. 

I'm always a little torn in a case like this where someone has generally done great all season but blew it in the finale, while the winner had a very up-and-down season. Still, I'm glad David won. 

I was surprised he'd put more than half a bottle of that brandy in his chocolate cake, but THEN he drizzled more on top of the baked layers! I knew that would come back to bite him in his [beautiful] butt.

I felt so bad for Steph with everything going wrong. Good on Paul for giving her a big ol' bear hug.

BTW, in the video of her baking at home, she looked so so young. How old is she?

I always love the bouquet of flowers the three finalists are given. That wild, English country cottage style is just my style.

[dleighg]

8 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

I knew that would come back to bite him in his [beautiful] butt.

His boyfriend is pretty cute also, and really seemed to know where the camera was in the outdoor scene LOL. 

Edited November 1, 2019 by dleighg

[libgirl2]

Overall I'm happy.  I was cheering for Steph but I am pleased he won. 

[Sharpie66]

Prue and Paul made me laugh with their statue imitation when prompted to leave at the beginning of the technical. Prue cracked first and then Paul actually spontaneously grinned.

Edited November 1, 2019 by Sharpie66

[Athena]

4 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Yes, the show has always been this way since S1. The producers had the bakers wear the same outfits for the duration of each episode because they thought that would make it easier for people to recognize the contestants. Someone from the show explained that in an interview in one of the early seasons. 

3 hours ago, chaifan said:

Or, they could simply put their names on their aprons.  Wonder if anyone under the tent ever thought about that one?

My guess it really is so they can plug in candid shots wherever they want from either day.  I'd purposely screw with them by wearing my hair up one day, down the next, or different makeup or something like that.

Yes, the same outfit for the weekend/episode (and it's a myth that they always film on weekends) is for continuity and editing. The Bakedown podcast discussed it a little too. If their candid interviews didn't work out the first day or the production team forgot certain shots, they can re-interview or re-shoot. This fairly standard in some other reality shows as well. 

[wlk68]

3 hours ago, chaifan said:

My guess it really is so they can plug in candid shots wherever they want from either day.  

You are correct. It's for ease of editing. 

[MisterGlass]

Well, David certainly earned it, and good for him.  I felt for Steph, and know what that melt down feels like.  

It was nice of Paul to hug her.  It almost made me like him again after his jerk question to Alice about whether her parents were going to swim back from Ireland.

David's final basket was a lovely assortment.  I liked the little peach rolls.  Alice's carrot cake scotch eggs were clever.  I did wonder a bit watching all the showstoppers how that sprayed dye tastes.

I know Black Forest Gateau is old fashioned, but so is carrot cake.  It makes me wonder at what point something goes from over trend to classic.  They both taste good.

I did want to see a reunion of Noel and Helena.  And at the end, I was delighted by Rosie playing with the little black kitten.

[Irlandesa]

I do love a black forest cake so I might try making it since the place that makes my favorite version only has it around Christmas. 

I'm surprised none of the contestants added texture to their chocolate cake.  Probably the best pure chocolate cake I've had recently was one that a little hazel praline layer.  Just a tiny bit of crunch.

I wonder if David was so relaxed because he was just so happy to make it to the finale and expected one of the other two to win. 

I felt terrible for Steph when the souffle dripped out of the pans.  It's the kind of mistake that just stands out so much when there are only three contestants left.

The show has always been about rewarding the best contestant of the two day shoot and David was a pretty clear winner.  And I must say, he makes for a very sexy nurse.

I did find it interesting that Rosie hadn't visited or been visited by any other contestants considering how far in filming she lasted.

Edited November 2, 2019 by Irlandesa

[LeDucDiableBleu]

This could just be me, but I didn't see Paul cut into Alice's pork pie cake. I watched the judging twice and didn't see it. They could have left out some of the dramatic crying and included the cake. I really wanted to see that because it looked amazing.

[GaT]

9 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

The producers had the bakers wear the same outfits for the duration of each episode because they thought that would make it easier for people to recognize the contestants. Someone from the show explained that in an interview in one of the early seasons. 

5 hours ago, Athena said:

Yes, the same outfit for the weekend/episode (and it's a myth that they always film on weekends) is for continuity and editing. The Bakedown podcast discussed it a little too. If their candid interviews didn't work out the first day or the production team forgot certain shots, they can re-interview or re-shoot. This fairly standard in some other reality shows as well. 

