S12.E08: Free From Week

[MisterGlass]

1 hour ago, babs1226 said:

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.

What was her reaction?

ETA:

22 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

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

I laughed pretty hard at "free from comedy" and "free from hosts."

Edited November 13, 2021 by MisterGlass

[caitmcg]

5 hours ago, blueray said:

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. 

Crystelle was last in the technical. They loved her signature ice cream sandwiches, and they complimented the cardamom cake and the appearance of her showstopper. Chigs got the least favorable review in the signature (not enough flavor in his ice cream), and Giuseppe was absolutely dead last in the showstopper; they didn’t like his at all. Paul even told him to his face that he was disappointed and expected better. 

Edited November 13, 2021 by caitmcg
Because technical and signature are not the same thing.

[illdoc]

And don't forget, Jurgen put his technicals back into the oven for a few minutes, so presumably the heat would have killed any germs. The floor itself seemed rather clean, so there probably wasn't much "dirt" to brush off. The concern would have been germs.

[Deskisamess]

Lizzie's leaving on a high note was especially sad, but I don't have a problem with her going based on prior performance. She is great at what she does, but is out of her depth with the finesse and precision needed for the last challenges. That muppet cake was amazing, and something to try in future.

I don't really care for Jürgen that much, there is something there I can't put my finger on. Latent hostility maybe? I can't place it...I wasn't bothered by the dropped sausage rolls. Kate dropped a clanger in one episode. The rolls went back in the oven, any germs would have been killed. It's not like it was dropped on a bathroom floor.

I'd love to see Chigs take it all. Man is he pretty in face. Whew. 

 

Edited November 13, 2021 by Deskisamess

[AZChristian]

During this entire season, they've featured a hand-written note on the GBBO Facebook page from each eliminated baker.  I thought Lizzie's was really sweet.  Best wishes to her!

[justmehere]

Re: Editing: The fact that they've shown other instances of bakers reporting dropping things doesn't mean that it will always be shown. The mention above about Freya not reporting it (or at least them not showing it) is also true.

Hearing that Prue didn't know about Jurgen's mishap is a little concerning, but the crew knew, the producers and director knew, and honestly, sometimes they don't seem terribly concerned about hygiene. Hair hanging loose and the bakers touching their faces and then going back to the bakes have been called out many times. Not saying it's OK, just that they seem less concerned about certain things.

I took Jurgen's shrug to mean that it happened and he couldn't change the fact. There certainly wasn't time to re-bake everything. He's so precise and controlled, I can't see him not having any concern about it. Maybe he asked the crew or producers what to do, and they said don't worry about it. Maybe they told him to brush them off and put them back in the oven. We don't actually know. Mainly, the guy is not some monster trying to cheat or to endanger the judges. If anyone, blame the producers who oversee everything and decide what happens and what gets shown.

As for Lizzie - it was hard to watch her leave after such a triumphant bake, especially one that was so personal. I agree with those saying that things were so close that they had to look back at the overall performances. It's not the first time they've done so, and it may well happen in the remaining challenges. Lizzie stood up for herself and made a big impression. She got farther than anyone expected. But while her flavors carried her for a time, lack of finesse overall was an issue. George went out on a high-note, too. One bake isn't always enough to save them.

And then there's Paul... I want to shake him when he tells one of the bakers he expected better from them. They already know they didn't do well. He's already called out the specific issues. There's no need to dig at them so personally. They're human. Sometimes they make mistakes. Sometimes things go wrong. Such comments are not needed.

[blueray]

3 hours ago, caitmcg said:

Crystelle was last in the technical. They loved her signature ice cream sandwiches, and they complimented the cardamom cake and the appearance of her showstopper. Chigs got the least favorable review in the signature (not enough flavor in his ice cream), and Giuseppe was absolutely dead last in the showstopper; they didn’t like his at all. Paul even told him to his face that he was disappointed and expected better. 

True, I forgot about Giuseppe as he did mess up the Show Stopper, mainly because I was looking at who was at risk to go home.  And knew he was safe (despite Paul's overreaction). Jürgen safe himself in the showstopper and Chigs was the front runner by the end (which they did get right). And I felt like they all did similar in the signature. But I realize it is hard to say as I didn't try the food. I was a bit mad earlier as I don't feel like the right person was sent home. However, it is just a show and I realize this. I'm glad that Lizzie feels that she had a good experience :).

