S12.E06: Pastry Week

[Athena]

Quote

It's Pastry Week and the bakers tackle choux pastry doughnuts and a tricky Turkish technical, before creating a savoury, delicately designed showstopping pastry pie packed full of flavour.

Original UK Air Date: Oct 26, 2021.

[Ceindreadh]

Very sneaky of Paul with the bait and switch in the showstopper.  I thought Crystelle was going to faint when she thought he'd found something wrong!

[ShortyMac]

Crystelle FINALLY did well in the Technical! 2nd! The handshake from Paul was awesome. I loved her family's reaction to her news, really warmed my jaded heart. So happy for her.

I enjoyed Amanda. She'd be fun to have drinks with.

[Aulty]

This was a lovely episode with reasonable challenges that didn't require a Masters in structural engineering - plus, almost everything looked and sounded delicious.
The only thing I didn't understand was Juergen's choice of terrine filling because topside is a very lean piece of beef and I assume a terrine filling needs to be rather fattier/juicier.

Kudos to the sound team who have to filter out the sound of wind and rain on the tent.

[Danny Franks]

Okay, choux-nuts are new to me and they sound amazing. I want to eat all of them... except maybe the ones that taste like flowers. According to Michael Chakraverty, they're "not really a thing outside Shoreditch." That makes sense. So yeah, they're trendy, hipster food. But they look good. 

This was a really good episode, though. No stupid, overly complicated or gimmicky challenges, just interesting bakes. Baklava is one of those things that no one makes, because it's fiddly, but it's a normal thing that everyone has heard of, and it seems like they were given enough time.

I think this episode put to bed the notion that the bakers don't like Matt and Noel. I've seen that claimed, with what seems like a lot of confirmation bias, but you can see how much fun they're having in those little moments to break the tension. That's important, and always has been, on this show. You can't just focus for four and a half hours in complete seriousness... and if you have to do that then this isn't a fun, light-hearted baking show. Crystelle, in particular, seems to enjoy them but so does everyone else.

I guess some people won't like the 'crude' humour in this episode (as if it was any different with Mel and Sue) but it was Paul who was giggling like a thirteen year old over Prue talking about holes and squirting.

George was saved again by someone else having a disaster, but he's got to be the favourite to go next. What did he say he'd got wrong? Too much egg-wash on the pie lid? Does that really make it fall apart like that?

I was really pleased for Crystelle, who I've been saying for weeks just needs to get a technical right. She's really good and her happiness was so sincere and nice to see. I enjoyed Noel teasing her over how posh she is, with "miso has this wonderful, umami flavour."

 

[TVbitch]

Apparently I have been saying baklava wrong my whole life. : D

[akr]

The donut shops I grew up with in the seventies had "French crullers" (and still do) - and they're apparently the exact same thing as "choux nuts." (I loved them - preferably just lightly glazed).  I would not do well at these challenges because I do not want all the extra stuff they're required to pile on their donuts in order to do well. Sure, it's extra work, but it's extra work that makes the end product less appealing. 

If I had to, though: a Boston Creme Pie french cruller could work (custardy filling, chocolate glaze), and for the nonfilled version, something not overly sweet. Pistachios sound decent, but a good version would be too plain for Bake Off (toffee is the obvious way to gussy it up, but that's too sweet). Passion fruit or key lime glaze, with little globs of mascarpone cheesecake elegantly piped on top so that it'd be seen as extra enough? I'd still choose the plain ones over the fancier topped ones.  

Anyway, the name "choux nuts" may be new, but these are not a new thing or an especially fancy one, at least not where I grew up. 

Edited October 29, 2021 by akr
typo

[caitmcg]

On 10/27/2021 at 10:41 PM, Danny Franks said:

Baklava is one of those things that no one makes, because it's fiddly

It’s rather straightforward, if you don’t have to make your own pastry!