What do they do if the clothes get dirty? Make them wear them dirty?

8 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I felt so bad for Steph with everything going wrong. Good on Paul for giving her a big ol' bear hug.

BTW, in the video of her baking at home, she looked so so young. How old is she?

I noticed that too, she didn't just look a little younger, she looked a lot younger, like she was a teenager. Very strange

I'm just glad Alice didn't win, I still don't like her & her pitching a fit about her parents didn't help. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

8 hours ago, peeayebee said:

BTW, in the video of her baking at home, she looked so so young. How old is she?

32 minutes ago, GaT said:

I noticed that too, she didn't just look a little younger, she looked a lot younger, like she was a teenager. Very strange

According to her GBBO profile, she’s 28. 

9 hours ago, chaifan said:

they could simply put their names on their aprons.  Wonder if anyone under the tent ever thought about that one?

That’s what they do on the Great Canadian Baking Show!

[AZChristian]

5 hours ago, GaT said:

What do they do if the clothes get dirty? Make them wear them dirty?

I think they expect them to get dirty (given the nature of the competition).  They probably have to bring two identical outfits, or there is a washing machine nearby, and they are told to wear something washable.

[OoogleEyes]

I am thrilled for David. He was always the bridesmaid, and now he is finally the bride!

[AZChristian]

I knew before watching the episode what the outcome would be, so I didn't get quite so caught up in the drama.

David earned that win.  Loved all three of them, but that young man brought his "A" game to the tent for the final.

[Sharpie66]

One of the episodes of the podcast The Bake Down delves into the wearing the same clothes issue. I had always assumed people brought two sets of the same clothes, but according to Howard on the podcast, he just wore the same thing twice and did a spot wash after Day 1. 

[cherrypj]

The same thing happened in Series 5 (Richard won Star Baker five times). I get that they don't look at past weeks, but then why stretch the season for 10? Just make the Star Baker from episode one the winner. If Steph had won Star Baker in episodes 1-4, and then been eliminated in episode 5, the outcry would have been massive. 

I really dislike this aspect of the judging. You're not "England's Best Baker" if you didn't make the best stuff all season long. 

I still teared up when David won. I love the winner reveal, no matter who it is. (Except maybe Rahul. So joyless to watch him.)

[Adiba]

26 minutes ago, Sharpie66 said:

One of the episodes of the podcast The Bake Down delves into the wearing the same clothes issue. I had always assumed people brought two sets of the same clothes, but according to Howard on the podcast, he just wore the same thing twice and did a spot wash after Day 1. 

Ok, that gives a new meaning to "aromas in the tent" when they've had especially hot weather!

I agree that David definitely won the final, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for Steph--and Alice, too (worrying about her parents). Glad that Paul gave her a hug and said something to the effect that "it doesn't matter." Because technically, he is right. She can continue baking--a good baker is good no matter what he outcome. She can still have a career in baking if she wants to.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

9 minutes ago, Adiba said:

Glad that Paul gave her a hug and said something to the effect that "it doesn't matter." Because technically, he is right. She can continue baking--a good baker is good no matter what he outcome. She can still have a career in baking if she wants to.

This is one of the positive aspects of not having a huge cash prize for the winner. Often on competitive reality shows where there's a lot of money at stake, you hear the contestants talking about how winning will change their lives and how they really need the money.

Because the only concrete prize for winning GBBO is a cake plate, winning or losing won't make a difference. The exposure can lead to more opportunities (as we've seen from the post-GBBO success of many bakers), but there's no guarantee of a prize that will have a huge impact on your life one way or another.

In that sense, it doesn't matter that Steph lost because as disappointing as it was for her not to win, she still performed well all season and any offers she gets for cookbooks, appearances, etc. will be a result of her overall performance on the show, not whether she got that cake plate in the last episode. She spent nine weeks showing everyone what a great baker she is. One bad day isn''t going to erase that.

[lovinbob]

On 10/29/2019 at 11:40 PM, ShortyMac said:

I always love seeing the bakers become friends and get together after filming ends.

This one was a bit of a letdown. Season 5 and Season 6, it was so fun to see people getting together all over the UK This time it was basically Michael visiting everyone with a few loners by themselves. 

Poor Steph, but she should be really proud of herself. The Alice Ireland drama was meh. Happy for David for pulling through when it counted. 

I hope next season is a return to form. This was a big blah for me. 

