S12.E08: Free From Week

[Athena]

Quote

It's Free-From Week and the remaining bakers explore alternative ingredients as they make a Signature without dairy, a hearty vegan Technical and a gluten-free celebration cake.

Original UK Air Date: November 9, 2021.

[Aulty]

I call BS! I am raging. 😡

How were Guiseppe and Juergen in line for star baker? Juergen may have produced nice ice cream but his macarons were a disaster. They may have tasted nice, but being the actual baked bit in this weird challenge they surely can't let he made the most basic of errors. And he was second to last in the technical (serving them sausage rolls with a garnish of green carpet).
Guiseppe made a right mess of his showstopper and his ice cream in the signature.

Apart from the size, the judges didn't have anything bad to say about Lizzie's ice cream cookies, and they also loved Chrystelle's. They even had some criticism for Chigs'. Chrystelle was dead last in the technical. Was Lizzie's cake not as good as they made it sound (because they didn't dare criticise it??)?
The editing of the episode was awful. Either let all of them progress to the semis or edit it so the elimination is somewhat plausible, but highlighting Juergen's struggles without the judges even considering him anything but SB material is really annoying.

Edit: The opening bit with the Hollywood Hulk was SO cringe. Stop trying to be a comedian and sort out your judging.

Edited November 10, 2021 by Aulty

[Corgi-ears]

Lizzie's muppet cake was kinda awesome.

[oldCJ]

8 hours ago, Aulty said:

I call BS! I am raging. 😡

How were Guiseppe and Juergen in line for star baker? Juergen may have produced nice ice cream but his macarons were a disaster. They may have tasted nice, but being the actual baked bit in this weird challenge they surely can't let he made the most basic of errors. And he was second to last in the technical (serving them sausage rolls with a garnish of green carpet).
Guiseppe made a right mess of his showstopper and his ice cream in the signature.

Apart from the size, the judges didn't have anything bad to say about Lizzie's ice cream cookies, and they also loved Chrystelle's. They even had some criticism for Chigs'. Chrystelle was dead last in the technical. Was Lizzie's cake not as good as they made it sound (because they didn't dare criticise it??)?
The editing of the episode was awful. Either let all of them progress to the semis or edit it so the elimination is somewhat plausible, but highlighting Juergen's struggles without the judges even considering him anything but SB material is really annoying.

I completely agree with all of this. Based on what we saw, the sole excuse they had to eliminate Lizzie over three of the others was based on previous week’s performance, which is not how this show is supposed to be judged. My feeling, and I do not think I am alone in this, is the powers at be at GBBO never imagined a person as different as Lizzie getting that close to winning. She does not fit their brand, so they cut her despite her bakes being better than the others. 

[Enigma X]

I will say I was rooting for Lizzie be in the final 3 because I like her. 

[ShortyMac]

Laura got by on good flavors and poor technique; she made it to the final. I call BS for Lizzie, too.

[rasalas]

I'm glad others saw the judges' same misguided allowances for Juergen. (We'll overlook his dropping baked items on the ground and then serving them with a shrug, because the show apparently did.) It's outlandish that he wasn't even part of the conversation for being on the bottom after failing the baked portion of the signature round and coming in second to last in the technical. But then to talk about him as being under consideration for star baker after serving up a brown, lopsided "celebration" cake was especially galling.

Lizzie was robbed. And Paul's contention on Extra Slice that the bakers are judged solely by  their performance in each episode  is an outright lie.

[Danny Franks]

I was not expecting Lizzie to go home, based on how everyone performed in that episode. I though Giuseppe was the most likely, based on his showstopper, although I'd have much rather he stayed. But looking back, they loved his signature bake and he was second in the technical.

It was genuinely hard to single anyone out as the worst performer this week, which is when they just quietly decided to oust the person they think has been weaker throughout. I don't think this was as egregious as some decisions they've made in the past.

So not the best week from a judging consistency standpoint, but there were a lot of fun moments with the contestants. Noel was on good form, teasing people and poking fun at Juergen's clinical, cool personality. Juergen telling Noel what a calming influence he was was funny too.