On 10/27/2021 at 10:41 PM, Danny Franks said:

George was saved again by someone else having a disaster, but he's got to be the favourite to go next. What did he say he'd got wrong? Too much egg-wash on the pie lid? Does that really make it fall apart like that?

it made the pastry soggy, so it started to droop. The real problem with George's pie was that it was way underbaked. He said he didn’t want to give Prue and Paul food poisoning, and then served up near-raw pork sausage.

7 hours ago, akr said:

The donut shops I grew up with in the seventies had "French crullers" (and still do) - and they're apparently the exact same thing as "choux nuts." (I loved them - preferably just lightly glazed).  

Yes, exactly, in the US this is known as a French cruller, made with pâte à choux rather than a yeasted or baking-powder-raised dough. I’ve certainly never seen one filled, though.

[3 is enough]

I don’t think I have ever seen a handshake in the showstopper before.

 

[Yajmele]

Okay, the opening bit with the shoe/choux pastry was actually more reminiscent of the Mel/Sue of Sandi/Noel opening bits.  I’m not mad at it.

This is the first time I’ve ever heard of chouxnuts, and I now really want to try one.  Or a dozen.

I have never heard of hibiscus as a flavor. Has anyone had it before?  What does it taste like?

Crystelle is absolutely lovely.  Her excitement from coming second in the technical was adorable.

”George’s sausage is rock hard.”  They’re getting a little more risqué this episode.  First we have Paul and Matt laughing like Beavis and Butthead as Prue is giving technique advice for filling chouxnuts.  Then we have Matt misunderstanding Guiseppe’s pronunciation of the word “hassle.”  Then we have that bit of narration about the sausage.

I just realized that the oven doors are capable of recessing under the oven itself when one opens it.  I’ve actually never seen one do that before.

According to Giuseppe, his wife is a better baker.  His dad’s a better cook.  Does the man have a massive case of imposter syndrome or something?  He’s so talented.

I felt so bad for George when he got his showstopper out.  He looked so distraught when he said he had a soggy bottom.

Crystelle’s showstopper looked amazing. I was so happy for her that something she had such an emotional investment in got a handshake.  I’ve never had Indian curry, but I wanted to try that pie.  It’s good to see her get Star Baker finally.  The call to her family was quite cute, too.

 

[djlynch]

23 hours ago, TVbitch said:

Apparently I have been saying baklava wrong my whole life. : D

Before this episode, I'd never heard it pronounced with a stress on the middle syllable like that, but I had heard it with the stress on the first and last syllable. According to Google Translate's text-to-speech, stress on the first syllable is how it's pronounced Turkish and Arabic and stress on the last syllable is from Greek (I forget who exactly claims baklava, if anyone even knows the exact origin.) Yet another example of the American pronunciation(s) being closer to the original language, like "Mo-ka"/"Mock-a" from the other week.

[Rammchick]

The chouxnuts (or calling them that, anyway, since they really are French crullers) are a sort of homage to the trendy combination of "x" and donut, like Dominique Ansell's cronut.  They were a huge thing here for a while in the States.

17 minutes ago, Yajmele said:

I have never heard of hibiscus as a flavor. Has anyone had it before?  What does it taste like?

Hibiscus is often used in tea.  Not sure where you're from, but Celestial Seasonings' Red Zinger tea is hibiscus.  It's slightly tart, like cranberry or pomegranate.

 

19 minutes ago, Yajmele said:

I just realized that the oven doors are capable of recessing under the oven itself when one opens it.  I’ve actually never seen one do that before.

What a great space saver in a small kitchen!  Too bad something like that isn't available here in the US.

[3 is enough]

23 minutes ago, Yajmele said:

I have never heard of hibiscus as a flavor. Has anyone had it before?  What does it taste like?

I have had hibiscus doughnuts from Voodoo Donuts in Portland, and they were delicious.  Hard to describe.  It has a sweet berry-like flavour, but there is a hint of acidity to it. 

Sorry, describing flavours is not my strong suit.