Edited November 13, 2021 by blueray
Miss spelled name

[ombre]

5 hours ago, iMonrey said:

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? 

... 

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

These shows feel cozy in part because they may nominally be competitions, but they confirm so perfectly to a formulaic script that they're nevertheless predictable. Who among us can't basically mouth along with the "and I have the terrible, terrible job of saying who's going home. And it really is hard, we've gotten to know you all so well and it just gets harder every week" speech? The first week or two we all get a rough sense of the order in which we expect things to go. When that gets shaken up a bit, we've seen the competition and the editing has held our hand as we came to reconcile ourselves with the end result, so the end still feels cozy.  I'm still devastated for hermine from last year, but the editing made it clear why she went home that week. The show is, in its way, a comfort not just because everyone is lovely and tries so hard and cares so much for one another, but also because it seems to confirm that there is order in an otherwise chaotic world.  

 

And because we've known this order for weeks (lizzie is my absolute favorite contestant... Maybe ever) we were expecting her to go home this week. And then she knocked it out of the park... But so did everyone else. This was just a lovely week of lovely people making lovely bakes. And then someone had to leave. I dearly wish that they'd found a reason to keep everyone. The result met prior expectations, but the episode didn't. I'm gutted and understand it both at once. I don't think they expected lizzie to be able to knock it out of the park and then she did and... They had to get to the next episode and just did what they'd expected to do and didn't really explain it. 

 

I totally agree that both Noel and Matt were lovely this week. There are moments when Noel seems to just relax and enjoy living in this absurd world and it has (to my immense surprise) made me quite fond of him. 

Edited November 13, 2021 by ombre

[Danny Franks]

6 minutes ago, ombre said:

These shows feel cozy in part because they confirm so perfectly to a formulaic script. Who among us can't basically mouth along with the "and I have the terrible, terrible job of saying who's going home. And it really is hard, we've gotten to know you all so well and it just gets harder every week" speech? The first week or two we all get a rough sense of the order in which we expect things to go. When that gets shaken up a bit, we've seen the competition and the editing has held our hand as we came to reconcile ourselves with the end result, so the end still feels cozy. The show is, in its way, a comfort not just because everyone is lively and tries so hard and cares so much for one another, but also because it seems to confirm that there is order in an otherwise chaotic world. 

Yeah, I don't think the show would be nearly as appealing if it was full of shocks and twists and surprise eliminations. Occasionally we get them, but for the most part the person eliminated each week isn't that much of a surprise. Even if it's someone who has done well in previous weeks, you usually have a pretty good idea of who it's going to be by the end of the episode.

I appreciate that there's no attempt by the editors to disguise the people in trouble, even if the judges sometimes aren't as clear-eyed as they could be. If Paul says that so-and-so is in trouble after the technical, then they're in trouble.

6 minutes ago, ombre said:

I totally agree that both Noel and Matt were lively this week. There are moments when Noel seems to just relax and enjoy living in this absurd world and it has (to my immense surprise) made me quite fond of him. 

Noel sometimes seems to have a bit of trouble finding the right level to connect with the bakers. Sometimes there are instant connections - like with Ruby Bhogal or Halloweeny Helena - and sometimes there aren't - I'm convinced that Alice from a couple of years ago was utterly bemused by him and just resorted to dealing with him as she would a distracted but good-natured child in her class.

This year he seems to be really vibing with everyone, but particularly Crystelle and Giuseppe.

Matt spent several weeks talking to the brick wall that is Jurgen (not that I think Jurgen is particularly humourless, but he clearly doesn't get Matt) but whenever he's talking to one of the others they seem to be enjoying themselves. And his ability to make rather pointed fun of Paul without ruffling his feathers too much is valuable.

[sharifa70]

I just love Noel’s vibe and really hope that he is that kind in real life. He comes across as the sort of person who could step into a tension-filled room and immediately lower everyone’s blood pressure just by standing there.

[ChelleGame]

15 minutes ago, sharifa70 said:

 He comes across as the sort of person who could step into a tension-filled room and immediately lower everyone’s blood pressure just by standing there.

