S11.E09: Patisserie Week

[Kiddvideo]

10 hours ago, Crs97 said:

The joke from my boys is the uglier the bake, the better it tastes.  When I make it pretty, they’re leery.

I find the same! I’ve wondered if the excitement of a new recipe is what makes it tastier than the practiced versions.

[blueray]

10 hours ago, MisterGlass said:

I'm sorry it was Hermine, but I wasn't surprised.  I saw the jiggle of her cube as she set it down.  It was as gelatinous as the gelatin showstoppers the other week.  What a sweet story about her son angling for and getting a ride in Paul's car.

 

I don't recall that at all. Did she say that at the end? 

[Rickster]

29 minutes ago, blueray said:

I don't recall that at all. Did she say that at the end? 

I think it’s an interview at one of the links above, not on the show.

[AZChristian]

35 minutes ago, Ellaria Sand said:

Agree about the US competitive cooking/baking shows. I don't watch any of them. I watch this show precisely because it is soothing and beautiful to look at (the English estates!). It is good for my soul.

I stumbled on my first episode of GBBO about 5 years ago, and still remember where I was when the show was over.  I went into another room to tell Mr. AZC, "You've got to see this show.  It's awesome and the people are really nice to each other."

BTW, a favorite moment from this week's show was when Noel and Matt were getting ready to start the (I think) technical challenge.  Instead of starting with "On your mark," Noel started with "Bake!" . . . and by the end of the little scene, the totally confused look on Matt's face cracked me up.  

[truther]

I knew Hermine was going home and was not surprised at all when they announced it.  She had a bad week, didn't do anything particularly well, and made a showstopper that was ugly and inedible.  When everyone else does better . . . it's simple math.  Sorry to see her go.

The points @dbell1 and other people are making up thread about Laura and social media are absolutely right and need to be emphasized.  These are ordinary people we're talking about, who like to bake and seem generally lovely and agreed to do a show that millions of people love to watch.  You and I are watching an entire weekend distilled down to 55 minutes of carefully edited footage.  I will gleefully mock somebody like Rudy Giuliani, who willingly debases himself, but I cannot comprehend why anyone would actually attack, even just on social media, these GBBO bakers who have literally done nothing wrong to anyone.  If you hate somebody because her mirror glaze didn't go on her cube cake properly you have serious issues.

Which segues into another interesting edit from this episode, which was Laura talking about how much she loves Matt after Matt had given her a Mel/Sue-esque pep talk.  I got the real sense this week they edited the episode to, uh, humanize Matt a bit, almost as though they were responding to viewer feedback that he simply annoyed people.  Which leads me to second what @AZChristian just said, that these people are really nice to each other.  That's always been the best thing about this show.  

My prediction for the final - Dave pips it.  Laura will be in the running until something goes horribly wrong, and Peter will screw something up in the signature and get rattled.  

[TVbitch]

That sucks that Laura is getting harrassed. That is totally against what the show stands for, don't these so-called fans realize that!

If y'all like the gentle supportive nature of this show, you might also want to check out the UK versions of Masterchef and Masterchef the Professionals (currently airing). They has a similar soothing vibe that focuses on cookery with no crazy characters or forced drahhhma! Masterchef Australia is also great. Nothing like the US versions. Give me a shout if you'd like help finding the episodes! 

[blueray]

I can't believe that anyone would want to harass Laura. While I'm not happy that Hermine went home, it's a competition that's what happens. Laura is a good baker, just messy. But sometimes the best food comes from those people. I know personally my dad is a good cook, but he makes a mess. Seriously uses half the pots/plates in the kitchen, gets food everywhere and is clumsily but it always comes out good. Laura had nothing to do with the decision it was the judges that make it. But if someone seriously is that upset over what is suppose to be a fun (and nice) show. Then they have way more serious problems. 

[libgirl2]

2 hours ago, blueray said:

I can't believe that anyone would want to harass Laura. While I'm not happy that Hermine went home, it's a competition that's what happens. Laura is a good baker, just messy. But sometimes the best food comes from those people. I know personally my dad is a good cook, but he makes a mess. Seriously uses half the pots/plates in the kitchen, gets food everywhere and is clumsily but it always comes out good. Laura had nothing to do with the decision it was the judges that make it. But if someone seriously is that upset over what is suppose to be a fun (and nice) show. Then they have way more serious problems. 