 

[akr]

I find hibiscus has an astringency to it that I don't care for. I'm most familiar with it used in karkadeh, in Egypt - a sweetened iced hibiscus tea, basically, which most people seem to find very refreshing; I've also tried Celestial Seasonings teas that turned out to have hibiscus in them and didn't like any of those either. Matter of taste I guess as many of those are popular flavors. I agree that there's a little bit of a berry-like flavor to it, but not enough to counter the tannic quality; it's berry-like in the sense that carob is chocolate-like: faintly so. It's non-tannic qualities seem thin, not enough to counteract the tannin; or maybe it's just not complex enough. I don't mind astringency or tannins at all in other drinks, such as cranberry juice, tonic water, or red wine, but in hibiscus drinks there's not enough else there to save it for me. 

Edited October 29, 2021 by akr

[BradyB66]

"I feel like the fryer's gonna hit me and I'm gonna buuuuuuuurn!"  I need that as my ringtone.  I adore Lizzie more every week.

Aside from the rampant innuendo this episode it had a lot of sweet moments from Paul.  When Lizzie was nervously frying and Paul asked her if her elbows were sweating, when he quietly gave George the tip for opening his tongs, and his fakeout to Crystelle to bring her up for a handshake were all endearing.  I wish he'd stop trying to live up to his reputation as the Simon Cowell of this show and be himself.

Loved that Giuseppe didn't pack enough shirts because he didn't think he'd still be in the competition so he has to keep buying more.

[caitmcg]

3 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

I don’t think I have ever seen a handshake in the showstopper before.

 

I know there was one a few seasons ago, because at the time, Paul said he’d never given one for a showstopper before. I don’t recall who it was for, though.

[BradyB66]

 

13 minutes ago, caitmcg said:

I know there was one a few seasons ago, because at the time, Paul said he’d never given one for a showstopper before. I don’t recall who it was for, though.

Ruby and Rahul got showstopper handshakes in Season 9.  And I believe Steven got one during the Holiday Bakeoff.

[babs1226]

2 hours ago, BradyB66 said:

Loved that Giuseppe didn't pack enough shirts because he didn't think he'd still be in the competition so he has to keep buying more.

I was wondering if the show provided the contestants with laundry facilities.  

[AZChristian]

6 minutes ago, babs1226 said:

I was wondering if the show provided the contestants with laundry facilities.  

Since they're staying at a  nice hotel/resort, I'm sure there are either laundry facilities or a laundry service.  He probably just didn't want to wear the same thing on different weeks.

[humbleopinion]

6 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

I don’t think I have ever seen a handshake in the showstopper before.

 

Paul Jagger, the prison governor in season 6 of GBBO got his for the Bread Lion sculpture (not to be confused with the Lion Bread Sculpture)

The lead up was a Hollywood handshake for his got one for his soda bread and then to gasps and astonishment... for the noted Bread Lion.

5 hours ago, Yajmele said:

I have never heard of hibiscus as a flavor. Has anyone had it before?  What does it taste like?
 

 

A decade or more ago, not unlike the Cosmo Rage, the Hibiscus Drink was also a popular super syrupy sweet girly drink that you sipped from a champagne flute because gulping might lead to choking on a chuck of potpourri which is what the hibiscus flower looked like bouncing around the bottom of the flute.

The taste...perfumey, artificial floral.

Edited October 29, 2021 by humbleopinion

[BradyB66]

50 minutes ago, humbleopinion said:

Paul Jagger, the prison governor in season 6 of GBBO got his for the Bread Lion sculpture (not to be confused with the Lion Bread Sculpture)

 

Actually, he didn't get a handshake for the lion.  He got a round of applause right before Star Baker was named.  He was the only one who ever got that, though.

But yes, he got one for his soda bread in that episode.

That  season is my favorite  I've seen every episode about 25 times.

Edited October 29, 2021 by BradyB66

[mjc570]

I just had to comment on what a lovely person Chiggs is.  He was silently giving George good advice about closing the oven door, and then he was so helpful to Amanda with her disaster.  And his bakes all looked good, as well.  

Edited to add:  This is the kind of thing Mel and Sue used to do.  

Edited October 30, 2021 by mjc570

[WatchrTina]

5 hours ago, Yajmele said:

Then we have Matt misunderstanding Guiseppe’s pronunciation of the word “hassle.”

