S12.E05: German Week

[Jordan Baker]

6 hours ago, meep.meep said:

No love for Giuseppe's wide stance?

I can't hear that phrase without thinking of former US Senator Larry Craig.

I felt a bit sad for Jurgen but it was clear that Guiseppe deserved to be Star Baker. These two are destined to be in the finals. Chigs and Chriselle are the other likely candidates. But what I like about this season is that some of the contestants surprise us. I thought, after week 1, that Lizzie was a goner, and I thought Freya might actually make it all the way. Amanda has stayed longer than I thought she would, as has George. Makes the season more interesting.

[Quilt Fairy]

I have to keep reminding myself that "biscuit" = "cookie". 

[ZeeEnnui]

15 hours ago, dleighg said:

I generally like him, but he seemed a bit prickly at the end, trying to explain away why he didn't "win" by saying "I don't really eat chocolate much. I much prefer (naming two other kinds of cakes)."

That's not terribly sporting. You didn't win. So what.

Also, one of the cakes he mentioned was black forest cake, which last time I checked was a chocolate cake so...nice try, Juergen. 

Shout out to Matt's cat-like reflexes! I LOL'd when he caught Giuseppe's cake top before it hit the floor. 

 

 

[Yajmele]

4 hours ago, Aulty said:

Have they mentioned which part of Germany Juergen is from?

I believe Jurgen said in the premiere episode that his family was from the Black Forest, which came up because they were making Black Forest gateau for their signature.

See, if this were American reality tv, they’d be setting this up to where Jurgen would crash and burn during German week, or that Giuseppe would have gone home during bread week, where 2/3 of the bakes were Italian.  It’s why I’m often cynical of how things are edited, and I often find my oasis in this show in the desert of contrived crap.

Speaking of contrived crap, can they please find something else for Matt & Noel to do?  I mean, this would have been the week for Matt to sing The Flintstones theme in German (which I actually thought was funny for a change) or to show off his language skills.  Instead we get an assortment of weird accents.

I didn’t take anything bitter from Jurgen saying that he doesn’t usually eat chocolate cakes after the technical.  I just thought that it was him saying that even though he’s German, he’s never had this cake or made one, and it’s not something that he’d seek out.  I figure it’s like me being from the Southern U.S. saying that I’ve never made pecan pie, and I don’t like pecan pie because it’s often too insanely sugary, even for my sweet tooth.  My sister-in-law, another lifelong southerner, was horrified at the thought of shrimp & grits when I mentioned it to her.  To her, grits was strictly a breakfast food you have along with eggs, bacon, and toast.

I might be the only one who saw or thought this because I’m an aging nerd.  But when they were showing George’s showstopper, one of the angles made those bright green things on the top layer looked like eyes and a mouth.  Immediately, I thought of the cake that you fight as a mini boss in Super Mario RPG on the Super Nintendo.

I still don’t get the hubbub about Freya’s accent or affect.  I did like the look of a lot of the stuff she did in her time on the show, but yeah, a raw dough showstopper is the kiss of death among a lot of successes.

Giuseppe and Jurgen are still my faves.  

[Cherpumple]

10 hours ago, Aulty said:

Have they mentioned which part of Germany Juergen is from?

I thought he said that he was from the Black Forest region in the first episode, but I could be wrong.

[libgirl2]

8 hours ago, Cherpumple said:

I thought he said that he was from the Black Forest region in the first episode, but I could be wrong.

That is where our good family friend is from. His family makes the most amazing cakes! 

[lovinbob]

On 10/23/2021 at 9:50 AM, chaifan said:

 

Opening bit - I'll admit that even all of Mel & Sue's opening bits didn't work for me, but I can't think of one since they left that I thought was worth the airtime.  I don't know Kraftwerk, but I didn't go to Hitler.  It was obvious to me they were imitating some (I assumed German) band, with the lipstick and red shirts and ties.  Made me think of Devo or other weird 80's bands.  I did like Prue coming out and unplugging them, though.  No acting required for that!  😁

 

I don’t know kraftwerk but I thought of Sprockets from SNL. 