The saga of Crystelle's chili was amusing, and she does have great comic timing. I genuinely laughed when Paul asked for some milk and Matt said "you can have some oat milk."

One thing that wasn't in doubt was that Chigs was a deserving star baker. He did well on every round and Paul was rightfully impressed at how much he's learned about baking in just a year.

 

 

[HelloooKitty]

Chigs is so gorgeous. 

[TVbitch]

For the second week in a row, I found Matt and Noel to be just right with the bakers. Noel's impression of Juergen was spot on, and I found myself chuckling a quite a bit. I can't judge Juergen for dropping his bakes on the floor and serving them anyway ...I've done worse! But I was surprised that the judges actually ate them. Maybe him putting them back in the hot oven sterilized them. : D

I think Lizzie was eliminated for the reason Prue said during the pre-showstopper summary: "She seems determined to not have polished  bakes." (or something like that). I'm glad she went out on a high note, with lots of praise. 

[dleighg]

28 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

I can't judge Juergen for dropping his bakes on the floor and serving them anyway ...I've done worse! But I was surprised that the judges actually ate them. Maybe him putting them back in the hot oven sterilized them. : D

I also was surprised the producers didn't tell the judges (apparently) that they'd dropped on the floor. Sure, I feed my family stuff that falls on the floor, but I don't think I've *ever* seen it done on one of these types of shows.

I was expecting Giuseppe to go home before the final discussion! Somehow the editing led a lot of us astray. I'm just glad Crystele made it through- she and Chigs are my favorites. I wouldn't miss Jurgen one bit if he went away, but apparently he is destined not to. I actually thought his cake was very uninteresting to look at. I *loved* Lizzie's cake.

[Ohiopirate02]

On 11/10/2021 at 1:05 PM, Enigma X said:

I will say I was rooting for Lizzie be in the final 3 because I like her. 

Same.  I figured she had ADHD early on, but for her to also advance this far with dyslexia is an achievement.  She was never starting from the same place as the rest of the bakers, and she never gave up.  

[xfuse]

On 11/10/2021 at 2:35 PM, Enigma X said:

I will say I was rooting for Lizzie be in the final 3 because I like her.

She'll pop up on a Christmas show in a year or two.

[Cetacean]

26 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I figured she had ADHD early on, but for her to also advance this far with dyslexia is an achievement.  She was never starting from the same place as the rest of the bakers, and she never gave up. 

I wonder if they knew that ahead.  How could she have managed to read the technical directions in a timely manner?  Did they (maybe) have someone reading them to her?

This season as been a bit.....odd.  There were several mentions about past performance before making the decisions for the episode;  I understood that the judging was strictly done on the three current bakes. I know it would be impossible to forget past errors and issues but I thought it was not supposed to count that much.

Lizzie certainly went out with a bang, that cake was pretty cool.  And I do think that's what her brain looks like!

Jurgens show stopper was quite bland looking, I thought.   Glad Jiggs did so well this time.

To quote Cathryn:  "I'm not serving Mary Barry green carpet!"

Can we stop now and just declare them all winners?  I cannot pick a favorite!

Edited November 12, 2021 by Cetacean

[dleighg]

21 minutes ago, Cetacean said:

Jurgens show stopper was quite bland looking, I thought. 

I thought so as well. For me, I think what makes him my least favorite, is that he is too *precise*. He does everything perfectly (and to me, expectedly). Nothing screams "wow that's so out of the box." 

He bores me.

[Ellaria]

On 11/11/2021 at 4:18 AM, Danny Franks said:

I was not expecting Lizzie to go home, based on how everyone performed in that episode. I though Giuseppe was the most likely, based on his showstopper, although I'd have much rather he stayed. But looking back, they loved his signature bake and he was second in the technical.

It was genuinely hard to single anyone out as the worst performer this week, which is when they just quietly decided to oust the person they think has been weaker throughout. I don't think this was as egregious as some decisions they've made in the past.

