S11.E10: The Final

[cynicat]

16 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Since BBC dropped it, the new management doesn't seem to understand that long time fans really came for the sweet, gently nature of this show.  We were not in it for fake drama, we liked the closeness of the contestants and their genuine regard for each other.

I don't imagine they're worried about those of us who already like the show--that's a built in fan base.  More likely they're trying to get new viewers, probably a younger demographic.  Even with the more emphasized drama, it's not going to stop me from watching.  I'd take this over any of the ridiculous baking challenges on the Food Network.

[Kerrey92]

I, too, was wishing Hermine was in the final but not enough to cyber bully poor Laura on social media.  I feel so bad that she’s received such negative feedback for something like a baking show!  She seems like a sweet and sensitive person.  I hope she lets it wash over her and doesn’t take it personally.  
 

The PG-13 humor doesn’t bother me.  There are many allusions to anatomy on this show (Dave’s cornucopia anyone?) and double entendre’s that get the cast and contestants snickering.  It’s no worse than Mr Spoon hijinx or a key party reference IMHO  

it wasn’t the best season but add me into those who were glad for a fun, silly distraction from all the seriousness in our world right now.  I’m actually so sad it’s over!

Edited November 29, 2020 by Kerrey92

[rejnel]

I missed seeing all the former contestants at the final, and the finalists' families! Damn you, COVID!

[SuprSuprElevated]

6 hours ago, cynicat said:

I'd take this over any of the ridiculous baking challenges on the Food Network.

Preach!

[Aulty]

On 11/28/2020 at 5:16 PM, Pepper Mostly said:

I was surprised by how hard that hit me. Luis was one of my favorites on his season and he was young, not even fifty. Was it COVID? 

No. Sadly, another lovely person taken by cancer.

[Pepper Mostly]

Oh no. That is terrible. Tearing up here. What a lovely man he was. 

Edited November 29, 2020 by Pepper Mostly

[PaulaO]

I was sad to read about Luis.  I enjoyed him and his bakes.

[Gwendolyn]

Late to the party, but I was finally able to watch the episode. I'm calling producer shenanigans. Based on the show I watched, Dave had the edge and that was possibly the most relaxed he's been the entire show. Either in how they edited or just making it to the final lifted a weight. But the fact for his final he chose to attempt things he'd had the most trouble with and excelling on his cake and brownies showed he valued the judges and their feedback, though with a slightly overcooked babka, and his profiteroles let him down, but add that to his technical win and his signature, should have given him the nudge over the top all things being equal.

Peter did well, but he had 2 out of 4 bakes that didn't turn out as well his showstopper, if memory serves Prue called one "stodgy". He took second in the technical (they looked terrible) and his signature was on par with Dave's, so how did he win? Then you look at the focus on his age, the fact he was baking because of GBBO, he'd been a fan half his life, etc. They went with the candidate that plays in the narrative that GBBO changes lives and makes them look important. Yes, Peter can bake and deserved his spot in the final, but for that particular episode the win didn't make sense.

And then there's poor Laura. Who ironically got the most compliments for the show stopper. It looked terrible stacked up, but the individual parts: cake, buns, and tarts were all baked correctly and the judges loved the taste. Laura's downfall hasn't always been the quality of her bakes, just the presentation. She was fine being the also ran, especially after day one, but again I'm side eying the producers, they edited to play up her frazzled/messy nature and then hung a woman who appears to be very kind out to dry on social media. It was Paul and Hermine who stepped up to say leave her alone, while the producers stayed silent, probably enjoying all the media attention. Up until it was her and Hermine, the person at the bottom that went home was always just a little worse. Hermine should not have changed her showstopper recipe on the fly (that always dooms contestants), but you get the feeling by that point the producers were all in on Peter winning and Hermine could have messed up that narrative.

For next year, they're going to have to look at the hosting situation, Noel and Matt don't compliment each other, instead they bring out each others worst comedy. They have got to find a better balance between Prue and Paul, or at least the edit so you don't have Prue kicking a contestant when they're down like she did with Hermine. And for the love of all that is holy figure a way to drop the temperature in the tent, or do chocolate and ice cream challenges week 1 and not at the end when they know it's summer and it will be hotter than hot! It's no longer dramatic, it's cruel. And stop the technical bakes that no one can win because there isn't enough time to finish or the recipe is edited to cause maximum confusion.