I had no problem with Jürgen. It was annoying how much emphasis was put on him being German. I imagine it was annoying to him too. 

[xfuse]

1 hour ago, lovinbob said:

I had no problem with Jürgen. It was annoying how much emphasis was put on him being German. I imagine it was annoying to him too. 

If I remember correctly he gave all the bakers a little tutorial on German food.

[Adiba]

I knew they were spoofing Kraftwerk in the opening right away, but I’m probably dating myself. 
I felt for Freya when she got eliminated, but she should be very proud of what she accomplished at only 19 and vegan-baking. Giuseppe was the right call for star baker, but most of the bakes looked pretty good to me.

The technical looked delicious and reminded me of a fancier version of a seven-layer cake a local bakery sold where I grew up.

[cynicat]

On 10/22/2021 at 6:18 PM, iMonrey said:

I don't think Jurgen cares much for Noel or Matt. The other bakers play along with their lame jokes regardless of how they might feel about them, but you could tell Jurgen just wasn't having it with either one of them. Granted, it might just be that he's too laser-focused on the task at hand to play along, but he was visibly disengaged. 

It looked like Jürgen was trying to concentrate on the number of eggs he was adding and Matt was making him lose track. 

[Cetacean]

39 minutes ago, Adiba said:

The technical looked delicious and reminded me of a fancier version of a seven-layer cake a local bakery sold where I grew up.

My favorite cake is a Seven Sisters which is way less fancy.  In fact, it's long and thin, like a loaf.  But man, it's delicious.  When I visit my home town I always come home with one.

[kittykat]

Count me in on those who thought that Technical torte looked mighty scrummy.  I tend to razz Prue for some of her technical choices but man she tends to pick some yummy cakes and tortes (I also remember the Torta Severelli from S9).

Matt and Noel wear thin for sure but I approve strongly of the Kraftwerk cold open.  Hope Noel is doing better.

Another fantastic week for Giuseppe, has he had a bad week yet?  Jurgen started off well but falters in the showstopper.  Lizzie is surprisingly getting better.  I can see her possibly making Top 5.  

I hope Crystelle pulls off a SB soon.  Her downfall consistently seems to be the Technical as she seems to consistently place in the bottom 3.  Then again Nadiya was the same way in the beginning so maybe she just needs to hit her stride.  It does seem like a Jurgen/Giuseppe/Chigs/Crystelle Final four is looking likely.

I understand why they sent Freya home but I was totally expecting it to be George.  It seemed his dough was just as raw but then he did slightly better in the signature so maybe it came down to the little things.

5 hours ago, xfuse said:

If I remember correctly he gave all the bakers a little tutorial on German food.

Yes Giuseppe mentioned that during the showstopper and its the little moments like that why I absolutely love this show.  Of course Jurgen would help everyone like that instead of taking the advantage and it worked because there were no major disasters this week.  I've definitely been feeling this group a lot more than the last few seasons.  Everyone was just gutted when Freya left.

[buttersister]

On 10/23/2021 at 3:12 PM, AZChristian said:

he looks a bit like John Travolta in this picture

Or Patrick Swayze.

I’m enjoying this season. But then, I ff through the opening sketch and credits.

[BradyB66]

On 10/23/2021 at 3:23 PM, libgirl2 said:

I couldn't name a song of their's either but I knew it had something to do with German music before I "got" it. Rammstein would have been fun! And I'm German, no offense but why does everyone have to throw Hitler into everything? We are known for more than that. 

I hear you.  I’m Dutch and everyone immediately goes to drugs and prostitutes.  Not Hitler levels, but annoyingly stereotypical.

I loved the clip in the beginning of Giuseppe putting his hairband in.  I had been wondering how he was keeping those curly locks out of his face.

Edited October 25, 2021 by BradyB66

[babs1226]

I saw Freya on Extra Slice, and I didn't notice any vocal fry.  She's really very sweet.  She and Lizzy became close friends, and they got matching GBBO tattoos on their ankles.  Very cute.