So not the best week from a judging consistency standpoint, but there were a lot of fun moments with the contestants. Noel was on good form, teasing people and poking fun at Juergen's clinical, cool personality. Juergen telling Noel what a calming influence he was was funny too.

The saga of Crystelle's chili was amusing, and she does have great comic timing. I genuinely laughed when Paul asked for some milk and Matt said "you can have some oat milk."

One thing that wasn't in doubt was that Chigs was a deserving star baker. He did well on every round and Paul was rightfully impressed at how much he's learned about baking in just a year.

Agree with every thing here. Im sorry to see Lizzie leave. I enjoyed watching her and she seems like a lovely person. The problem, I think, is that she was competing against four talented, mostly consistent bakers. Unless Giuseppe and Juergen are a complete disaster next episode, they are locks for the final. That means that either Chigs or Chrystelle are eliminated and that's unfortunate.

Still a bit surprised that Juergen's carpet-flavored vegan sausage rolls ended up being served. I guess there was no other option. My mother once dropped the entire roast beef on the floor prior to serving it for a family dinner. Not quite the same thing as doing it on an internationally televised baking show.

Crystelle's reaction to her chutney was priceless.

Edited November 12, 2021 by Ellaria Sand

[lovinbob]

My heart is broken. To see Lizzie go out on this particular bake. Her showstopper was a genuine triumph for so many reasons. She managed to have a “story” cake that was full of authentic meaning and significance. (Perhaps I am biased because my young daughter and I were both recently diagnosed with ADHD.) I applaud her for not conforming to Paul and Prue’s standard of refinement. Cheers, cheers, cheers. 

Second: I CAN’T BELIEVE JÜRGEN SERVED THOSE ROLLS. Not saying I haven’t done something comparable in my home but that was egregious. And then that he was in line for star baker after the bad macarons and fourth in technical—it doesn’t add up.

yup, I definitely don’t understand the judging. Except for Chigs’s win. I’m not saying that Lizzie should take it all but based on what we saw, and what the judges said about the food, she didn’t deserve to go home this week. 

[Aulty]

21 minutes ago, Ellaria Sand said:

Still a bit surprised that Juergen's carpet-flavored vegan sausage rolls ended up being served. I guess there was no other option. My mother once dropped the entire roast beef on the floor prior to serving it for a family dinner. Not quite the same thing as doing it on an internationally televised baking show.

Mary Berry was on the Graham Norton show a while back and she baked a cake that unfortunately her dog had a go at. She brought/served it anyway AND told the story.
And I sat in front of the telly thinking: What the actual f*ck??

What was weird about Juergen's mishap was that they didn't show maybe someone telling him to pick the two that didn't touch the floor and remember to put them front for the judges to taste, or something like that.

Edited November 12, 2021 by Aulty

[Cetacean]

7 minutes ago, Aulty said:

What was weird about Juergen's mishap was that they didn't show maybe someone telling him to pick the two that didn't touch the floor and remember to put them front for the judges to taste, or something like that.

I was thinking the same thing.  There were a couple that didn't seem to be right on the floor.  Maybe put those toward the front and explain that those were to be eaten.  They only taste one anyway.

[TVbitch]

I'm sure there was more to the story than Juergen just deciding on his own that he would serve them anyway. I did find it hilarious that Juergen said he goes around to all the ice cream shops in his area and tests their ice cream. Paul was like, wow, is this some kind of professional position? And he's like, oh no, it's just something I do.  

[sharifa70]

Noel’s impression of Juergen cracked me up.

I’m sorry, but Juergen should have had his sausage rolls DQed in the Technical and he shouldn’t have been allowed to present them for judging. Maybe just for looks but certainly not for taste. Even at home cooking for just myself I keep a pretty strict kitchen when it comes to cleanliness, and food that touches the floor is ruined food, no exceptions. And yes, I tie my hair back and yes, I wash my hands A LOT while I’m cooking.