[LeDucDiableBleu]

I thought Noel and Matt were insufferable this season and actually preferred to watch on my phone, so I could do the 10-second jump ahead when they were on. However, with that being said Sue made a key party joke as well.

[dleighg]

3 minutes ago, LeDucDiableBleu said:

However, with that being said Sue made a key party joke as well.

Because I'm totally uncool, when Noel made the comment I thought a key party was just "a party everyone would want to go to... because it was "important" " LOL.

[iwantcookies]

Previous hosts Sue and Mel both had bad teeth which would not be okay in USA. 

[Kohola3]

8 minutes ago, iwantcookies said:

Previous hosts Sue and Mel both had bad teeth which would not be okay in USA. 

I have noticed that on a lot of British reality shows.  There are several on Secret Life of the Zoo that could have benefitted from orthdotic care.

Overall, I looked forward to the episodes as it is so peaceful compared to, say, Chopped.  So I will continue to watch if there is another season albeit will keep my fingers crossed for the departure of the Twit Twins.  I cannot abide either of them.

[Mabinogia]

Mel and Sue always made "naughty" jokes/references but it never bothered me because they usually made me laugh. There was an easiness with Mel and Sue that made it all feel unscripted and very natural. 

This season it all just felt more forced. Not sure if it was me constantly comparing them to Mel and Sue (like the jokes are still being written for them and Noel and Matt are just reading old scripts). Noel works best for me when he really hits it off with a baker. Him with Helena were gold. Him and Lottie worked well. Matt, the same, he works best when a baker thinks he's funny. At least I can appreciate that someone finds his humor funny since I don't. But Matt and Noel interacting with each other or with the judges just falls flat for me.

I think where Mel and Sue seemed like they were just amusing themselves, Noel and Matt seem desperate for people to find them funny.

[SuprSuprElevated]

30 minutes ago, iwantcookies said:

Previous hosts Sue and Mel both had bad teeth which would not be okay in USA. 

Hey, c'mon now.  Don't undersell us.  Not all of us believe that one has to have Chicklets for teeth, all lined up like little neon white soldiers.  

p.s.:  have you seen Pru's teeth?

Edited November 29, 2020 by SuprSuprElevated

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 11/28/2020 at 6:15 AM, Bethanne said:

He likely has significant allergies, which cause contact dermatitis around his eyes and cheekbones. My son gets red, sore skin around his eyes when his ragweed allergies are particularly flaring.

I have a plethora of allergies which each cause different reactions, but one common food allergy reaction I get is red/swollen skin around my eyes. It varies between a few small red bumps to the whole area under my eyes getting red and swollen.

On 11/28/2020 at 6:56 AM, weightyghost said:

Of the 66million people who live in the UK, you believe there isn't a single good baker left because the show has had 10 seasons? 

I think this season suffered like everything, because of COVID. I don't disagree the bakers weren't up to their normal par this year, but consider out of the however many people apply to this show each year, they have to meet the qualifications already set out by the show AND be willing to quarantine with little or no family AND quit their job for 10 weeks (and if their family did come with them, they would be stuck as well). This isn't like normal where they can return home during the week and continue working, see family, live normally. Even if they had a lot of people in that situation who could, I don't know how many people would even be in the right mindset to do it this year.

I agree that this was a huge factor in the pool of contestants this year. The regular bake off schedule means having to go every weekend (which can be exhausting if you have a full time job) but it means you don't have to make any huge life changes to participate. This year required everyone who wanted to apply to leave their jobs and families for a really long time which simply isn't doable for a lot of people even under normal circumstances. But during a pandemic with a quarantine? I can tell you that I would not be willing to risk my health and safety in the middle of a pandemic to be on reality show. There are other tv shows that supposedly had a bubble of the cast and crew, and then production had to shut down because someone tested positive. Creating a quarantine bubble doesn't ensure that there won't be an outbreak (and there's no guarantee how strictly each production is actually enforcing all the COVID regulations), which is why there's no way in hell I'd risk doing a reality show right now. I'm guessing there are people who also chose not to apply for the same reason.

[Suzn]

3 hours ago, Gwendolyn said:

Late to the party, but I was finally able to watch the episode. I'm calling producer shenanigans. Based on the show I watched, Dave had the edge and that was possibly the most relaxed he's been the entire show. Either in how they edited or just making it to the final lifted a weight. But the fact for his final he chose to attempt things he'd had the most trouble with and excelling on his cake and brownies showed he valued the judges and their feedback, though with a slightly overcooked babka, and his profiteroles let him down, but add that to his technical win and his signature, should have given him the nudge over the top all things being equal.