This actually happened to me in real life.  Someone said to me (in the context of a mild disagreement) "What a hassle" and I did not hear the "H".  But it would have been SO out of character for this person (a co-worker who reported to me) to have called me that that I stifled my initial reaction and quietly said "What did you say?"  He repeated it, I caught the "H" on the second try, and then I told him what I thought he had said (his face went white.)

What a lovely episode.  I had to rewind and watch the "Hollywood Handshake" twice -- especially after he faked her out like that.  My only frustration is that now I'm craving a savory pie and that's not a craving I am likely to be able to satisfy anytime soon.

 

[iwantcookies]

My elbows sweat by Lizzie was hilarious 

All the sex puns had me laughing. I’m indeed 12 lol

[blueray]

"George's sausage is rock hard" I see what the show did there lol. There was more of that then usual. Like I didn't find what Prue said as funny, actually I wanted to hear what she was saying and they kept laughing.

I had a feeling that Amanda would go, as she was at the bottom at all three tasks. George was close but did do well in the signature I believe.

[Adiba]

6 hours ago, djlynch said:

Before this episode, I'd never heard it pronounced with a stress on the middle syllable like that, but I had heard it with the stress on the first and last syllable. According to Google Translate's text-to-speech, stress on the first syllable is how it's pronounced Turkish and Arabic and stress on the last syllable is from Greek (I forget who exactly claims baklava, if anyone even knows the exact origin.) Yet another example of the American pronunciation(s) being closer to the original language, like "Mo-ka"/"Mock-a" from the other week.

I noticed in a previous season — the one with Luis —Nancy was the winner, that they said “bakLAAva” differently than I do. I grew up in an area with many Greek-owned diners, and I used to go to Mamoun’s in NYC sometimes— never did I hear it pronounced the way that people on the show do. But I also spell the pastry “phyllo” so maybe for me it’s a regional difference?

The Chouxnut is just a French cruller—Dunkin Donuts had them, as well as other bakeries in my area , although not filled.

Crystelle was very endearing when she got the handshake and won star baker. I fell like she’s a contender.

[cynicat]

26 minutes ago, blueray said:

"George's sausage is rock hard" I see what the show did there lol. There was more of that then usual. Like I didn't find what Prue said as funny, actually I wanted to hear what she was saying and they kept laughing.

Add me to the list of 12 year olds, I was chuckling as soon as she said (paraphrasing) she uses two holes and then they really get filled.  What I believe made it even sillier was that it was so incongruous with her Dame status.

[humbleopinion]

2 hours ago, BradyB66 said:

Actually, he didn't get a handshake for the lion.  He got a round of applause right before Star Baker was named.  He was the only one who ever got that, though.

But yes, he got one for his soda bread in that episode.

That  season is my favorite  I've seen every episode about 25 times.

I bow to your expertise...

[MartyQui]

I loved that Paul was crying laughing during Prue’s holes/squirting soliloquy.  I was crying laughing too.  

I live in Boston (MA) and we just got a donut shop near work (Blackbird Donuts), which doesn’t have cronuts, but has a maple bacon donut that is *out of this world*.  And their Boston Cream is excellent too.  And now I have to avoid the store!

[magdalene]

Hibiscus is basically in every herbal tea that is red in color.  It tastes good and refreshing to me chilled on hot days.  I very much consider it a summer flavor.

So far I was able to predict every week who would go  by the previous episode.  I think George may be next to go.

I believe the final will be Guiseppe, Jurgen and Crystelle unless one of them has a baking disaster on a fluke.

[Straycat80]

And add me to the list of 12 year old who found the sexual innuendos funny. Sorry. 
So I learned this week that Choux nuts are french crullers and I’ve been saying Baklava wrong. 
I’ve warmed up to Lizzie (she’s my kids favorite), she’s hysterical. I’m so glad Crystelle won, her show stopper was amazing. I guess both George and Amanda messed up, I liked Amanda, she seemed like a fun lady. 
I like how kind this group of people are, Chig’s helping Amanda and George, Amanda, George, Giuseppe teaching Matt how to Greek dance. I’d be happy with any of them coming back for reunion shows. 