[AZChristian]

I, too, have ADHD, with OCD as icing on the cake of my life.  That's a combination that makes every day feel like Lizzie's cake, and I teared up when I saw it.  I thought it was wonderful . . . and adding those little letters and numbers to the rice paper fans was an amazing idea.  It was a visual nod to the fact that brains like ours are constantly in motion, thinking about lots of other things while trying to concentrate on one.

And we were rolling on the floor at Paul as the "Incredible Hulk" in the opening skit.  He certainly has loosened up a bit, hasn't he?

Such a great group of people on the show this season.

[invisiblegirl12]

1 hour ago, sharifa70 said:

I’m sorry, but Juergen should have had his sausage rolls DQed in the Technical and he shouldn’t have been allowed to present them for judging.

Yes, exactly! The fact that he casually side-eyed the cameraperson, and then we never heard about it again? I was literally shrieking! Makes me think there's a plan for Jurgen to go far in the show, and this little mishap didn't fit that plan, so we're just going to wink and move on. Gah. I liked him a little more before this episode. Now I can't help but think he's being given special treatment. Super frustrating. 

[caitmcg]

2 hours ago, lovinbob said:

Second: I CAN’T BELIEVE JÜRGEN SERVED THOSE ROLLS. Not saying I haven’t done something comparable in my home but that was egregious. And then that he was in line for star baker after the bad macarons and fourth in technical—it doesn’t add up.

The thing is, they didn’t actually find the macarons bad. Even though they weren’t a conventionally successful bake, they liked the flavor and thought the chewiness worked in the ice cream sandwich context, and loved his ice cream.

As others have said, there was no one who deserved to go just based on the three bakes this week. They were all praised or well-ranked for at least two of the bakes, and everyone was dinged a little for one (though aesthetics were the only thing that let Lizzie down in the signature). So they decided based on past and likely future, in their eyes, performance. 

[rose711]

Why Lizzie went home was not well explained in the episode.  Crystelle should have gone. That dress cake wasn’t that special. She doesn’t experiment with flavor and creativity.

She’s boring. Everyone left is boring tbh.

 

[iwantcookies]

Daily mail revealed who went home on Tuesday. I haven’t watched the episode yet.

[caitmcg]

51 minutes ago, rose711 said:

Crystelle should have gone. That dress cake wasn’t that special. She doesn’t experiment with flavor and creativity.

I disagree. She’s made things like last week's miso caramel and this week’s miso-tahini-caffe-latte ice cream sandwiches, which are creative and have gone over well with the judges, and making her picnic pie in the shape of her grandmothers house. I found the dress cake charming, and I love cardamom, so I would have liked to try the cake.

[rose711]

My point about the cake is making the dress wasn’t that interesting or new. I’ve seen childrens cakes with dresses piped on Barbie dolls with the same idea.
 

I think she’s very one note with her miso flavored everything. 

[caitmcg]

5 minutes ago, rose711 said:

I think she’s very one note with her miso flavored everything. 

I believe she’s used miso twice in 16 challenges. To me, that’s no different than someone choosing to use cherries in multiple challenges in different ways, as Giuseppe has, except perhaps more interesting. Mileage varies, obviously.

[krankydoodle]

On 11/10/2021 at 10:24 PM, rasalas said:

I'm glad others saw the judges' same misguided allowances for Juergen. (We'll overlook his dropping baked items on the ground and then serving them with a shrug, because the show apparently did.)

This really stood out to me. From what I remember, every other time someone has dropped something on the show, it's a big deal. This time, I think we saw a few of the other bakers turn around to look but there was so little reaction--and, as you say, no mention of it during judging--that I rewound to make sure I hadn't missed something. Very strange.

I really like Lizzie and was impressed that the unappetizing sounding 100% cocoa that smelled like jaguar wee (?!) used in her ice cream sandwiches was a hit with the judges. And I loved her showstopper with its shag carpet decoration. Sorry to see her go.