Peter did well, but he had 2 out of 4 bakes that didn't turn out as well his showstopper, if memory serves Prue called one "stodgy". He took second in the technical (they looked terrible) and his signature was on par with Dave's, so how did he win? Then you look at the focus on his age, the fact he was baking because of GBBO, he'd been a fan half his life, etc. They went with the candidate that plays in the narrative that GBBO changes lives and makes them look important. Yes, Peter can bake and deserved his spot in the final, but for that particular episode the win didn't make sense.

And then there's poor Laura. Who ironically got the most compliments for the show stopper. It looked terrible stacked up, but the individual parts: cake, buns, and tarts were all baked correctly and the judges loved the taste. Laura's downfall hasn't always been the quality of her bakes, just the presentation. She was fine being the also ran, especially after day one, but again I'm side eying the producers, they edited to play up her frazzled/messy nature and then hung a woman who appears to be very kind out to dry on social media. It was Paul and Hermine who stepped up to say leave her alone, while the producers stayed silent, probably enjoying all the media attention. Up until it was her and Hermine, the person at the bottom that went home was always just a little worse. Hermine should not have changed her showstopper recipe on the fly (that always dooms contestants), but you get the feeling by that point the producers were all in on Peter winning and Hermine could have messed up that narrative.

For next year, they're going to have to look at the hosting situation, Noel and Matt don't compliment each other, instead they bring out each others worst comedy. They have got to find a better balance between Prue and Paul, or at least the edit so you don't have Prue kicking a contestant when they're down like she did with Hermine. And for the love of all that is holy figure a way to drop the temperature in the tent, or do chocolate and ice cream challenges week 1 and not at the end when they know it's summer and it will be hotter than hot! It's no longer dramatic, it's cruel. And stop the technical bakes that no one can win because there isn't enough time to finish or the recipe is edited to cause maximum confusion.

ITA that it looked like "producer shenanigans" to have Peter win. Clearly he is an excellent baker, but was also clearly the best story with his watching GBBO since a child. 

I think the challenges for this season were bad and included things designed to fail - chocolate and ice cream in the heat.  Ridiculous to have those challenges when no one can really succeed.  They need to do those things in another time of year or find a way to cool the tent.  If they can't do that, then stop using those kind of challenges.  It's no fun to watch people fail through no fault of their own.  Also ridiculous was the wretched Sussex pond mess.  There was no reason to limit the time to make success impossible.  No one steamed theirs long enough because they just weren't given enough time!

I am more than ready for Noel to move on and I had some hope for Matt but he doesn't work well with Noel.  Honestly, I was not a fan of Mel and Sue but I didn't feel that they detracted from the show and I really think that Noel and Sandy did, as well as Noel and Matt.

I don't mind Pru, but she doesn't add a lot and as always, Paul steamrollers over her.

[SuprSuprElevated]

1 hour ago, Suzn said:

ncluded things designed to fail - chocolate and ice cream in the heat.

Yes.  This and other extremely difficult/nutty challenges seemed as thought they were intended to show how spectacularly contestents could fail, rather than how well they could perform them.

[SuprSuprElevated]

1 hour ago, Suzn said:

Honestly, I was not a fan of Mel and Sue but I didn't feel that they detracted from the show

Same.  Was also not a big fan of Sandy, alone or together with Noel.  I just don't feel like the concept of having hosts, particularly comics, is necessary or even appropriate.  Maybe, maybe someone to quietly roam among the bakers when they're at it, narrating or something, but so far, they've all been a bit awkward.  ...bake! indeed.

[TimothyQ]

1 hour ago, Suzn said:

I don't mind Pru, but she doesn't add a lot and as always, Paul steamrollers over her.

I was watching an earlier season (the one when John won) and it reminded me how often Mary would push back on Paul’s opinion of something - of course in that kind Mary Berry way. You never get that with Pru, though. It’s definitely Paul’s show now. 

[buttersister]

This show was better than no show, so thanks for that. As usual, I watch for the contestants since it left BBC. With Paul the only one standing, so what does that tell us?