 That's a very nice description.

[Quilt Fairy]

I think there are things that can be picked up off the floor, brushed off and served, and things that can't.  If Jurgen had dropped his sausage-makings or the onion coulis on the floor and tried to scrape it up and serve it, that wouldn't have happened.  A roll dropping on the floor?  Eh, not so bad.  I did wonder when I watched if the judges didn't know about it until the show aired.  And they're still with us, so, NBD. 

Don't forget that the bakers are competing for a title and a cake plate.  There's really no need to get into conspiracy theories.  Lizzie and Chrystelle both "make" excellent TV.  The one who is sadly lacking charisma is Jurgen, and I can't be too hard on him for that since my roots are German as well, and he seems to be a lovely person overall.  But I do wonder if, not being a native English speaker, some of Noel and Matt's British humor and badinage just don't click with him. 

[Spunkygal]

In addition to Lizzie, I’d love to see Lottie and bread lion Paul  Ian on a holiday special. Then add in one of the bit older contestants. Unless Ian has already been on one! Ha! 

Edited November 14, 2021 by Spunkygal

[BradyB66]

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

In addition to Lizzie, I’d love to see Lottie and bread lion Paul on a holiday special. Then add in one of the bit older contestants. 

Bread lion Paul was already on a holiday special.  It’s available on Netflix.  And he was still lovely and still had amazing artistry.

[Spunkygal]

9 minutes ago, BradyB66 said:

Bread lion Paul was already on a holiday special.  It’s available on Netflix.  And he was still lovely and still had amazing artistry.

Ha, I AM old! I’ve seen all of them and forgot that he was on one of the specials. Will have to re-watch. Thanks for the reminder. 

[akr]

2 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Lizzie and Chrystelle both "make" excellent TV.  The one who is sadly lacking charisma is Jurgen, a

Charisma is in the eye of the beholder I guess. I think he's delightful and the low-key wry humor and oddities make for good TV, too. They wisely cast to have people who appeal to a variety of viewers; some that quite got on my nerves (Helena, for example) seem to be favorites of others. If they were all Juergens, it wouldn't work, but if they were all Lizzies, it wouldn't work, either. You need some balance.

 

 

[Quilt Fairy]

FYI, Netflix will air 2 new GBBO holiday specials on Dec 3rd.  These are probably the ones that aired last year in the UK.

[Quilt Fairy]

This was total serendipity, but I just watched last year's Christmas special (last year in the US, Netflix season 3) and the showstopper was to make a gingerbread building.  Tom (last name?) made a Scottish building, and dropped (and broke) the top facade on the floor.  He picked it up, repaired it with a bit of caramel, and put it on the building.  And wouldn't you know, that top piece was the piece that Paul took to taste.  

[kittykat]

7 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

Yeah, I don't think the show would be nearly as appealing if it was full of shocks and twists and surprise eliminations. Occasionally we get them, but for the most part the person eliminated each week isn't that much of a surprise. Even if it's someone who has done well in previous weeks, you usually have a pretty good idea of who it's going to be by the end of the episode.

Agreed.  Season 10 was probably the closest they got to a shark jump with odd challenges and very questionable eliminations.  I've always liked how they've been very upfront with most results.

After processing Lizzie's elimination it sucks but it makes sense.  As everyone said she went out with a good showstopper but as Paul said everyone did.  Giuseppe's didn't turn out well but he did well enough on day 1 to get a pass.  There have been plenty of times when Paul has been all "it's on the showstopper" so it's nice when that's not always the case.  And I have no issue with cumulative judging going into the final weeks.  Keeps those who constantly skate by from staying over a superior contestant over one misstep as has happened on Top Chef multiple times.

After Giuseppe's fall from the top Chigs was the right choice for star baker and not just for the sexy professor vibes those glasses give off.  He's really come far after baking for so short a time.

Next week is going to be bonkers, I don't want to say goodbye to any of them.  

[ombre]

14 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

Noel sometimes seems to have a bit of trouble finding the right level to connect with the bakers. Sometimes there are instant connections - like with Ruby Bhogal or Halloweeny Helena - and sometimes there aren't - I'm convinced that Alice from a couple of years ago was utterly bemused by him and just resorted to dealing with him as she would a distracted but good-natured child in her class.