[Danny Franks]

12 minutes ago, krankydoodle said:

This really stood out to me. From what I remember, every other time someone has dropped something on the show, it's a big deal. This time, I think we saw a few of the other bakers turn around to look but there was so little reaction--and, as you say, no mention of it during judging--that I rewound to make sure I hadn't missed something. Very strange.

I definitely recall people dropping things that broke but, off the top of my head, I don't recall anyone dropping something on the floor that could be picked up without anyone noticing a difference.

I would assume there was some kind of conversation with the producers in the tent - 'is this okay? Can it be served?' - and they gave it the okay. But honestly, looking at some of the things they've been served in the technical over the years - sticky toffee puddings without flour, uncooked custard tarts, scrambled egg meringues - I don't think sausage rolls briefly hitting the floor are that terrible in comparison.

[MsMalin]

I cried because I was so proud of Lizzie and then I cried because she was eliminated.

It has always been my understanding that they were to be judged solely on the current weeks performance. In which case really Guisepie or Juergen should have been eliminated but I knew that wouldn't happen.I think it was probably a very tough decision otherwise.

How funny was it when Paul wanted milk because of the spicy dish and it was suggested that he have oat milk!

Edited November 12, 2021 by MsMalin

[krankydoodle]

2 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

I definitely recall people dropping things that broke but, off the top of my head, I don't recall anyone dropping something on the floor that could be picked up without anyone noticing a difference.

I would assume there was some kind of conversation with the producers in the tent - 'is this okay? Can it be served?' - and they gave it the okay. But honestly, looking at some of the things they've been served in the technical over the years - sticky toffee puddings without flour, uncooked custard tarts, scrambled egg meringues - I don't think sausage rolls briefly hitting the floor are that terrible in comparison.

Maybe. It just seemed odd that there was no mention of it afterwards, if only a brief acknowledgment from the judges or as something for Noel to poke some fun at because of Jürgen's reputation for being so methodical and precise. And I say this as someone who likes him and doesn't really have a strong opinion about the judging this episode.

Edited November 12, 2021 by krankydoodle

[Straycat80]

I came to adore Lizzie, I cried right along with her. So apparently if they can’t decide who to send home they go by how you did in the past challenges? Not fair. Juergen dropped his rolls on the floor and served them anyway! WTH! He should have been eliminated for that. I think they already have decided on the final three, the three guys, I won’t be surprised if Crystelle goes home next week no matter how well she does. 

[magdalene]

Well, that left a bad taste in my mouth.  Lizzie didn't deserve to go home.  It should have been Juergen or Guiseppe that left.

What happened to their rule that only the present episode counts, not past episodes? I call foul.

[theatremouse]

On 11/10/2021 at 7:24 PM, rasalas said:

We'll overlook his dropping baked items on the ground and then serving them with a shrug, because the show apparently did.

I may have misunderstood what I saw, but I thought he made his rolls in two batches. There was a shot of him taking a tray - that did not to me look like the ones he dropped - out of the oven way after the dropping incident. And it looked to me like there were fewer on his tray during judging. So I assume he didn't serve the floor batch. He served the other half, and in the editing they didn't leave in an explanation of why he was short on number.

[ZeeEnnui]

I don't think there was any nefarious conspiracy involved in Lizzie being sent home. It sounded like it was pretty close, but I think her lack of presentation skills were the deciding factor here. It sounds petty because a home baker is more interested in how things taste -- no one here is going to choose fondant over flavor -- but in a baking show the food has to look and taste good. You know, refinement. I have to admit I was surprised Lizzie made it as far as she did, and good on her for going out on a Lisa Frank high note.

Personally, I'm pretty happy with the final four we have, and would have been gutted if Chigs, Chrystelle or Giuseppe, and Jurgen (even if I'm loving him a bit less than I was earlier in the season) had been sent home - they're just stronger than Lizzie IMO. 

 

[chaifan]

On 11/10/2021 at 12:47 AM, oldCJ said:

My feeling, and I do not think I am alone in this, is the powers at be at GBBO never imagined a person as different as Lizzie getting that close to winning. She does not fit their brand, so they cut her despite her bakes being better than the others. 