I'll go with Dave for the win, based on these three bakes, although if I was betting, Peter would have been the call. For the reasons stated above. I really liked Laura as a person and I would happily have eaten any and all that she baked. But she was out of her depth here and that's not usually how a final goes (sure, anyone can have a bad day, but her work was visually below par and I recall many times bakertestants got booted because something tasted good but looked off, not even a mess).

Here's to never seeing Noel or Mr. Spoon again.

[iwantcookies]

4 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Hey, c'mon now.  Don't undersell us.  Not all of us believe that one has to have Chicklets for teeth, all lined up like little neon white soldiers.  

p.s.:  have you seen Pru's teeth?

Thanks for the laugh. Yeah Pru’s teeth are atrocious. I don’t think she can close her mouth.

what I meant is in USA everyone who works on tv has perfect fake white teeth.

[buttercupia]

perhaps an unpopular opinion, but I love Noel and Matt really grew on me. I like offbeat, surrealist, silly humor though. it was nice to hear Matt sing; he has a lovely voice, and Noel's pep talks are golden. you can tell he really cares and wants to help. 

I knew Luis had passed as he was my favorite baker ever from the series, but seeing his photo at the end broke me all over again.

[SuprSuprElevated]

10 hours ago, iwantcookies said:

Thanks for the laugh. Yeah Pru’s teeth are atrocious. I don’t think she can close her mouth.

what I meant is in USA everyone who works on tv has perfect fake white teeth.

Well, that's true enough, lol.

[sugarbaker design]

18 hours ago, Gwendolyn said:

Noel and Matt don't compliment each other, instead they bring out each others worst comedy.

They've got to get rid of comedians and comic actors, and go back to presenters like Sue and Mel.  I just watched two seasons of Best Home Cook, and Claudia Winkleman did a great job.  I realize she (along with Mary) is BBC loyal, but someone like Claudia would be ideal.

[libgirl2]

On 11/29/2020 at 6:37 AM, Kerrey92 said:

 

The PG-13 humor doesn’t bother me.  There are many allusions to anatomy on this show (Dave’s cornucopia anyone?) and double entendre’s that get the cast and contestants snickering.  It’s no worse than Mr Spoon hijinx or a key party reference IMHO  

it wasn’t the best season but add me into those who were glad for a fun, silly distraction from all the seriousness in our world right now.  I’m actually so sad it’s over!

Yes, how many years now has it been since we heard about the dreaded "soggy bottom" ?

I agree, this show is such a nice escape. As for all this Matt and Noel hatred, we like them. My husband actually loves the two of them. He just started watching last year and he preferred them together other than Noel and that "old lady". 

Edited November 30, 2020 by libgirl2

[dgpolo]

4 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

They've got to get rid of comedians and comic actors, and go back to presenters like Sue and Mel. 

Mel and Sue -are- comedians.

Mel and Sue, are an English comedy double act...

wikipedia article

[sugarbaker design]

9 minutes ago, dgpolo said:

Mel and Sue -are- comedians.

Mel and Sue, are an English comedy double act...

wikipedia article

Well I stand corrected!  And I saw a show in which Mel shared how she met Sue... 

Allow me to rephrase my original sentiment:  

17 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

They've got to get rid of comedians and comic actors, and go back to presenters like Sue and Mel.

They've got to get rid of antic comedians and comic actors, and go back to more understated comedy teams like Mel and Sue.

[HurricaneVal]

I'm OK with Peter winning.  Yes, it may have been partially his back story and his youth that gave him a bump in what apparently was a big tie between him and Dave, but that doesn't have to mean it was producer interference.  I think Pru and Paul are humans, and just as susceptible to a good story as anyone.  If it hadn't been Peter, it might have been Dave's courageous attempt to present baked items/techniques he had problems with in prior episodes that won the day.  However.......I do think that Peter's win is a tiny indication that the judges truly don't base their judging only on the bakes presented that day.  Or....maybe the way the episode was edited left out that the negative comments about Peter's bakes weren't as bad as the negative comments about Dave's bakes.  Or that the positive comments about Peter's bakes were actually better than the positive comments about Dave's bakes.  I actually do believe the judges, though, when they say it was the closest judging has ever been in the history of the show. Congratulations, Peter!  And...congratulations to Dave and Laura too.  I can't believe doing that show during the pandemic was easy.