...

Matt spent several weeks talking to the brick wall that is Jurgen (not that I think Jurgen is particularly humourless, but he clearly doesn't get Matt) but whenever he's talking to one of the others they seem to be enjoying themselves. And his ability to make rather pointed fun of Paul without ruffling his feathers too much is valuable.

I'm in the middle of rewatching the Alice season and... YES.  (It is, btw, one of my favorites.  Sandi turning all momma-duck on the Michael/Henry/David troika, plus Rosie's perennially stunning animals are just what my heart and soul need.)

I know people who remind me of Juergen and others who remind me of Matt, and these interactions feel *spot* *on* to me.  It's like the Charlies Brown Christmas scene where all the kids are dancing in their own perfect and unique ways and not interacting at all and it's charming and true to character and makes me smile with uncontrollable joy at the range of human personalities.

11 hours ago, akr said:

Charisma is in the eye of the beholder I guess. I think he's delightful and the low-key wry humor and oddities make for good TV, too. They wisely cast to have people who appeal to a variety of viewers; some that quite got on my nerves (Helena, for example) seem to be favorites of others. If they were all Juergens, it wouldn't work, but if they were all Lizzies, it wouldn't work, either. You need some balance.

 

 

I've been rewatching other seasons between eps of the new one and the thing that has most impressed me is that there are people who I was impatient with the first time around but watching them again you can just see that they're humans trying their very hardest in a very exciting but stressful situation.  I've found it a good reminder to, when one has the option, look for and dwell on the best of people, not the worst.  

[Kiddvideo]

First week this season when the bakers showed similar skill levels. It’s the quarter finals, though. It’s pretty inexcusable to have such a disparity in talent that it takes us two months of obvious eliminations to get to the point when any of them could’ve been sent home or put up for SB.

I like Lizzie and felt genuine sympathy for her after she put together her best week ever, but that’s why I wasn’t too upset. She’d had one attractive bake with the blue sugar bowl, and it was inedible. This week she gets both taste and appearance right, but no one obviously finished below her so she could proceed to the semi’s.

That written, I thought Chrystelle would go home. I think she has a niche, and she’s never left it, never grown as a baker, never pushed herself to exceed past performance.

I think the guys should move onto the finals. I’ve been most impressed with Chigs. Jürgen and Giuseppe are obviously talented, experienced bakers, but I find their bakes a bit sterile. Their baselines are very high, and that’s where they’re performing. No higher no lower. ETA: I feel like Jürgen and Giuseppe should be in a professional-level competition.

Edited November 14, 2021 by Kiddvideo

[MisterGlass]

16 hours ago, sharifa70 said:

I just love Noel’s vibe and really hope that he is that kind in real life. He comes across as the sort of person who could step into a tension-filled room and immediately lower everyone’s blood pressure just by standing there.

Juergen did say something to Noel along the lines of 'you're a calming presence.'

[iMonrey]

Quote

I don't really care for Jürgen that much, there is something there I can't put my finger on. Latent hostility maybe? I can't place it

I think it's a combination of things. I think there are some language barriers and I also think he's just a naturally low-key person. The rest have much stronger personalities so he comes across as rather dour by comparison. 

Quote

Who among us can't basically mouth along with the "and I have the terrible, terrible job of saying who's going home. And it really is hard, we've gotten to know you all so well and it just gets harder every week" speech?

When they send Prue and Paul off for the technical I always say "Off you pop."

[magdalene]

14 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

FYI, Netflix will air 2 new GBBO holiday specials on Dec 3rd.  These are probably the ones that aired last year in the UK.

Speaking of GBBO holiday specials - why does Netflix not air any of the cancer specials GBBO has every year?

[Suzn]

11 hours ago, kittykat said:

After processing Lizzie's elimination it sucks but it makes sense.  As everyone said she went out with a good showstopper but as Paul said everyone did.  Giuseppe's didn't turn out well but he did well enough on day 1 to get a pass.  There have been plenty of times when Paul has been all "it's on the showstopper" so it's nice when that's not always the case.  And I have no issue with cumulative judging going into the final weeks.  Keeps those who constantly skate by from staying over a superior contestant over one misstep as has happened on Top Chef multiple times.