I think Kim Joy was quite a bit of the odd duck, and she got into the finals.  I don't think GBBO has any problem with people being "different".

I don't think there were any shenanigans in eliminating Lizzie this week.  Here's how I see it...  Chigs, Guiseppe and Crystelle were each solid on two of the three challenges.   Chigs won the technical and had a great showstopper, but his ice cream sandwiches were pretty but without flavor.  Guiseppe had great ice cream sandwiches, was 2nd in the technical, but tanked the showstopper.  Crystelle was last in the technical, had great ice cream sandwiches, and got high praise on the showstopper.  Juergen and Lizzie both had more problems.  They both had really good showstoppers, but were 4th and 3rd on the technical, and each had some criticism in the ice cream sandwiches.  But even though Juergen's macaroons didn't work out as planned, they worked and the judges still liked them.  And, if I remember right, he was the only one who got the ice cream texture right - everyone else's were too soft or not creamy enough or whatever.  So I think that bumped him up on that challenge.  Lizzie's showstopper looked amazing (finesse! finally!) but there was some criticism on the taste.  Where Juergen's showstopper was technically a more difficult bake, had 3 flavors, etc.  I thin if they did this on the point system, and each bake could earn up to 10 points, Lizzie would be just a point or two behind the rest.  Really damn close, but just a wee bit behind.  Sorry to see her go, but I think it was fair.  Oh, and someone called it the Muppet cake above.  I was thinking Dr. Seuss.  I really want a piping tip that does that! 

But I'm with everyone else wondering how Juergen got away with dropping all his sausage rolls on the floor and not getting called out for that.  They all hit the floor, at least one edge.  I'll admit, if that were me in my kitchen, it would be no big deal.  Especially since it's dry pastry and can more or less be brushed off.  (yeah, I know, ewww.  whatever.)  But this is GBBO, so you'd think something would be said.  What happened a few seasons ago with the "I can't serve Mary Berry green carpet!" bake?  How did they resolve that?

Crystelle's chili sauce and the "oat milk" comment were both hilarious! 

After this week, I could see Juergen not making it into the finals.  I think if he had another off week and Crystelle had an on week, she'd get through.  But, next week is Patisserie, and that may be Chig's undoing as a relatively novice baker.  Those are usually harder challenges, a lot more precision is needed.  I would be shocked to see Guiseppe not make it to the final 3. 

 

 

[SemiCharmedLife]

1 hour ago, theatremouse said:

I may have misunderstood what I saw, but I thought he made his rolls in two batches. There was a shot of him taking a tray - that did not to me look like the ones he dropped - out of the oven way after the dropping incident. And it looked to me like there were fewer on his tray during judging. So I assume he didn't serve the floor batch. He served the other half, and in the editing they didn't leave in an explanation of why he was short on number.

Respectfully, I think you may have read something into it, perhaps HOPING that he hadn't served those particular sausage rolls, but alas! he did!  In my opinion, the judges should have been told they fell on the floor and not to eat them.  Judge them visually only.  Of course, it really didn't matter much, even after his "macaron" failure and his low technical score, the judges still put him up as Star Baker competition.  

I will miss Lizzie and was thrilled that she went out a on high note.  I wish her much success and hopefully we will see her again! 

[dgpolo]

My 7 yr old granddaughter said it was the 5 second rule.

When I see this: S12.E08: Free From Week : pop up in my email, for a split second I think it is spam.

[MisterGlass]

I am sorry to see Lizzie go, and thought she delivered the look she set out to in her showstopper.  At this point in the show it often seems like the eliminations are based more on performance up to now than the specific week.  It's also possible that there are editing shenanigans going on.