I think it is awful that they are harassing her. While I liked Hermine, I like Laura too.  Its always sad to see a favorite go home but it happens. Its a competition. 

[Nidratime]

Laura seemed to just get through by the skin of her teeth each week while better bakers left. Since she's now in the final with Dave and Peter, I'm rooting for either of those guys to win because Peter started out great and has rebound at just the right time and Dave has steadily improved. If Hermine had made it through, I wouldn't have cared who of the three won, because she also has been pretty stellar throughout the competition.

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The fact that the heat in the tent continues to disrupt the bakes is disappointing. Yes, I know ALL about why they can't use air conditioning. Hoping they can find a way to solve this issue soon.

I've been wondering about that. When do they film these series? Is it at the peak of summer? I know the weather in that part of the world is not comparable to most of the United States, but I'm just curious if they film it in a season that's cooler? Warmer? When?

Edited November 21, 2020 by Nidratime

[kirklandia]

15 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Did anyone else catch the shot of the gorgeous butterfly early in the show? 

That butterfly blew my mind!  I had to know what it was – took a photo of my TV screen, and ran it through the iNaturalist app.

Edited November 21, 2020 by kirklandia

[chaifan]

I think the best thing about this show can also be the worst thing - that the bakers are judged on what happened that week, not on an accumulation of previous bakes.  The judges will comment on recurring themes, but they really do judge based on that week's bakes.  It leads to some eliminations that seem unfair, but I think the process works.

I am also curious as to what Hermine's "original" plan was.  I went back to re-watch the beginning of the showstopper segment, to see the illustration of what hers was supposed to look like.  And it was nowhere close.  I was intrigued by the air sprayer she used, and the mini booth that went along with it.  I was really hoping to see Hermine shine on patisserie week, and she just had a bad run this week. 

I know I've complained that Matt and Noel have become annoying 12 year olds in the tent, but this week they at least had a good excuse.  Those "horns of plenty" were just screaming for penis jokes!  I would not have been able to contain myself and would have been snickering and making crude jokes right along side of them.  Paul's reaction to Dave's horn (ok, that alone sounds dirty!) was fabulous! 

I'm with others who think Peter will take the win. 

 

[NinaProudman]

4 hours ago, TVbitch said:

Give me a shout if you'd like help finding the episodes!

Quote

 

Where do I find Masterchef Australia? I am an Aussie living in the US and love watching that show whenever I go home to visit.

[TVbitch]

I will PM you @NinaProudman

[Quilt Fairy]

4 hours ago, Nidratime said:

I've been wondering about that. When do they film these series? Is it at the peak of summer? I know the weather in that part of the world is not comparable to most of the United States, but I'm just curious if they film it in a season that's cooler? Warmer? When?

I believe they normally film it in the late spring to early summer, which they didn't do this year due to Covid.  The fact that they could scramble and give us a new season when a lot of shows would have given up is admirable. 

ETA: In general, the UK has cooler, wetter summers than we experience in the US, but in recent years it (as well as most of Europe) has been experiencing dramatically hotter temperatures. 

Edited November 21, 2020 by Quilt Fairy

[kittykat]

Sigh I knew the writing was on the wall for Hermine but it was a fair decision.

As far as week only vs. Cumulative judging goes I have always been an advocate of taking past performance into consideration on shows like Top Chef or Project Runway because there was a pathetic amount of times someone better went home for one bad project/dish over the perpetual "second worst" person.  On this show, I don't know.  Maybe it's because it is only 10 weeks over the 13-15 the other ones have. They had a similar quandary in S8 when Steven and Stacey turned in underwhelming showstoppers and while technically Steven had the worse performance they kept him over Stacey (who was very erratic) due to the fact he had 3 SB wins in the past so when it's really really close they do go back. 

I don't see Laura as skating by.  She had one thing on her showstopper go wrong which ended up affecting presentation but her flavors were great per usual.  Hermines was a disaster all around I pretty much knew she was toast when she said she hadn't practiced her new recipe.  Sadly on the day she was supposed to excel, she tanked.  And of course the internet does what the internet does and harasses poor Laura, she does not deserve that.  I agree if she's going to win the final she's going to have to add a little style to her substance, like an anti-Frances.