[Jordan Baker]

I was surprised that only Guiseppe and Crystelle were mentioned as potential Star Bakers. What about Jurgen? He won the technical, and I think he did well in the first challenge. His showstopper was a bit off, but I think the only real problem was with the tenderness (or lack thereof) of the beef.

I'm not saying that he should have won, but I find it curious that he wasn't even considered.

[Pallida]

For those curious about hibiscus, Mexican restaurants will sometimes have agua de Jamaica which is just steeped hibiscus with sugar. I like it so I wish I could taste Lizzie’s donut. (And now I might be giggling like a 12 year old too.)

[Quilt Fairy]

Christelle's showstopper was stunning,, particularly when so many other bakers had significant difficulties even getting their pies baked enough.  I loved that Chigs was giving Amanda so much help at the end, and apologizing that he couldn't do more.  Does anyone else think Chigs has really crazy eyes?  Like sometimes he looks insane with rage, even though of course he's not? 

[MisterGlass]

Best wishes to Amanda who always seemed like a good sport.

Chrystelle's pie was beautiful, and I loved the little final line that people wonder why she's loud after hearing the delighted screaming of her family on the other end of the phone.  I really liked the look of Lizzie's pie.  The little fish was very clear and it was very vibrant with the color panels.

I was a little shocked that everyone got such decent looking baklava tarts out in the two hour technical.  I don't think I could have done that.

Thanks to all above for explaining that a choux nut is a cruller.

I'll be honest - I also didn't hear 'hassle' the first time Giuseppe said it.

Chigs seems like a really decent but intense guy.  He reminds me of a guy I knew from New Jersey.

[HurricaneVal]

Filled holes...squirting...hard sausages....  😆🤣😆🤣😆🤣😆🤣

I think we've got enough twelve year olds here to fill an entire 7th grade afternoon detention room!

[SemiCharmedLife]

13 hours ago, Yajmele said:

Okay, the opening bit with the shoe/choux pastry was actually more reminiscent of the Mel/Sue of Sandi/Noel opening bits.  I’m not mad at it.

This is the first time I’ve ever heard of chouxnuts, and I now really want to try one.  Or a dozen.

I have never heard of hibiscus as a flavor. Has anyone had it before?  What does it taste like?

Crystelle is absolutely lovely.  Her excitement from coming second in the technical was adorable.

”George’s sausage is rock hard.”  They’re getting a little more risqué this episode.  First we have Paul and Matt laughing like Beavis and Butthead as Prue is giving technique advice for filling chouxnuts.  Then we have Matt misunderstanding Guiseppe’s pronunciation of the word “hassle.”  Then we have that bit of narration about the sausage.

I just realized that the oven doors are capable of recessing under the oven itself when one opens it.  I’ve actually never seen one do that before.

According to Giuseppe, his wife is a better baker.  His dad’s a better cook.  Does the man have a massive case of imposter syndrome or something?  He’s so talented.

I felt so bad for George when he got his showstopper out.  He looked so distraught when he said he had a soggy bottom.

Crystelle’s showstopper looked amazing. I was so happy for her that something she had such an emotional investment in got a handshake.  I’ve never had Indian curry, but I wanted to try that pie.  It’s good to see her get Star Baker finally.  The call to her family was quite cute, too.

 

As others mentioned, hibiscus is a common ingredient in teas, one of the most popular being Starbuck's Passion Tea.  Also, it's used a lot in Mexican drinks- I find the little dried flowers around my kitchen when my husband makes his ponche navidad (Christmas Punch). 