The understanding since the baked Alaska meltdown has been that you serve something to the judges rather then nothing.  Juergen did drop all his pastries.  While dropped bakes are often broken or unsalvageable, in this case they looked okay.  This is not even the first time this season that a dropped baked good was served to the judges.  Freya dropped her tuile sheet in episode 4, and made almost the same joke as Juergen about them not knowing.  I think this is an area where we don't know what the judges are told off camera, or what scenarios they have agreed to.  I don't for a moment think that the central talent on the show found out at the same time as us that they ate something that had been on the floor.

Edited November 13, 2021 by MisterGlass

[ombelico]

I forget which season it was but I distinctly remember Paul talking about a week where the bakers were so close that the judges would "have to look back retrospectively" to differentiate between the bakers and choose who would be eliminated that week. So there is precedent, especially at this point in the season where it's just down to a few strong bakers.

I agree with Lizzie being eliminated this time but I also agree that Juergen got a bit lucky. His macarons were not strong, he dropped his sausage rolls on the floor (and apparently the judges were not informed of this?), and honestly I thought his cake looked a bit wonky. But overall, he's been a much stronger baker over the previous episodes so I think it's fully justified for the judges to expect a stronger performance from him than from Lizzie going forward.

[lovinbob]

19 hours ago, caitmcg said:

The thing is, they didn’t actually find the macarons bad. Even though they weren’t a conventionally successful bake, they liked the flavor and thought the chewiness worked in the ice cream sandwich context, and loved his ice cream.

Fair share enough. But what he served for the signature looked a mess. Even the tray he served them on didn’t make sense—they didn’t really fit and looked terribly messy. Lacking finesse, if you will. Why didn’t we see the judges comment on that? 

8 hours ago, ZeeEnnui said:

I don't think there was any nefarious conspiracy involved in Lizzie being sent home. It sounded like it was pretty close, but I think her lack of presentation skills were the deciding factor here. It sounds petty because a home baker is more interested in how things taste -- no one here is going to choose fondant over flavor -- but in a baking show the food has to look and taste good. You know, refinement. I have to admit I was surprised Lizzie made it as far as she did, and good on her for going out on a Lisa Frank high note.

Personally, I'm pretty happy with the final four we have, and would have been gutted if Chigs, Chrystelle or Giuseppe, and Jurgen (even if I'm loving him a bit less than I was earlier in the season) had been sent home - they're just stronger than Lizzie IMO. 

I will agree that it’s doubtful there’s a conspiracy against Lizzie. And while I’m sad that Lizzie had to go out on this bake, in a way it’s all the better, because she went out on a truly high note and her brilliance and originality were the story of the show. I mean, I can’t wait to show my daughter and son this episode to help them understand learning differences and see Lizzie’s triumph. I think Lizzie will be one of the show’s all time favorites  

However, the editing is not helping the show make sense. Jürgen’s situation aside (it still makes NO sense to me that he was allowed to serve them, and that he didn’t flag it for the judges, and that there was no commentary about it other than the shrug), Lizzie wasn’t the weakest in this episode. Her cookies looked amazing to me—like big ice cream Oreos. Yum. Crystelle was fifth in technical and her showstopper was underwhelming, even though I loved the idea, and apparently it tasted delicious.

Oh well. I think Lizzie going out on this bake is ultimately good for her and for the message she sent. I love that she stuck with nonconformity and individuality—while still being a wonderful team member. They all obviously loved and respected her.

I love the family/friendship vibe they have going on. It’s a wonderful group of people.

which underscores for me that they need to do a better job of choosing the opening challenges. The ambitious bakes they set up in the beginning of the season made everyone look bad, which is not good TV. 

ETA: I’m following Lizzies Instagram, which is so lovely. Lots of wonderful comments from GBBO alumni. 

Edited November 13, 2021 by lovinbob

[Cetacean]

8 hours ago, chaifan said:

What happened a few seasons ago with the "I can't serve Mary Berry green carpet!" bake?  How did they resolve that?

As I recall it, they remade the dough.