That said the editing was predictable and heavy handed.  It's HERMINE'S WEEK! Will she prevail?  Can PETER have a comeback to the early glory days.  It was all obviously telegraphed.

And I'm going to give a long suffering MEH to those challenges.  Saverins are classic I'll give them that but that idiotic technical!? I miss the days of Les Miserables slices or Fraisier cakes, THAT'S PATISSERIE!  Not that cornucopia shit, not patisserie.  I can't believe I'm saying this but Prue should have set the technical this week.  And the cube cake seems, I'm sorry, made up.  Like they thought it was too simple for them to do decorated mini cakes no it had to be a cube cake.  I look forward to beautiful cakes or french pastries but nothing struck me as actual patisserie this week; it seems more mostly contrived what they think is hip challenges.  

Don't get me wrong I'm fine with all the finalists and will be happy for the winner ( hoping for Peter ) but this season definitely feels off.  Not because of Covid but I think it's the lackluster and badly planned challenges.

[Aulty]

Here's a thought regarding the heat in the tent situation: pick a location that's further North.

The North of England or Scotland have beautiful manor houses and the rail connection to the larger urban areas isn't bad. Yes, you get hot days in Glasgow or Liverpool too, but on average they are still cooler than the SoE.

[skipnjump]

I had just watched one of the Holiday Bake Off episodes and what did they make for the technical?  But the same Danish ring cake (kransekake) as they did for this technical.  So they do recycle technical recipes.  However, they made it in the traditional shape of a tree and not a horn of plenty.  Also, the original recipe says it takes over 2 hours to prep.  As usual, the folks in this season only got 2 hours and 15 minutes.  I've had the kransekake before and they are tasty. 

[iMonrey]

I was genuinely shocked it was Hermine and not Laura. I think Hermine would have had a good chance of winning if she'd made it to the finals, whereas Laura has very little chance of pulling that off. It's definitely between Peter and Dave, with the edge going to Peter. 

Quote

 Hermine was the quiet steady worker that gets tripped up by a bad week. But Laura is the more interesting contestant from a reality competition's point of view - she brings the tears and the drama. And they way Paul talks to her she seems to strike a chord with him.

You may be onto something. I'd hate to think there's some producer type behind the scenes steering the judges into keeping the contestant they think is "better TV." That would be a very American reality show thing to do.

Quote

Noel, c’mon man. Talking to Peter about how he should’ve gotten some guy’s phone # to hook up and try on his clothes?

 I think Noel has a thing for Peter. He's been fixated on him for weeks. Remember last week when he said he wanted to see him naked? Yikes.

[Adiba]

2 hours ago, skipnjump said:

I had just watched one of the Holiday Bake Off episodes and what did they make for the technical?  But the same Danish ring cake (kransekake) as they did for this technical.  So they do recycle technical recipes.  However, they made it in the traditional shape of a tree and not a horn of plenty.  Also, the original recipe says it takes over 2 hours to prep.  As usual, the folks in this season only got 2 hours and 15 minutes.  I've had the kransekake before and they are tasty. 

Yeah, as soon as I saw the technical I remembered the Christmas kransekake they had on the holiday special— same basic recipe. They sell the molds so one doesn’t have to guess the size of each ring.

I was not surprised that Hermine went home. Her savarin was called “tough” and her showstopper was “rubbery” as well as not being neat. Her cornucopia looked okay, but just doing well in the technical but not the other two challenges means nothing at this stage in the competition. They said Laura’s showstopper was delicious (even though the mirror glaze was a mess) so I guessed it was Hermine’s time to go.

[ABay]

13 hours ago, Aulty said:

Here's a thought regarding the heat in the tent situation: pick a location that's further North.

And earlier in the spring. I'm thankful we got a new series this year and think they perhaps started filming later in the year, but heat has always been a problem. They can't have a/c so they should do something else to prevent the annual chocolate disasters and bakers on the verge of heatstroke.

I really thought the finalists would be Marc, Peter, and Hermine. 1 for 3.