Laura certainly doesn't deserve any hate coming her way, and I'm sad she is being harassed on social media.  I'm sure that negativity is taking away her very real accomplishment.  Yes, her bakes tended to be sloppy--but they were almost universally praised for taste and technique throughout the whole season.  I believe she got the Paul Hollywood handshake not once, but twice!  If not, she came close several times.  I was a huge Hermine fan, but she had two things going against her: she played it safe too often, and the one time she took a risk, it was a HUGE miscalculated risk and she has nobody else to blame but herself for not making the final.  That last bake she made looked like it was horrible all around.  And she knew it.  It was a poor choice, and she knew it but it was too late to correct course.  It was hers to lose, and she did.

What's next?

[Suzn]

I think the judging should take past performance into account.  It should be given a small weight, but a very good baker should get a "get out of jail free card" for one bad day.  I would explain the basis of judging as the judging is on the competition of the day/weekend, but past performance may be used as appropriate.  

[Crs97]

I think it takes a special person to hear how Laura struggles with self esteem and decide to blast her as not worthy to be in the final.  Hermine didn’t get in the final because she made a flavorless showstopper that didn’t look good.  Period.  Not Laura’s fault.

I thought Dave might take it until they didn’t like two of his showstopper elements and only one of Peter’s.  I was fine with either of them taking it.

I hope people who kept saying Dave was creepy have changed their mind.  He was lovely.

I think people are conflating Noel’s antics onto Matt unfairly.  Matt wasn’t talking about Peter inappropriately.  He wasn’t talking about violence toward the judges. He talked to Dave when his technical went flying, he got Laura settled and laughing to the point that she said she just loved him.  My issues were with Noel, not Matt, though Noel’s pep talk to Laura was lovely.

[Adiba]

I’m okay with Peter winning, but to think that producers of reality shows (yes, even this one) have zero influence is a little naive, imo.   I thought David’s showstopper looked better, but then I didn’t taste it. Not saying that Peter wasn’t an excellent baker, too—and he seemed to work very hard at each challenge— so his winning was not a surprise.

I agree with others here that Hermine lost her spot in the final deservedly— if she had been pushed through, I would have called favoritism. We don’t really know if she would have made a better finalist based on her past performance— after all, she had a bad semifinal and in the past some great bakers have melted down in the final.

[Irlandesa]

47 minutes ago, Adiba said:

I’m okay with Peter winning, but to think that producers of reality shows (yes, even this one) have zero influence is a little naive, imo.  

I think there's a difference between knowing it's possible and thinking it's probable.  I know producers can have influence in many different ways.  I'm not convinced there is really much in it for producers to manipulate the results on this show.

2 hours ago, Suzn said:

I think the judging should take past performance into account. 

But then you're getting rid of someone in week 1 without any past performance to know whether or not it was truly representative of their talent. Or they could just keep everyone week-to-week and add up the cumulative results. 

 

[Quilt Fairy]

1 hour ago, Crs97 said:

Matt wasn’t talking about Peter inappropriately.

Yet back in the first episode, Matt told Peter (I think it was Peter) that he was a homosexual, a statement that was totally out of context with what they had been discussing. 

[SuprSuprElevated]

I'm probably not remembering when others did it, but I especially noticed how David was encouraging and complimentary when another contestant did well.  I wanted to mention that.  He seemed genuine when he did it.

 

[cherrypj]

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

But then you're getting rid of someone in week 1 without any past performance to know whether or not it was truly representative of their talent. Or they could just keep everyone week-to-week and add up the cumulative results. 

Don’t eliminate anyone the first week. That gives you two weeks of bakes to judge. 

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Yet back in the first episode, Matt told Peter (I think it was Peter) that he was a homosexual, a statement that was totally out of context with what they had been discussing. 

I don't remember who was the recipient of that joke but I think it had a completely different and non-creepy vibe compared to some of the jokes Noel made towards Peter.

Here was Matt's joke--

“You know they are called Batchelors Super Noodles? Because I am homosexual I call them Confirmed Batchelors Super Noodles.”

First, I don't think he's telling this joke to share deeply personal information.  I think he was simply inspired to make a pun/play on Batchelors Super Noodles but realizes that the "confirmed bachelor" euphemism is a bit outdated.  Including "because I am a homosexual" punches up the joke and primes the listener to make the connection.