I think it is entirely fair to look at past challenges when it is close.  I would hate to see a superior baker eliminated because of a untypical bad day.

We are at the place where I hate to see anyone eliminated.  I had underestimated Lizzie in the early challenges and came to appreciate her talent.  I really didn't want to see her go, but it's not that I wanted any of the others to go either.

This group feels like about the strongest group they have had.

[ABay]

As several have already said, Noel & Matt were actually amusing for once.

As someone said upthread, they could have cut the cringe-worthy Hulk bit and spent the extra seconds to explain about the sausage roll mishap. They had to know that many viewers would be freaked out by the idea of eating food that had fallen to the floor. I also agree with the comment upthread that some things can picked up and dusted off, like the roll part of a sausage roll, and others, like the sausage part, can't. But still, it would've taken 2 seconds to explain what was going on.

Why does everything have to become a conspiracy theory?

Apparently, I'm the only woman watching who doesn't think Chigs is exceptionally pretty.

[Gwendolyn]

When their judging decisions are weird like this, you start to wonder how much is Paul and Prue and how much is producer interference. Last week it would've made more sense to say good-bye to Lizzie when her bowl was spectacular, but her cake tasted terrible and looked a mess inside and kept George based on his show stopper. But I think someone thought Lizzie would do what she always does with the show stopper, if it looks good it tastes bad and if it tastes good, it looks terrible. Instead she pulled off a marvelous cake and then they're like, but Lizzie has to go and how do we play this.

They also relied too heavily on Jurgen and Giuseppe being consistent. Giuseppe had a perfect day one, his tofu based ice cream and his cookies wowed the judges and he did second in the technical, and his cake looked fine (not great, but acceptable), but the taste wasn't there, but it wasn't a complete disaster and Paul had decided Giuseppe was safe based on day 1 (or because the producers had said short of a complete cluster Giuseppe was going through). As for Jurgen his macrons tasted fine, but they didn't look right and Paul could tell he'd skipped a step. But with the faux sausage rolls, all but one hit the floor (the one that was probably laid out at the end someone told them to pick it, if not why), but the rest had to have to looked squished or broken (so some production shenanigans had to have occurred, because they always comment on the uniformity of a technical). What I don't get is the praise for his show stopper, I think it tasted good, but the frosting and piping looked rushed on the screen  (maybe not in person), and on par with how Giuseppe's looked. 

Crystelle was just middle of the road, but more consistent long term then Lizzie, so I can see why they kept her and Chigs deserved star baker based on showstopper and technical and their issue with his signature is they wanted more mango flavor, not that it was a disaster.

Next week if Jurgen and/or Giuseppe again do something that would get another contestant sent home with a so-so bake, then I'll say they were pre-ordained for the final. Crystelle is least consistent baker, because while Chigs is new to it, he's been consistent, but I'm not sure for tv purposes they want an all male final. They've had them, but I'm sure they prefer not to.  Have to wait and see.

 

 

[kittykat]

1 hour ago, Gwendolyn said:

Crystelle was just middle of the road, but more consistent long term then Lizzie, so I can see why they kept her and Chigs deserved star baker based on showstopper and technical and their issue with his signature is they wanted more mango flavor, not that it was a disaster.

My one observation about the mangoes Chigs used was that they didn't look very ripe.  Did he supply the mangoes or was it production? The difference between ripe and unripe mangoes is huge flavor wise and if production supplied Chigs unripe mangoes who then got judged for not enough flavor I'd be a little annoyed in that position.  

1 hour ago, Gwendolyn said:

Next week if Jurgen and/or Giuseppe again do something that would get another contestant sent home with a so-so bake, then I'll say they were pre-ordained for the final. Crystelle is least consistent baker, because while Chigs is new to it, he's been consistent, but I'm not sure for tv purposes they want an all male final. They've had them, but I'm sure they prefer not to.  Have to wait and see.