[WatchrTina]

Well, that was a delight.  The best baker (on the day) won and I am delighted for David.  But I agree that Steph is equally (if not more) likely to have her life changed due to her season-long strong performance.  

I'm so sorry Alice went through some much drama with regard to her parents' flight and I agree that it would have been better (for her) if she had NOT been told until the cooking was complete.  I suspect that her parents reached out to the show's production staff for assistance in getting there.  In fact it may well be that the show pays to fly in the family members of the finalists as compensation for their agreeing to appear on-camera for the background footage.  If so, I feel certain that it was the production staff who made SURE Alice knew about the flight problems.  You think they would pass up the opportunity for that on-air drama?  Actually . . . I don't think I can blame them. 

I have to say, Steph's cold-water Bain Marie soufflé disaster has to be one of the most tragic images in the show's history.  I have to give her proper respect for giving those sad puddles of batter a second bake and serving them. (And apparently they tasted good.)  I once accidentally broiled (rather than baked) a pecan pie that was supposed to be the dessert for a dinner party my parents were having.  We put vanilla ice cream on top of the burned-pecan/under-baked-crust result and served it.  So I can empathize with her.

[Clanstarling]

18 hours ago, chaifan said:

Or, they could simply put their names on their aprons.  Wonder if anyone under the tent ever thought about that one?

My guess it really is so they can plug in candid shots wherever they want from either day.  I'd purposely screw with them by wearing my hair up one day, down the next, or different makeup or something like that.

I could sure use it. I'm terrible with names, and it's only by the end of the season when I can semi-reliably know which baker is which. Unless they have a name that's different enough that it sticks.

I hadn't thought much about it - but being able to plug in candid shots from either day makes a lot of production sense.

9 hours ago, GaT said:

What do they do if the clothes get dirty? Make them wear them dirty?

I noticed that too, she didn't just look a little younger, she looked a lot younger, like she was a teenager. Very strange

I'm just glad Alice didn't win, I still don't like her & her pitching a fit about her parents didn't help. 

I assume there are ways to get the clothes washed if there are major disasters. Especially if they want to plug in the candid shots. 😉

I'm a person who's pretty controlled my emotions in public emotions, but it didn't bother me - except that the show is leaning toward these moments more than they used to. For me, pitching a fit includes an element of anger, not simple stress/upset because the people you love most might not be able to share the biggest moment in your life. 

Edited November 2, 2019 by Clanstarling

[peeayebee]

13 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I felt terrible for Steph when the souffle dripped out of the pans.  It's the kind of mistake that just stands out so much when there are only three contestants left.

I don't know why she decided to use cold water when the other two were using hot. Maybe the editing was deceptive -- It looked like she saw Alice and David both using hot water, but maybe that wasn't the case.

11 hours ago, LeDucDiableBleu said:

This could just be me, but I didn't see Paul cut into Alice's pork pie cake. I watched the judging twice and didn't see it. They could have left out some of the dramatic crying and included the cake. I really wanted to see that because it looked amazing.

I noticed that, too. I assumed we didn't see it because it was also carrot cake (I believe), which they tasted in the scotch eggs.

18 hours ago, chaifan said:

Or, they could simply put their names on their aprons.  Wonder if anyone under the tent ever thought about that one?

I had to make notes early on. For instance, Alice was "earrings" and Steph was "eyeliner."

[chaifan]

Since the bakers are in no way sequestered - we've seen them on the phone with family after they win star bakers - I am not necessarily assuming that production told Alice about her parents' flight.  Her parents could have called/texted her just as easily.  But, at the same time, if production was notified first, yeah, in this era of Bake Off I could easily see them telling her just for the drama.  And, in the days of Mel & Sue, they would have made sure to ruin all the shots of Alice crying so they couldn't be used.  I miss that.

[Johnny Dollar]

I’m happy for David. I don’t recall him ever getting flustered during any of his bakes, or even getting too upset from a nasty judge’s comment. 
 

[Quilt Fairy]

On 11/1/2019 at 8:43 AM, TVbitch said:

after we learned that "Steph was in a bad place last year and baking saved her,"

Except for Alice, who I remember seeing in a classroom as a teacher, I don't recall any of the previous "at home" bits for any of the bakers.  I never knew David was a nurse, for example.  And apparently Steph has only been baking for a year?  Is that correct or am I misinterpreting that segment?  Because both Steph's mother and grandmother seemed to imply that Steph was emotionally fragile.  That was such an odd thing to show.