 

[Megan]

I think the magic is gone for me.. this used to be my warm and fuzzy most favorite show in the world and now I can't even pay attention to an entire episode, I wander off or start reading crap on reddit.. I don't particularly care for Prue and I like Noel in other things but not this. I have watched every episode of all seasons (for last three seasons, most twice, because I keep losing interest) and I cannot tell you anything baked or anything about the contestants. Previous years I was obsessed. 

I guess the combo of Mary, Paul, Sue and Mel was the perfect show recipe for me.

At least I still have Monty Don and Gardener's World (well i did until the winter hiatus) to make me feel the nice and kind and cozy British-y-ness that GBBO used to.

 

[Kohola3]

8 minutes ago, Megan said:

I think the magic is gone for me.. this used to be my warm and fuzzy most favorite show in the world and now I can't even pay attention to an entire episode.

I sadly admit that I fast forward through the preps and just watch the results.  I really feel that there is a lot of creative license where the editors/producers mix and delete things for the drama. It definitely is not the same show as when Mary was there.  It's no fault of the participants, they are perfectly nice people.  I blame the production company and whomever chose Noel and Matt.  With Mel and Sue, it might be OK.  But these two are the last straw.

[Mabinogia]

29 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

I really feel that there is a lot of creative license where the editors/producers mix and delete things for the drama. It definitely is not the same show as when Mary was there.  It's no fault of the participants, they are perfectly nice people.  I blame the production company and whomever chose Noel and Matt.  With Mel and Sue, it might be OK.  But these two are the last straw.

IDK if it's because I'm just not feeling this season so I'm more critical, but even the voice overs and "coming up" previews seem to be more focused on competition and negativity. Like, the voice over is more "oh no, they have to try to do this in such a limited time, who will fail?" than it used to be. 

This was one of the few shows I gave my full attention to, but the past two eps I've been playing on my laptop or my phone or not bothering to pause when I go get something from the kitchen. It makes me sad, but I do think the show is past its peak. It's still okay, but it isn't what it used to be. At least I can still watch the older seasons. 

[Gwendolyn]

I'm really ticked people are harassing Laura about this. When Hermine was stressed and wanted to give up, it was Laura that gave her a pep talk. Laura has been nothing but kind to everyone. And as much as I like Hermine and her skill set, she didn't bring it this week. She re-did her signature and changed the plan on her show stopper and used too much gelatin, so it was like rubber. These have nothing to do with Laura.

And while Laura's not polished or sophisticated, her strength is her flavors (and flavors that happen to be Paul's personal favorites) and she delivers them time after time. Her bake quality and flavors have been consistent, where her presentation is all over the place. And let's face it, we'd all rather eat something that tastes good and is baked properly than looks professional.

I don't think she'll win, unless Peter has a bad week or Dave trips and lands face first in his bake. But who knows.

My bigger issue is the producers editing for drama, Noel's goofing with the bakers when you can tell they really want him to go away (I think Matt's actually better at knowing when to step back and he gave Laura a lovely pep talk this week), but the big problem is Prue doesn't balance out Paul. They're both perfectionists and can be a little cold when delivering their critiques. But the bakers in all their exit interviews seem fine with it, so who am I too judge, but the producers might look in the edit and go we need to cut this critique off. And focus on the bakers, not Paul, Prue, Matt and Noel.

[irisheyes]

I think Hermine fell victim to the compressed schedule. Instead of being home for a week to test and refine a recipe that wasn’t working for her, she only had a day or two in a practice tent to fix what was wrong. 

[Ms Lark]

On 11/18/2020 at 12:20 PM, Kiddvideo said:

DANGIT. Was reading the Daily Mail and got spoiled by a headline. I don’t know exact details of what happened, but I do know the 3 finalists now. That’s twice this season. Errrrgh.

Me, too. And I was reading political stuff! Nothing like a spoiler in a sidebar. Grrr. Sounds like a bunch of us got those spoilers. I guess stay away from British papers between Tuesday and when you the final on Netflix.

On 11/18/2020 at 8:10 PM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

That makes me feel slightly better but still what a waste to have all those silicone molds that can't ever be used again!

Yeah, but when it comes down to the wire in a tense competition, do you throw in the towel and say "I can't get my stuff out of the mold" or do you break the mold? Personally, I'd go for the latter.

I hate competitions when someone so-so skates along in the middle while better competitors take bold chances, have one bad day, and are thus eliminated. Let's celebrate mediocrity! My money is on Peter winning. If Laura wins, it will suck. Even Dave would be better and I think he's a bit of a thug.