But more importantly, IMO, this joke isn't about the recipient of the joke at all.  Matt could have been in front of anyone and the joke would have worked because they weren't the target of the joke.  It was about Batchelors Super Noodles or Matt. It also wasn't told to make a person uncomfortable as he wasn't looking for a personal reaction from the joke recipient other than possibly a laugh. He wasn't looking for a date or trying to hook people up.

Noel's jokes were all about Peter's private dating life and I do think they were intended to get Peter to blush.  Making them kiss the spoon was also like that.  It's possible that no one took issue with it but none of them looked comfortable in those moments and the whole point of those jokes is that they wouldn't be comfortable.

Matt's joke was at his expense.  Some of Noel's creepy jokes were at the contestant's. 

6 minutes ago, cherrypj said:

Don’t eliminate anyone the first week. That gives you two weeks of bakes to judge. 

But what if one person has a disaster in the penultimate round but someone was just a tad worse so they make it through to the finale.  They get to the finale and do great and the other two, who had a successful penultimate week, do poorly.  Who wins?  How far do they go back?

The week by week process has worked well for the most part.  It's not like the decision is based on one bake.  Each week has three bakes that are factored into the decision.

I understand the inclination but I don't know that I agree about making a change in judging because the person eliminated fourth was a favorite; especially when the ultimate winner was a strong contender from week 1 and a worthy choice.

[Suzn]

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

...

But what if one person has a disaster in the penultimate round but someone was just a tad worse so they make it through to the finale.  They get to the finale and do great and the other two, who had a successful penultimate week, do poorly.  Who wins?  How far do they go back?

The week by week process has worked well for the most part.  It's not like the decision is based on one bake.  Each week has three bakes that are factored into the decision.

I understand the inclination but I don't know that I agree about making a change in judging because the person eliminated fourth was a favorite; especially when the ultimate winner was a strong contender from week 1 and a worthy choice.

I was absolutely not suggesting some elaborate and complicated system, taking all bakes into account.  I am only suggesting that they can acknowledge that they are allowing someone to stay who has been very good and has a bad day.

Edited December 1, 2020 by Suzn

[Crs97]

25 minutes ago, Suzn said:

I am only suggesting that they can acknowledge that they allowing someone to stay who has been very good and has a bad day.

I think that leaves them more vulnerable to accusations of favoritism and producer interference.  No money is on the line here.  I think they should leave the system they have in place.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, Suzn said:

I was absolutely not suggesting some elaborate and complicated system, taking all bakes into account.  I am only suggesting that they can acknowledge that they are allowing someone to stay who has been very good and has a bad day.

I completely get what you're suggesting.  I do.  And I get it because it was something I wished last week when Hermine was booted.  But the reason I posed the question is because, as @Crs97 pointed out, it could make things murkier than they are.  And it's not just a bad day.  Each week is two days worth of baking. 

 

[AZChristian]

On 11/29/2020 at 3:52 PM, LeDucDiableBleu said:

I thought Noel and Matt were insufferable this season and actually preferred to watch on my phone, so I could do the 10-second jump ahead when they were on. However, with that being said Sue made a key party joke as well.

I agree that Noel was insufferable this season; Matt didn't bother me as much, and I got the sense that he knew that Noel was crossing a line of appropriateness and may have been uncomfortable with it as well.

Granted, Sue made a slightly suggestive joke, but it did not specifically include a reference to any of the bakers or staff.  Noel made inappropriate references pretty much every week, and directed them to or mentioned by name the bakers or Paul or Prue.  His comment about someone wanting to see Peter naked was particularly offensive, as Peter isn't even 21 years old!!!  Suppose a similar comment had been made about Martha, a lovely young lady who was 17 when she competed?  

I wouldn't mind seeing Matt get another chance . . . but Noel just isn't a good fit if his "jokes" continue in their current vein.

[Suzn]

13 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I completely get what you're suggesting.  I do.  And I get it because it was something I wished last week when Hermine was booted.  But the reason I posed the question is because, as @Crs97 pointed out, it could make things murkier than they are.  And it's not just a bad day.  Each week is two days worth of baking. 

 

Oh, you're right.  It's just that I think occasionally a superior baker is eliminated when they have a bad two days.  I have nothing against Laura (and hate that social media was nasty to her), but I think Hermine could have been a real contender with David and Peter.

2 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I agree that Noel was insufferable this season; Matt didn't bother me as much, and I got the sense that he knew that Noel was crossing a line of appropriateness and may have been uncomfortable with it as well.