[Kiddvideo]

Crystelle was wise to cook her filling before going to bake. How Amanda and George expected to thoroughly cook and completely cool solid logs of raw meat is beyond me. I was surprised Lizzie’s fish potatoes were cooked — to me the edges looked translucent while the inside still had that solid white of a raw potato. Paul even tapped it which makes me wonder if they were undercooked and the edit monkeys gave her a favorable edit to start her redemption arc. (Which doesn’t make much sense to me, they’d want the drama wouldn’t they, but I don’t trust shows when they’ve locked-and-loaded their storyboards. I still pick Lizzie to be this year’s Finalist Everyone Hates because Giuseppe or Juergen will be packed off, and she’ll stay.)

I loved that Crystelle’s family didn’t need an explanation about the showstopper handshake.

3 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Does anyone else think Chigs has really crazy eyes?  Like sometimes he looks insane with rage, even though of course he's not? 

I think he has astigmatism which is congenital and causes his eyes to be misaligned. Last I had any experience with it the surgery to correct had to be done as a toddler or restoring binocular vision would be impossible. My goddaughter had it and while the surgery failed, it fixed her eyes cosmetically.

I’m glad to see Amanda leave. The talent chasm seems to be exceedingly wide this season, and we still haven’t finished separating the good bakers from the elite.

Edited October 30, 2021 by Kiddvideo

[LiterateDog]

None of you were pronouncing baklava the wrong way. The English seem to delight in mispronouncing some words. I remember that wretched Toby Young on Top Chef years ago insisting on pronouncing paella as "pah-ella". The ever-delightful Michelle Bernstein put him in his place over that one. But in general, live and let live. They can pronounce it however they like, but don't any of you think you were wrong in how you were saying it.

[Quilt Fairy]

48 minutes ago, Kiddvideo said:

I think he has astigmatism which is congenital and causes his eyes to be misaligned. Last I had any experience with it the surgery to correct had to be done as a toddler or restoring binocular vision would be impossible. My goddaughter had it and while the surgery failed, it fixed her eyes cosmetically.

I'm not sure what condition you are referring to, but that's not what astigmatism is.  It's an irregularly shaped cornea which causes your vision to be slightly out of focus.  While a severe case might need surgery, most cases (it's fairly common, I have it) are corrected with glasses.  I'm not familiar with any situation where it would affect how your eyes look. 

[Kiddvideo]

Just now, Quilt Fairy said:

I'm not sure what condition you are referring to, but that's not what astigmatism is.  It's an irregularly shaped cornea which causes your vision to be slightly out of focus.  While a severe case might need surgery, most cases (it's fairly common, I have it) are corrected with glasses.  I'm not familiar with any situation where it would affect how your eyes look. 

Strabismus. My apologies. 

[Aulty]

6 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

I was surprised Lizzie’s fish potatoes were cooked — to me the edges looked translucent while the inside still had that solid white of a raw potato.

iirc she pre-boiled the potato slices for a few minutes before she cut out the fish.

Edited October 30, 2021 by Aulty

[Enigma X]

5 hours ago, LiterateDog said:

None of you were pronouncing baklava the wrong way. The English seem to delight in mispronouncing some words. I remember that wretched Toby Young on Top Chef years ago insisting on pronouncing paella as "pah-ella". The ever-delightful Michelle Bernstein put him in his place over that one. But in general, live and let live. They can pronounce it however they like, but don't any of you think you were wrong in how you were saying it.

Yeah. I just went here to hear how people where the dish is from pronounce it, and most Americans pronounce it as they do.

[blueray]

12 hours ago, Jordan Baker said:

I was surprised that only Guiseppe and Crystelle were mentioned as potential Star Bakers. What about Jurgen? He won the technical, and I think he did well in the first challenge. His showstopper was a bit off, but I think the only real problem was with the tenderness (or lack thereof) of the beef.

I'm not saying that he should have won, but I find it curious that he wasn't even considered.

If I remember correctly his show stopper was too dry. While not a terrible thing, knocked him off star baker this week. He did win technical though and have a good signature. 

[MisterGlass]

There was funny little moment with Jurgen when he was scaling up the diamond baklava pattern to fit the larger baking tin.

4 hours ago, Aulty said:

iirc she pre-boiled the potato slices for a few minutes before she cut out the fish.