[Spunkygal]

4 hours ago, Ms Lark said:

Me, too. And I was reading political stuff! Nothing like a spoiler in a sidebar. Grrr. Sounds like a bunch of us got those spoilers. I guess stay away from British papers between Tuesday and when you the final on Netflix.

Yeah, but when it comes down to the wire in a tense competition, do you throw in the towel and say "I can't get my stuff out of the mold" or do you break the mold? Personally, I'd go for the latter.

I hate competitions when someone so-so skates along in the middle while better competitors take bold chances, have one bad day, and are thus eliminated. Let's celebrate mediocrity! My money is on Peter winning. If Laura wins, it will suck. Even Dave would be better and I think he's a bit of a thug.

How has Dave left you with the impression that “he’s a bit of a thug”?

[Crs97]

I keep hearing these kinds of remarks that Dave is scary or creepy or such.  I don’t understand.  He seems very quiet, but nice enough.  He doesn’t have the sunny personality that Peter has, but I’ve seen him smile.  Tough crowd.

[Spunkygal]

30 minutes ago, Crs97 said:

I keep hearing these kinds of remarks that Dave is scary or creepy or such.  I don’t understand.  He seems very quiet, but nice enough.  He doesn’t have the sunny personality that Peter has, but I’ve seen him smile.  Tough crowd.

I agree. I get none of those negative vibes from him. I’m actually rooting for him to win.  I sure hope that if Dave wins, he doesn’t experience the hateful social media posts that Laura received for making the finals.

[Lovecat]

You guys, I laughed until I CRIED at Dave's Horn of Plenty (and yeah, that sounds so dirty).  It was a long week, and I really needed that laugh, so thanks, Dave!

Dear god, Laura's bench after the failed mirror glaze...it looked like a murder scene, but the victim was a large chocolate Santa that had been done in by a blowtorch!  Yikes.  I have to say, though, I like Laura a lot.  I think she charmed me with her frequent and casual use of "mate."  I don't know why I found that so appealing (I'm American, so anyone who does it here is just putting on an affectation), but I kind of loved it.

If neither of them choke in the finale, though, I think Young Peter is going to take the whole thing, followed very closely by Dave.  I will be sad, though, when there are no more new episodes to look forward to.  It seems this season has zoomed by.

[dgpolo]

1 hour ago, Crs97 said:

I keep hearing these kinds of remarks that Dave is scary or creepy or such.  I don’t understand.  He seems very quiet, but nice enough.  He doesn’t have the sunny personality that Peter has, but I’ve seen him smile.  Tough crowd.

This may sound odd, but to me he has a look about him of a person who just recently started wearing contacts. lol, I have no idea if that is so but I have seen other people who started wearing contacts after wearing glasses and they have the same look about the eyes. Maybe too wide? slightly squinted? something I can't really explain but have seen before.

[Kiddvideo]

1 hour ago, Crs97 said:

I keep hearing these kinds of remarks that Dave is scary or creepy or such.  I don’t understand.  He seems very quiet, but nice enough.  He doesn’t have the sunny personality that Peter has, but I’ve seen him smile.  Tough crowd.

He looked so happy this week when he said he felt he'd taken big steps forward with his bakes. I've never felt he was anything other than quiet.

I'm rooting for Peter still. I'll be happy if Dave wins, and while I like Laura I'll be irritated if she takes the title.

[Suzn]

3 hours ago, Crs97 said:

I keep hearing these kinds of remarks that Dave is scary or creepy or such.  I don’t understand.  He seems very quiet, but nice enough.  He doesn’t have the sunny personality that Peter has, but I’ve seen him smile.  Tough crowd.

I don't see anything wrong with Dave.  He's quiet and serious, but he does smile.  He is very skilled and has learned a lot and improved from where he started and I would be OK with either him or Peter winning.  I like Laura, but I think she has skated by more than once and this week it was because Hermine had a uncharacteristic disaster.

[buttersister]

Quote

Noel, c’mon man. 

Mary would have never put up with his bs. Miss you, Miss B. So does this show.

Prue's You Had A Bad Week comment to Hermine at the end seemed heartfelt and cemented the belief that she just collapsed. Shame, cause I was looking forward to this week for her.