Granted, Sue made a slightly suggestive joke, but it did not specifically include a reference to any of the bakers or staff.  Noel made inappropriate references pretty much every week, and directed them to or mentioned by name the bakers or Paul or Prue.  His comment about someone wanting to see Peter naked was particularly offensive, as Peter isn't even 21 years old!!!  Suppose a similar comment had been made about Martha, a lovely young lady who was 17 when she competed?  

I wouldn't mind seeing Matt get another chance . . . but Noel just isn't a good fit if his "jokes" continue in their current vein.

ITA.  I would like to see Matt without Noel.  I've never cared for Noel, but he was much worse this season.

[Irlandesa]

3 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I wouldn't mind seeing Matt get another chance . . . but Noel just isn't a good fit if his "jokes" continue in their current vein.

I believe Noel was on paternity leave when they filmed the holiday special so we'll get our chance. I hope we get it in the US. 

I don't think this is a spoiler but the guest host will be:

Spoiler

The person who hosts Extra Slice

 

[iMonrey]

Quote

I think the challenges for this season were bad and included things designed to fail - chocolate and ice cream in the heat.  Ridiculous to have those challenges when no one can really succeed.  They need to do those things in another time of year or find a way to cool the tent.  If they can't do that, then stop using those kind of challenges.  It's no fun to watch people fail through no fault of their own.

I don't know why the producers think we want to see spectacle and meltdowns. That's not what this show is about. It's not Survivor or Big Brother. It's baking for Pete's sake. We want to see lovely bakes. We don't watch baking shows for drama.

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perhaps an unpopular opinion, but I love Noel and Matt really grew on me. I like offbeat, surrealist, silly humor though. it was nice to hear Matt sing; he has a lovely voice, and Noel's pep talks are golden. you can tell he really cares and wants to help.

I didn't mind them. I still prefer Mel and Sue but I never warmed up to Sandy and I've gotten used to Noel. I prefer Matt to Sandy. Neither one is nearly as intrusive as they could be so they don't really bother me. Their humor is so corny it often comes off like Dad Jokes. But they're OK. It's not like they're ruining the show for me. 

[SemiCharmedLife]

On 11/24/2020 at 2:36 PM, Irlandesa said:

I would have rooted for her too because of the unnecessary backlash she got after she survived last week but then I thought the Twitter hate would have been worse had she won. I was hoping that she'd be spared the grief.  I'm sad to hear that she's still getting grief. 

There's absolutely no way for Laura to come out on top in Social Media.  If she had won the final, people would have been outraged that an "inferior" baker came out on top.  As it is, people are now posting sanctimoniously that she should have never been in the finals and she robbed Hermine of the chance to win the whole thing.  I just hope Laura feels the support of many, many appreciative fans.  I think the bakers this year are to be commended for participating with a schedule that must have been grueling and under circumstances less than ideal.

[SemiCharmedLife]

On 11/25/2020 at 9:07 PM, iwantcookies said:

Peter is a baby only 20! Too bad there is no $$$ to be won.

 

I think not having a cash prize keeps this program kinder and the contestants aren't as cutthroat as in other competition shows.  That said, I am all for giving the bakers extra cash for their practice bakes.  I heard they get a bit, but I would think the production company could afford to be generous.

[HurricaneVal]

18 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I don't know why the producers think we want to see spectacle and meltdowns. That's not what this show is about. It's not Survivor or Big Brother. It's baking for Pete's sake. We want to see lovely bakes. We don't watch baking shows for drama.

 

15 hours ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

I think not having a cash prize keeps this program kinder and the contestants aren't as cutthroat as in other competition shows.  That said, I am all for giving the bakers extra cash for their practice bakes.  I heard they get a bit, but I would think the production company could afford to be generous.

 

This is exactly why I believe most of us love this show so much.  Yes, it is competitive reality, but what charmed me and made me so addicted to this show was how supportive everyone is of everyone else.  They assist each other, offer extra ingredients if a baker runs out, and in general are just nice.  Sure there is competition, but it is less against each other, and more against themselves.  Each baker is trying to produce their best bake of whatever is required.  It is 100% up to the judges and the baker's skills to determine where they shake out in the group that day.  But it is positive without being smarmy.  There is drama-OMG, I gasp whenever I see someone's bake slipping off the pans--but it isn't interpersonal drama.  If I want interpersonal drama, I'll watch Big Brother or The Bachelor or Real Housewives of Wherever.