I can't foresee production interference because of gender.  There have been 2 all female finals and 1 all male final before and I have never seen any indication from any judge that there is any gender bias.  Some seasons have stronger men and others have stronger women. The male/female ratio of winners and finalists is basically even (unlike many American competition shows).  This is one the strongest top four they've had it's going to be gutting whomever goes.  My preference would be Giuseppe/Chigs/Crystelle.  Nothing against Jürgen he's just my fourth favorite but he'd really need to shit the bag next week to get sent home.

[backgroundnoise]

Didn't Julia Child have a famous quote about picking food up off the floor?  "Who's to know?"  I get more icked out by chefs or bakers blowing on their food before presenting it, or bending over it with loose, long hair.

I couldn't understand Lizzie quite a bit of the time, so I didn't realize she was talking about dyslexia until the picture/description of her cake was shown.  Her cake decoration was intricate and she carried it off beautifully.  

 

[MisterGlass]

23 minutes ago, backgroundnoise said:

Didn't Julia Child have a famous quote about picking food up off the floor?  "Who's to know?"

She did for food dropped out of the pan, at least.

[P2C2E]

I feel like Jurgen did so well early on that they are now more forgiving of his mistakes. Because if anyone else had made macarons incorrectly Paul would have been far more judgmental. Same with the showstopper. It might have been elegant, but it also seemed boring. It feels like they feel that Jurgen should be in the finals. And so they're trying to judge kinder. Well maybe he'll have some bad weeks at the end and not make it. You have to judge it the worst if it is the worst. It's not the end of the world if the early frontrunner goes home early. Shit happens. Jurgen and Giuseppe might have dominated early, but Chigs and Chrystelle have come up strong and I really want to see them both in the final.

Edited November 15, 2021 by P2C2E

[akr]

1 hour ago, P2C2E said:

Because if anyone [besides Juergen] else had made macarons incorrectly Paul would have been far more judgmental.

But the assignment wasn't to make macarons, it was to make an ice cream sandwich. What he ended up with weren't the intended macarons, but they were nonetheless good cookies, and I don't see a reason to doubt the editing suggesting that the end result was a successful ice cream sandwich. It was just the usual "oh no, this baker's idea isn't going to work!" misdirection, when in the end it works out fine. 

[Cetacean]

6 hours ago, P2C2E said:

Well maybe he'll have some bad weeks at the end and not make it.

Only two episodes left. Semi final this week, final next week.

[joanne3482]

Since I have celiac and can't have regular ice cream sandwiches, I make macaron ice cream sandwiches. They are delicious so I was excited to see Jurgen make them that way. If they had tried to make a sorbet for the ice cream sandwich would that have been against the brief? Technically I guess a sorbet is not ice cream? 

[PrincessPurrsALot]

It does feel to me like they assess Jurgen's performance differently.  As with many excellent bakers in previous season, he has had some off bakes and off weeks.  However, once he then again excels, we get an "The old Jurgen is back."  I have to remind myself not to hold the judges' slant against the contestant.  Jurgen seems like a very nice person.  He is quiet and reserved which does not always play as well on TV.  I have not seen him show any unkindness.  And he is an excellent baker.

with that said, the texture looked very heavy on the white chocolate layer of his cake.  Also, as for design and originality, it didn't wow me.  It was a nice looking cake and likely delicious.  I felt he was making up for previously saying he didn't like chocolate cake. 

The mangos that Chigs used did look underripe.  The trick for that is to puree and then cook them down to concentrate flavor.  However, that would take much more time than they had.  That's why Prue mentioned using canned mango puree.  It is already a concentrated flavor. That might have been his choice if he had seen the quality of the mangos available, but he wouldn't know until it is too late to ask for a change in ingredients. 

[libgirl2]

22 hours ago, ABay said:

 

Apparently, I'm the only woman watching who doesn't think Chigs is exceptionally pretty.

I don't really think he is. Now Giuseppe.... I find him very attractive.  

[LeDucDiableBleu]

There's just no way that Jurgen or Giuseppe are going home before the final. From day 1 that's been their destiny. Everyone else has been playing for the third spot. I thought Lizzy was a much better baker than she was given credit for but I'm glad she made it as far as she did.