[Gwendolyn]

6 hours ago, Crs97 said:

I keep hearing these kinds of remarks that Dave is scary or creepy or such.  I don’t understand.  He seems very quiet, but nice enough.  He doesn’t have the sunny personality that Peter has, but I’ve seen him smile.  Tough crowd.

Part of it is Dave comes across as very focused, he's in it to win it, which is fine because it's a competition. He's had some really good bakes and he listens and takes the judges suggestions seriously. Which is a contrast to like Rowan who was like "eff it, I'm here for the fun" or Lottie's dry sarcasm or Peter's sunshine. It's not a bad thing, it's just how Dave stands out.

I think he had/has a kid on the way, so if he wins GBBO, he might be the one person totally rockin' 2020, if so more power to him.

Also I didn't get the critique of signature bake being on top of the custard, it looked hella professional and if you didn't like the custard you didn't have to eat it (I say this as a person who hates custard squirting out of a pastry).

[Irlandesa]

I finally watched the episode.  Maybe it's because I knew the outcome already and that colors my viewpoint but Hermine just did not seem to be there the whole episode.  She clearly has the skills but some days you just feel like you're facing bad luck.  I think it started for her the minute she decided to change her show stopper since the other one wasn't working out.

Assuming everyone knocks it out of the park next week, Peter should win this.  Over the season, I've gotten the impression that he has had more moments of brilliance than other bakers.  I pegged him as the winner early on (before my fave Hermine came on strong the past few weeks).

But I don't think Laura needs the others to totally collapse for her to win this.  When she won star baker, she didn't need anyone to collapse.  In fact, all the semi-finalists had a good week that week and she still beat them.  And coming into this episode, she Peter and Dave all had one SB win.  Peter pulled ahead by winning this week.

I hate the narrative that has been built around her and I 95% blame Noel for starting it.   He has twice mentioned her skating.  I think it was wrong this week and off base the first time he said it.  In fact, had she hit the bottom 2 more than once when he said it?  I don't think so.  I am also sick of his "how many times has the show stopper saved her?" Over 11 seasons, the show stopper has always been THE round that has usually determined the winner, the loser and who is safe.   The other rounds factor into the decision when it's close either on the top end or low end.  That's even more true the closer to the finale we get.  I love Hermine but I just don't think it was probably close this week.

6 hours ago, Crs97 said:

I keep hearing these kinds of remarks that Dave is scary or creepy or such.  I don’t understand.  He seems very quiet, but nice enough.

That's another narrative that has been somewhat unfair. I think what crafted this narrative was his reaction to when Sura knocked over his technical in the first or second week. He was perfectly fine but you could kind of feel his intensity. He just seems like an intense guy.

[dleighg]

6 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I think what crafted this narrative was his reaction to when Sura knocked over his technical in the first or second week. He was perfectly fine but you could kind of feel his intensity. He just seems like an intense guy.

I also think that the "look" he gave at that point was "noticed." IMO he had every right to be pissed off in the moment. Clearly it didn't count against him, but it's only human to be frustrated.

[iwantcookies]

9 minutes ago, Gwendolyn said:

Part of it is Dave comes across as very focused, he's in it to win it, which is fine because it's a competition. He's had some really good bakes and he listens and takes the judges suggestions seriously. Which is a contrast to like Rowan who was like "eff it, I'm here for the fun" or Lottie's dry sarcasm or Peter's sunshine. It's not a bad thing, it's just how Dave stands out.

I think he had/has a kid on the way, so if he wins GBBO, he might be the one person totally rockin' 2020, if so more power to him.

Also I didn't get the critique of signature bake being on top of the custard, it looked hella professional and if you didn't like the custard you didn't have to eat it (I say this as a person who hates custard squirting out of a pastry).

David has a newborn son named Ronnie. 

[Mabinogia]

37 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

He just seems like an intense guy.