[xfuse]

9 hours ago, kittykat said:

I hope Crystelle pulls off a SB soon.  Her downfall consistently seems to be the Technical as she seems to consistently place in the bottom 3.  Then again Nadiya was the same way in the beginning so maybe she just needs to hit her stride.  It does seem like a Jurgen/Giuseppe/Chigs/Crystelle Final four is looking likely.

I don't like Crystelle. I don't know why but I also didn't like Nadiya and it's the only season when I go a rewatch of the season skip.

[MartyQui]

12 hours ago, BradyB66 said:

I hear you.  I’m Dutch and everyone immediately goes to drugs and prostitutes.

Haha…my mind goes to height.  I have a niece who is 6’2” and Dutch men are two inches taller than US men on average.  We tell her to go to college in the Netherlands.  :)

[ABay]

My grandfather was from Delft. I'm surprised to learn that most people's reaction to hearing one is Dutch isn't windmills, wooden shoes, and cheese. Maybe tulips. Then drugs and prostitutes.

Although I have never heard of Kraftwerk, it was obvious the idiot twins were spoofing a band.

Sorry to see Freya go and would much have preferred it to be George.

Edited October 25, 2021 by ABay

[dleighg]

6 minutes ago, ABay said:

Sorry to see Freya go and would much have preferred it to be George

me too. Likely neither one was destined for a long tenure, but Freya was more interesting to me. George just seems to be rather weak.

[Rammchick]

On 10/23/2021 at 12:23 PM, libgirl2 said:

I couldn't name a song of their's either but I knew it had something to do with German music before I "got" it. Rammstein would have been fun! 

Note my user name 😏  I think they would've probably set fire to the tent!

 

[libgirl2]

25 minutes ago, dleighg said:

me too. Likely neither one was destined for a long tenure, but Freya was more interesting to me. George just seems to be rather weak.

I really thought it would be George but like you say, both are not in for the long haul. 

[sugarbaker design]

On 10/23/2021 at 9:09 PM, Yajmele said:

I still don’t get the hubbub about Freya’s accent or affect.

Nor do I.

13 hours ago, babs1226 said:

I saw Freya on Extra Slice, and I didn't notice any vocal fry.  She's really very sweet.  She and Lizzy became close friends, and they got matching GBBO tattoos on their ankles.  Very cute.

That's adorable!

 

[Ilovepie]

5 hours ago, ABay said:

Sorry to see Freya go and would much have preferred it to be George.

Me too, but everyone this year is likeable to me, so I'm not too upset. I don't think George is long for the tent anyway. I am now just hoping Chigs doesn't blow it!

I liked this week. All three rounds had stuff I thought looked pretty tasty, and sadly for Freya, no-one had an absolutely terrible bomb round.  I loved Lizzy's little cookies with the faces ;-)

[Cetacean]

2 minutes ago, Ilovepie said:

Me too, but everyone this year is likeable to me, so I'm not too upset.

I actually dread the "who will go" moment because there isn't a single one I don't like!  I thought Freya was quite brave to take this all on as a vegan and at her young age.

[BradyB66]

9 hours ago, MartyQui said:

Haha…my mind goes to height.  I have a niece who is 6’2” and Dutch men are two inches taller than US men on average.  We tell her to go to college in the Netherlands.  :)

I grew up among a lot of Dutch immigrants in NJ.  I know a lot of college age young men who are 6’4” to 6’7”.  Send your niece here and I’ll introduce her. :-)

 

[Crs97]

My favorite moment was Jurgen scolding the judges for making the yeast cake tiered: “That would be like being asked to make a three tiered apple crumble or a three tiered trifle.”  Paul even apologized! Jurgen is delightful!

Matt doesn’t bother me as much as he clearly bothers others, but I don’t think Noel is funny either.  I think I go back to the previous season and Matt’s pep talks to Laura.  I think he does care about the contestants, but this year no one really has needed the bucking up.  Jurgen is very stoic, but we know he likes Matt from when Matt gave him the handshake.  