My guess is that in the final, Jurgen and Giuseppe will be expected to be perfect. If they mess up in any way, the third person will win, imo. It reminds me of the season when Richard the carpenter had won SB four(?) times and was considered a lock, but he messed up one detail in the signature in the final and Paul didn't like that, and Nancy ended up winning. As mentioned before, this show rarely does real surprises, so we'll see.

[iMonrey]

Quote

This is one the strongest top four they've had it's going to be gutting whomever goes.  My preference would be Giuseppe/Chigs/Crystelle.  Nothing against Jürgen he's just my fourth favorite but he'd really need to shit the bag next week to get sent home.

I don't think any of them have had real, unmitigated disasters yet, even when they've done poorly in the technical. All four have won Star Baker. Someone will have to go next week, and it's likely going to be the narrowest of decisions. I think just based on consistency Crystelle is in the weakest spot, but as we've now seen, even Guiseppe can biff the Showstopper. I think if both Crystelle and Chigs really bring their A-Game to the semi-finals the judges are going to be in a tough spot having to choose whether to eliminated Jurgen or Guiseppe. 

Quote

I couldn't understand Lizzie quite a bit of the time, so I didn't realize she was talking about dyslexia until the picture/description of her cake was shown. 

Closed captioning is my friend. I only get around 40% of what she says without it.

Quote

Apparently, I'm the only woman watching who doesn't think Chigs is exceptionally pretty.

I think he's just OK looking but he has the most infectious, beautiful smile ever.

Edited November 15, 2021 by iMonrey

[dleighg]

6 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Closed captioning is my friend. I only get around 40% of what she says without it

I am watching an old episode of Shetland on DVD and very quickly realized that my streaming habit of always using CC was ABSOLUTELY necessary for the Scottish accents. Had to do a lot of poking around to figure out how to get CC on the DVD player which hadn't been turned on for years LOL.

[Quilt Fairy]

Scottish accents are the worst.  Totally unintelligible to me, even though I love the sound of them.  

Part of the problem I had with Lizzie's speech is that even with the CC on, she talks really quickly and uses a lot of sentence fragments and Northern English slang which apparently the folks in the tent got, but I did not.   She does seem like a lovely person. 

[janie jones]

Am I the only one who wasn't impressed by Lizzie's showstopper? The rice paper was pretty, but I thought the way she piped her frosting neither looked nice nor required much skill. It's not something I would say demonstrates "finesse."

On 11/14/2021 at 12:28 PM, ABay said:

Apparently, I'm the only woman watching who doesn't think Chigs is exceptionally pretty.

I think he's handsome when serious, but he looks goofy when he smiles.

 

[Dobian]

The one person who was meant to bake in the dairy-free signature - Freya - wasn't there.  A pity.

I don't think there was any plot to get rid of Lizzie but I do think there was bias.  Paul's closing remark was that Lizzie aced the showstopper, but so did everyone else.  Well no, Giuseppe bombed his showstopper.  And in the round table chat before the judging, Paul quickly stated that Giuseppe was safe despite blowing the showstopper.  The unwritten rule in this show is always that the showstopper outweighs the other two challenges.  So Giuseppe should have at least been up for consideration for leaving when he was dead last.  But I know they believe that Giuseppe is the superior baker and want him in the final, while Lizzie was sort of all over the place. 

[Adiba]

15 hours ago, Dobian said:

The one person who was meant to bake in the dairy-free signature - Freya - wasn't there.  A pity.

I don't think there was any plot to get rid of Lizzie but I do think there was bias.  Paul's closing remark was that Lizzie aced the showstopper, but so did everyone else.  Well no, Giuseppe bombed his showstopper.  And in the round table chat before the judging, Paul quickly stated that Giuseppe was safe despite blowing the showstopper.  The unwritten rule in this show is always that the showstopper outweighs the other two challenges.  So Giuseppe should have at least been up for consideration for leaving when he was dead last.  But I know they believe that Giuseppe is the superior baker and want him in the final, while Lizzie was sort of all over the place. 

I agree, there was bias. Giuseppe did well in the first two challenges, and while they didn’t like his showstopper, he did a more difficult bake, imo. A flourless chocolate sponge and a mirror glaze, and tempered chocolate are very tricky. Unfortunately, the sponge was not a hit with the judges. Lizzie did a sponge with buttercream piped with the same tip. It came out great, but could have been seen by the judges as a simpler, less risky bake. Add to the fact that Giuseppe is a stronger, more consistent baker and the judging is not surprising.