The potato slices looked cooked to me when she was using the cutter.  It pressed through easily.  And I think if they weren't cooked the potatoes would have oxidized during the assembly process.

[rejnel]

Quote

The English seem to delight in mispronouncing some words.

Very true! Since at least Shakespeare’s time, English people have staunchly refused to pronounce words derived from Romance languages correctly. This is even true of names, hence “VI-o-la” and “JAKE-weez.” 

[dargosmydaddy]

Chigs was my favorite of this year's contestants already, but watching him help Amanda and try to reassure her cemented him a place on my all-time GBBO faves list. Handsome (I don't mind the intense eyes!), competent, and sweet is a winning combination for me. 

I also loved how none of the other contestants could bare to look. (Lizzie: "It's like watching open heart surgery!")

After having watched the PBS seasons years ago, I've only gotten around to the Netflix years in the past month or so, and I have to say this season is my favorite since the first Netflix season (Steven, Sophie, Liam, Yan, etc.). I still haven't watched the season before this one, but I found season 9 to be rough (I really didn't warm to many of the bakers until more than half way through, and was actively rooting for a lot of them to be eliminated, which just feels wrong on this show), and while I liked the season 10 contestants OK, their skills seemed on the low side. This group is likeable, decently diverse, and has some real talent. 

I think Paul tries to avoid the showstopper handshake because it makes it pretty apparent who the winner is going to be that week. At least with the Rahul/ Ruby ones, it happened in the same episode so there was still suspense. With this, despite the throwaway line about Giuseppe being strong, it was pretty obvious Crystelle had it in the bag.

Edited October 30, 2021 by dargosmydaddy

[Lovecat]

20 hours ago, blueray said:

"George's giant sausage is rock hard" I see what the show did there lol. 

Fixed it for you ;)  I think the funniest thing about that was that is was voice-over, which means it wasn't just an off-the cuff smutty remark that the editors decided to leave in.  Someone wrote that down for Matt to read into a microphone!  (OK, maybe he ad-libbed when recording the voice-overs, but still.)  I about died laughing, because I'm apparently a 12-year-old boy at heart, too.

[Ohiopirate02]

12 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

Crystelle was wise to cook her filling before going to bake. How Amanda and George expected to thoroughly cook and completely cool solid logs of raw meat is beyond me. I was surprised Lizzie’s fish potatoes were cooked — to me the edges looked translucent while the inside still had that solid white of a raw potato. Paul even tapped it which makes me wonder if they were undercooked and the edit monkeys gave her a favorable edit to start her redemption arc. (Which doesn’t make much sense to me, they’d want the drama wouldn’t they, but I don’t trust shows when they’ve locked-and-loaded their storyboards. I still pick Lizzie to be this year’s Finalist Everyone Hates because Giuseppe or Juergen will be packed off, and she’ll stay.)

 

I like Lizzie.  I find her relatable.  The show has done a good job of creating an arc for her to make it to the finale.  It looks like Paul likes her and sees promise in her.  What stood out to me in this episode was Paul's response to her being resigned to being a baker who lacks finesse.  Paul was not having it, and was very encouraging.  

I also would not be surprised to find out in a later episode that Lizzie has ADHD.  I know a lot of people were upset when she admitted she got sucked into watching the Harry Potter movies instead of practicing her showstopper earlier in the season.  I found her very relatable in that moment because I have a tendency to get sucked into things when I should be doing something else (usually cleaning the house).  

[meep.meep]

On 10/29/2021 at 9:57 AM, caitmcg said:

I know there was one a few seasons ago, because at the time, Paul said he’d never given one for a showstopper before. I don’t recall who it was for, though.

Didn't the asian guy who saved himself from certain doom with a Key Lime Pie showstopper get one?  He had biffed both signature and technical.  It was many seasons ago and I think they were asked to make an American pie.  Paul immediately went into spasms declaring them disgusting.

This group seems super tight with one another.  Juergen and Chrystelle giving each other encouraging pats over how they did in the Technical was really cute.

And apparently it's called the "Action Stance" not the wide stance.