[ombre]

On 10/22/2021 at 11:02 PM, sugarbaker design said:

And Jurgen too, it's just another day for him, innit?

Can we have Lizzie commentary every week?

From the first ep I've thought she was a hoot and a decent baker.  She reminds me quite a lot of Lottie - sarcastic, solid baker, reacts to the stress by holding herself ever so slightly aloof.  If she had Lottie's looks, I suspect she'd have had the same devoted following from day 1.  (And I'll edit this to say that while I never much look forward to the "Let's interrupt the bakers!" chatter, each of them has had moments with Noel that I could have watched for... maybe not hours, but, like, solid half-hours?  It feels like one of those crush-y feelings where you just so enjoy someone's company and the energy of bouncing things off them that when you're in the same room together everything else is just prelude to getting to verbally play together.  Honestly, their playing together has made me far more fond of him this season than I've been in the past - I'm enjoying him touching on his background as a way to take the piss out of Lord Hollywood.)

On 10/24/2021 at 11:51 PM, babs1226 said:

I saw Freya on Extra Slice, and I didn't notice any vocal fry.  She's really very sweet.  She and Lizzy became close friends, and they got matching GBBO tattoos on their ankles.  Very cute.

Summat in my eye.  But then, I did just finish watching the ep and found myself quite misty-eyed for... the first time ever while watching this show?  She's a charming, feisty little bit of a thing and I hope she gets to build on this in exactly whatever way she hopes to in the future.

20 hours ago, Ilovepie said:

Me too, but everyone this year is likeable to me, so I'm not too upset. I don't think George is long for the tent anyway. I am now just hoping Chigs doesn't blow it!

Netflix autoplays last year's show when I get to the end of this year's eps and both years the people were all just so singularly lovely.  I suspect that with everyone bubbled up together, they get to build some real friendships, which is such a joy to catch bits of.  But hot diggety it really does make the ends of the episodes wrenching.

Edited October 26, 2021 by ombre

[sugarbaker design]

8 minutes ago, ombre said:

From the first ep I've thought she was a hoot and a decent baker.  She reminds me quite a lot of Lottie - sarcastic, solid baker, reacts to the stress by holding herself ever so slightly aloof.  If she had Lottie's looks, I suspect she'd have had the same devoted following from day 1.  

I think you've hit the nail on the head.

[AheadofStraight]

I'm still laughing about Amanda wondering if she needs to get a victim impact statement from Jurgen's dough....

[stormy weather]

On 10/23/2021 at 3:07 PM, Cetacean said:

You are correct, I don't;  I have never heard of them.  But I bet a lot of people haven't either so the skit may have been offensive to more than just me.

But they don't even remotely look like Hitler!

I personally adore Matt and Noel but I understand their humor might not be for everybody. But come on though, they would never do a parody of nazism on British television, so next time before calling them idiots do some research maybe? 

Apart from that, I love how nobody can pronounce Giuseppe's name correctly but I imagine after many years of living in England he has given up on correcting people. He and Crystelle are definitely my favorite.

[Crs97]

I don’t know enough about the various British dialects in to know if Freya’s manner of speaking is typical.  What her voice reminds me of is a 1950’s movie when the mean girl acts more posh than she is (think Patrick Dennis’ first fiancée  in Auntie Mame).  Clearly she isn’t a mean girl so my reaction is on me, not her.  I was so sad for her; amazing that she got so far with vegan bakes.

[Cetacean]

37 minutes ago, stormy weather said:

But they don't even remotely look like Hitler!

Well, I'm not quite sure what I would research.  Google  bad hairstyle? 

And IMHO, the hairstyle is the same.  I will admit that my intense dislike for the juvenile, tasteless humor may color my perception.

 

[stormy weather]

2 hours ago, Cetacean said:

Well, I'm not quite sure what I would research.  Google  bad hairstyle? 

And IMHO, the hairstyle is the same.  I will admit that my intense dislike for the juvenile, tasteless humor may color my perception.