I also don't need to see over-the-top bizarrely themed construction bakes like all those interminable holiday baking competitions on The Food Network where teams have to make gingerbread houses with moving parts that you can walk through, or carve giant pumpkins wih chainsaws, or make something out of cake that resembles a life size zombie wedding.  Just give me three tiers of lovely sponge decorated exquisitely to represent your best day.  The challenges this season were coming dangerously close to the former, and did seem to be designed to create disastrous drama.

I want to see everyone produce kick-ass bakes and send all the drama in the judges tent. 

 

As for Noel...didn't I hear that he was trying to lose weight for some sort of role he had following this season of GBBO?  And that's why he wasn't snacking on any  of the bakes?  I wonder if hunger and cravings made his humor edgier and nastier?  Or maybe he's already thinking on what he needs for that next role, and that is driving his humor to a different place.  Or maybe he's just done with playing Mr. Nice Vampire all the time and he's letting a little of his real personality leak through.  Hard to tell, but I do agree that this season he's been different from prior seasons, and I don't exactly think we can attribute all that to the introduction of Matt.

[Athena]

10 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

As for Noel...didn't I hear that he was trying to lose weight for some sort of role he had following this season of GBBO?  And that's why he wasn't snacking on any  of the bakes?  I wonder if hunger and cravings made his humor edgier and nastier?  Or maybe he's already thinking on what he needs for that next role, and that is driving his humor to a different place.  Or maybe he's just done with playing Mr. Nice Vampire all the time and he's letting a little of his real personality leak through.  Hard to tell, but I do agree that this season he's been different from prior seasons, and I don't exactly think we can attribute all that to the introduction of Matt.

Noel's interview about not eating sweets was from one of the earlier seasons.

I think it's more likely that Noel was missing his very pregnant partner and their child who were not in the biosphere with him. Noel is very private but his partner Lliana Bird revealed the birth of their second child within weeks after this season was filmed.

 

[meep.meep]

On 11/30/2020 at 6:38 PM, Suzn said:

I was absolutely not suggesting some elaborate and complicated system, taking all bakes into account.  I am only suggesting that they can acknowledge that they are allowing someone to stay who has been very good and has a bad day.

That's essentially the Tim Gunn Save from Project Runway and it always comes off as favoritism.

I'm horrified that Laura is being dragged through the mud on social media.  What is wrong with people?

[BusyOctober]

I know they cannot control the weather, but if they are filming this in late spring or during summer, can they just stop asking the bakers to do flipping ICE CREAM or custards or intricate chocolate techniques that require specific minimum temperatures???  There is no way a tent without solid walls and no AC is going to maintain cooler temps they need.  Even if they had enough extra time to keep their bakes in the fridge/freezer right til judging, many of those desserts would start melting.

Overall, I’m just “meh” on the season, the bakers, the hosts and the recipes.  Maybe I’m burnt out on this show.  Or the magic from the earlier seasons is just gone.  I just don’t watch these newer series/episodes with a big goofy smile on my face like I used to.  I used to love or admire all 12 bakers. Now I barely knew anyone’s name....or cared.

[Suzn]

The quote below is from an article about the The Great Canadian Baking Show.  It's an interesting critique than I largely agree with.

"Another season of The Great British Baking Show has come to an end, and by all accounts, it was a subpar one, marred by a compressed filming schedule in order to keep all the contestants in a COVID bubble, plus record heat, unfair judging, and the continued presence of Paul Hollywood. I wouldn’t know any of this firsthand, though; I stopped watching GBBS after Series 7 (Season 4 in the U.S.), otherwise known as the Great Changeover when the show moved from the BBC to Channel 4 and lost three-quarters of its permanent cast. For me, the Baking Show would not be the Baking Show without my beloved Mary, Sue, and Mel, and if I couldn’t watch it with them, I wouldn’t watch it at all.

The problem with giving things up on principle is that those things still go on without you and nobody cares that you’re not watching. I’ve heard that the more recent seasons of the show have had their share of delightful moments, that Noel and Sandi were lovely, and that Matt isn’t too bad. But Paul is still there and he is still Paul. I miss GBBS, though, and how sweet and fun it was and how wonderfully kind everyone was to one another. I have gone back and rewatched parts of my two favorite seasons (Series 5, won by Nancy, and Series 6, by Nadiya), but it’s not quite the same."