I think it's just that, his intensity that is giving people a "thug" vibe. He just seems very serious, and intense, which is fine, but not all that entertaining and can be a bit off-putting on a show where everyone comes across very warm and casual. I like him, I just don't particularly enjoy watching him because he is so intense. People like that make me tense, which I don't care for on a feel good tv show. Not his fault, just the way it is. Much like people who try too hard to be a personality exhaust me, which is why I am not feeling Matt at all. He's too "look at me, look at me, I'm so funny and clever and gay, did I mention I'm gay because I'm really gay so I'm going to comment on it all the time because I'm GAY!!!!" I'm happy for him and all but that really is about 98% of his personality and that's kind of sad.  

[dgpolo]

4 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

45 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

He just seems like an intense guy.

I think it's just that, his intensity that is giving people a "thug" vibe. He just seems very serious, and intense, which is fine, but not all that entertaining and can be a bit off-putting on a show where everyone comes across very warm and casual.

I just googled him and found out he is an armoured guard, I think 'intense' is a good look for an armoured guard.

[Mabinogia]

1 minute ago, dgpolo said:

I just googled him and found out he is an armoured guard, I think 'intense' is a good look for an armoured guard.

That does explain a lot. lol Maybe that's his "work face". lol 

 

[MerBearHou]

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

I hate the narrative that has been built around her and I 95% blame Noel for starting it.   He has twice mentioned her skating.  I think it was wrong this week and off base the first time he said it.  In fact, had she hit the bottom 2 more than once when he said it?  I don't think so.  I am also sick of his "how many times has the show stopper saved her?" Over 11 seasons, the show stopper has always been THE round that has usually determined the winner, the loser and who is safe. 

Agree 1000%.  It's been weird how Noel has tried a few times to shade Laura when he decides to insert himself in the judges' conversations.  Not cool at all.  Laura is a messy baker (and she knows it/owns it) but obviously her flavors are good and I find her to be kind, good-natured, warm, encouraging of her fellow bakers.  She's a good soul.

[festivus]

Has Noel ever really inserted his opinion like he does with Laura? I've never noticed before but I sure am now. Not a good look for him. I'm not going back and watching but I feel like they've generally been happy with her flavors and she's made some really pretty stuff and had some disasters. Kinda the same as I remember Hermine's run. Hermine just had a worse week this time.

It did take me a while to warm up to Dave because he is intense, but I think he's just focused and really isn't into the joking around. He does smile, it's not like he's like that the whole time. I felt like Hermine wasn't that fond of the joking around either. That's how I would be. 

Also Noel needs to quit with the inappropriate comments about Peter. It's creepy. Stop it. Imagine the uproar if these comments were being made about a young woman contestant. Even Paul ain't that creepy.

I don't have a favorite this time so I'm fine with whoever wins.

[Adeejay]

From the moment Laura told Paul that she has been faithfully reading his baking books, he has been giving her preferential treatment.   Like Noel said, "she has barely been hanging on for five weeks."  She should have been eliminated before Lottie and Mark.

[Irlandesa]

43 minutes ago, Adeejay said:

Like Noel said, "she has barely been hanging on for five weeks." 

She was star baker five weeks ago and she almost won last week so she has done far better than just hanging on. 

Edited November 24, 2020 by Irlandesa

[Crs97]

And was star baker as well.  Have we had a season yet in which Paul wasn’t accused of favoritism?  That’s why we will always need two judges.

[iwantcookies]

I can’t wait to read the spoilers who wins tomorrow! 
 

Noel is way too preoccupied with Peter rabbit, it’s creepy what he says about him.

[Irlandesa]

4 minutes ago, iwantcookies said:

Noel is way too preoccupied with Peter rabbit, it’s creepy what he says about him.

Goodness yes.  You want to talk favoritism/negativism?  Let's talk about Noel with his creepy/weird weekly comments about Peter's dating life and the way he interjects trying to push Laura out when he doesn't even taste the bakes most of the time!

[iwantcookies]

I miss Sandi she was nice. Wish she would come back. Noel needs to go he is MEAN.

 

[BradyB66]

20 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

and the way he interjects trying to push Laura out when he doesn't even taste the bakes most of the time!

I’m not a fan of Noel and his creepy innuendo this season, but this smacks of producer interference to me.  Paul and Prue have just said Hermine’s bake was inedible and Laura’s was delicious but messy?  Let’s have Noel play devil’s advocate and remind them that Laura’s been in trouble before to keep the viewers guessing about who will be eliminated.  That’s how I read it.  I don’t see him truly trying to influence the judges against Laura.