 

On my first try. Where there's a will there's a way! 

[Quilt Fairy]

I had no idea what the musical reference was.  I just found it unfunny.  

[sugarbaker design]

19 hours ago, Crs97 said:

What her voice reminds me of is a 1950’s movie when the mean girl acts more posh than she is (think Patrick Dennis’ first fiancée  in Auntie Mame).

Oh my lord, I used to quote poor Gloria all the time with "I can't tell you how pleased I am to make your acquaintance."  Complete with Larchmont lockjaw.

[Dobian]

On 10/25/2021 at 8:09 AM, dleighg said:

me too. Likely neither one was destined for a long tenure, but Freya was more interesting to me. George just seems to be rather weak.

It was a toss-up.  They were a dead heat in the signature, 6th and 5th in the technical.  Freya's showstopper was more interesting to me with the caramelized fruit.  I like George, but wish Freya stayed since I like the plucky younger ones.

Edited October 28, 2021 by Dobian

[Dobian]

For anyone confused about the look Matt and Noel were trying to achieve or who they were trying to look like...

 

[Crs97]

On 10/28/2021 at 9:50 AM, sugarbaker design said:

Oh my lord, I used to quote poor Gloria all the time with "I can't tell you how pleased I am to make your acquaintance."  Complete with Larchmont lockjaw.

“It was ghastly!  Simply ghastly!”

[Ilovepie]

On 10/28/2021 at 6:50 AM, sugarbaker design said:

Oh my lord, I used to quote poor Gloria all the time with "I can't tell you how pleased I am to make your acquaintance."  Complete with Larchmont lockjaw.

My husband's favorite: It's really tahp draaaawer" I didn't realize so many people were a fan of that movie - it's one of my favorite!

[oldCJ]

Fyi: Kraftwerk chose that red and black look on purpose as a reference to nazis. It is not a coincidence people are feeling a hitler influence. The band themselves were making a statement in their clothing choice which Noel and Matt imitated. 

Edited October 30, 2021 by oldCJ
Typos

[stormy weather]

14 hours ago, oldCJ said:

Fyi: Kraftwerk chose that red and black look on purpose as a reference to nazis. It is not a coincidence people are feeling a hitler influence. The band themselves were making a statement in their clothing choice which Noel and Matt imitated. 

Ha, that's interesting. Where did you get this from? I'm honestly asking because I thought they mostly drew on German expressionism, but I might be wrong.

There's this very nice article about them and their inspirations: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/feb/27/kraftwerk-by-uwe-schutte-review

In any case, we're veering waaaaay off topic, so I guess I'll just stop here. All I wanted to say is that It's fine if you don't find some comedians funny, everyone is entitled to their own opinions. I love Noel and Matt (and Kraftwerk) so I recognized that specific reference immediately, but there are so many others that I don't get! I just think it's unfair to get so enraged and call someone an idiot without even doing a bit of research before pointing fingers. That's all!

[ombre]

4 hours ago, stormy weather said:

I just think it's unfair to get so enraged and call someone an idiot without even doing a bit of research before pointing fingers. That's all!

In a similar vein, I've been really shocked by the steady trickle of comments through this season's threads (because of Jurgen and his accent) that have equated references to general German-ness (like just Jurgen's accent!) with references Nazi-ism.  Which has been particularly surprising since... Jurgen is not exactly shy about discussing about his own Jewish heritage!  

[spaulding]

On 10/25/2021 at 10:01 AM, ABay said:

My grandfather was from Delft. I'm surprised to learn that most people's reaction to hearing one is Dutch isn't windmills, wooden shoes, and cheese. Maybe tulips. Then drugs and prostitutes.

OT: I automatically think of Vermeer, who was from Delft.  

Giuseppe is my favorite, so it was great that he won SB.  I liked everything that he made during German week.

 

[awaken]

On 10/20/2021 at 2:53 AM, Corgi-ears said:

"It's time to get fingers dirty." 

 

Dying 😂