They all did well overall in the signature. Lizzie over baked the technical— some looked burnt. Crystelle also messed up the technical, not only by the excess chili, but her rough puff did not look laminated—which to me is a bigger mistake than Lizzie’s. Ymmv

However, there always has been bias in the judging, imo. With something that is not based on a point system or on a race time and depends on the judges’ preferences and palates, there’s a lot of wiggle room, generally. 

Edited November 16, 2021 by Adiba
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[sugarbaker design]

15 hours ago, janie jones said:

I think he's handsome when serious, but he looks goofy when he smiles.

Totally agree, with that serious focused concentrated look he is so handsome.  Add the goofy smile and glasses, a big doofus.  A lovable, huggable doofus, but a doofus nonetheless.

[Irlandesa]

On 11/15/2021 at 1:19 PM, LeDucDiableBleu said:

There's just no way that Jurgen or Giuseppe are going home before the final. From day 1 that's been their destiny. Everyone else has been playing for the third spot. I thought Lizzy was a much better baker than she was given credit for but I'm glad she made it as far as she did.

I was expecting one of them to go in this ep.  There almost always seems to be a shocking or heartbreaking elimination.  I was sad that it was Lizzie. 

It feels like this season has had more eliminations by people with decent showstoppers. 

On 11/14/2021 at 9:50 PM, backgroundnoise said:

Didn't Julia Child have a famous quote about picking food up off the floor?  "Who's to know?" 

People.   With cameras.  They would never hide that kind of thing on a US baking show. I can't believe they let him present them all. 

Edited November 17, 2021 by Irlandesa

[dargosmydaddy]

On 11/13/2021 at 8:23 AM, ombelico said:

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.

It was the season with Stephen, as he was chosen to stay over the woman with the fondness for pink (forgetting her name) who kept squeaking by each week. It was obvious Stephen was staying as soon as Paul said that since he was the golden boy of his season. When Paul made the similar comment this episode, I admit I had hope that it might be Crystelle (who is my least favorite of the remaining contestants) leaving, but I wasn't surprised it was Lizzie.

On 11/15/2021 at 2:19 PM, LeDucDiableBleu said:

It reminds me of the season when Richard the carpenter had won SB four(?) times and was considered a lock, but he messed up one detail in the signature in the final and Paul didn't like that, and Nancy ended up winning. As mentioned before, this show rarely does real surprises, so we'll see.

It's been awhile, but I remember Richard (sadly) having a poor episode in general, not just messing up one thing on one challenge. It became apparent early on that it just wasn't his week, despite his previous success.

I have to say this season has been rather predictable in that it seems like the person who squeaks by the week before is the one who goes home the following week for quite a few weeks running now. As someone who would be heartbroken to see any of the three guys go, I'm hoping this holds and Crystelle gets eliminated next. (Especially since Chigs is my favorite and the other two guys, as mentioned by many, seem like locks, so it's a Crystelle/ Chigs competition for the final spot.)

 

[limecoke]

No. No. No.  Sausage rolls that hit the floor should not have been served. I’m sorry, but that was gross. It’s one thing to have it happen in your home and quite another to see it on a TV cooking show, and if something happened behind the scenes making it acceptable we should have known about it.  Not good, GBBO.  The opening was cringeworthy. Paul’s a judge-keep it that way. I was embarrassed for him. So sad to see Lizzie go. What a delight she was. 

Edited November 29, 2021 by limecoke

[Mr. R0b0t]

JÜRGEN is the Tim Duncan of this show; a methodical technician.  I do think Crystelle has her back against the wall leading into next week, but so does Guiseppi!  I'm not sure if this is the best group of bakers they've had, but it's certainly the closest matched they're been at this stage.  I could see any of them winning if they can do their best in a single weekend.

[Mr. R0b0t]

https://mymodernmet.com/lauren-loves-cake-fiber-art/?fbclid=IwAR3nI7POJJtzBwJEWuE0tMJp8vzLSMeWfnk_TRPU8_8yz4fMQYo6Ex-9RNo