[blueray]

I hate to be that person but WTF? Chrystelle was dead last in every challenge and should have went home. Sure Lizzie struggled but nailed it in the show stopper. The thought that occurred to me is that Chystelle makes "better" TV. I certainly hope that this isn't the case. I loved the concept of Lizzie's show stopper. Of course I realize, I a very bias toward it. As someone who has a learning disability, it's hard not to feel like an outsider sometimes. And I love the idea of having a cake represent your brain lol. And they liked her flavors. Where as Chystelle's cake I don't recall them liking and her chilli was uneatable. The last part should have sent her home. 

I am happy for Chigs as he did deserve Star Baker. And possibly will make it to the final.

[AZChristian]

Remember above that I wrote that I have OCD?  So I had to go back and watch the technical challenge to see what actually happened regarding Jurgen's sausage rolls.

Of the 8 rolls, it appeared that 7 of them actually touched the floor when the tray shifted.  One of them appeared to only touch the other rolls, and when they showed him partway through picking them up, that one was already back in the oven and - I assume - placed so that it could be the one to be tasted.

Paul and Prue only tasted one of the sausage rolls for each baker.  I'm going with the "benefit of the doubt" scenario, and assuming that Jurgen was told to place the "clean" roll at the front so that would be the one they tasted.

I would rather none of them went home this week:  it was THAT close.  But I didn't think there was any nefarious action in the fact that Jurgen's technical was judged. 

We don't see everything, but the production staff has to be aware of everything that is going on, and the decision was likely made off-camera on how to deal with something that happened on-camera.  I've read some background articles that say that every baker has to alert the camera crew anytime they are putting something in or taking something out of the oven.  This time, it paid off in getting to see Mr. Precise mess up.  But I don't think production would allow a baker to serve a dirty sausage roll to the judges.

[libgirl2]

8 hours ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

Respectfully, I think you may have read something into it, perhaps HOPING that he hadn't served those particular sausage rolls, but alas! he did!  In my opinion, the judges should have been told they fell on the floor and not to eat them.  Judge them visually only.  Of course, it really didn't matter much, even after his "macaron" failure and his low technical score, the judges still put him up as Star Baker competition.  

I will miss Lizzie and was thrilled that she went out a on high note.  I wish her much success and hopefully we will see her again! 

Just remember editing. So much can be done to trick us into seeing and believing what didn't actually happen. Yes, he dropped them, did he have a second tray? Did the judges know? IT isn't as if they took bites out of all of them, they only ate from one. And maybe happens often enough that they decided to show it with Jurgen because he is a top contender? More drama. 

[theatremouse]

I'm mostly confused because every other time something was dropped in earlier seasons, it was called out and the calling out was in the episode. So I'm having a hard time understanding why this time, somehow, the production team wouldn't tell the judges - or hell Matt and Noel tell them. I think the editing did a disservice to us making it either seem like he served them floor-food or leaving it ambiguous. They could've cut out the stupid Hulk bit at the beginning - cut it after hearing only the growl and the joke would still make sense - in order to leave in a moment of someone saying something, like Paul saying "I understand we can only taste this one" or whatever, just to remove the confusion. After this many seasons, it does not make sense to me they'd go from onscreen obviously caring about food safety to...not.

[babs1226]

Prue was on Extra Slice this week, and she said she didn't know Jurgen had dropped the rolls on the floor until she saw the clip, so apparently it was never mentioned to the judges.

 

[iMonrey]

Lizzie's showstopper was a work of art, full stop. But I thought Juergen's showstopper cake looked pretty impressive too.

I was more or less expecting Lizzie to go home this week, frankly. The four that are left are pretty even, they have all won star baker. While I did think Lizzie did better than expected I was quite worried Crystelle might go home so I'm fine with the decision. I think when it's that close there really isn't any other way to decide other than reviewing their consistency throughout the season. I mean if there's a tie, what's the tie breaker? 

After the signature bake I started to worry a bit about Chigs and realized how much I'm rooting for him. He's got an uphill battle to beat Juergen and Guiseppe but anything is possible.

I actually got a kick out of Noel and Matt's "free from" gags throughout this episode.