S12.E09: Patisserie Week

[Athena]

Quote

It's the semi-final. The bakers' patisserie skills are tested as they make delicate layered slices, a French classic and opulent entremets displays. Who will make it to the final?

Original UK Airing: November 16, 2021.

[Wee S]

Well, Paul Hollywood can take a long walk off a short pier. 

Gutted with that result. they should have put all 4 through.

Loved Jurgen basically shoving Noel out of the way at one point - I love Noel, but he was really taking the p**s there!

[ShortyMac]

Juergen just had an off week, that's all. He was fantastic.

I don't know why Crystelle was shocked she got Star Baker; she got a handshake in the Signature, and Paul called her Showstopper 'flawless.' (I'm surprised she didn't get a second handshake for it) 

I liked the way she broke the news to her family: "I've got bad news. You won't see me for another week...because I got Star Baker!" LOL

[libgirl2]

Damn 😪

[pfk505]

Jurgipops noooooooooo!

[Aulty]

If I was a judge on a baking competition, using rice crispies for structural work would be grounds for elimination.

[libgirl2]

13 minutes ago, Aulty said:

If I was a judge on a baking competition, using rice crispies for structural work would be grounds for elimination.

I could never understand how that is okay for baking. The only time it worked was an episode I saw in the Big Bake where the baking team used them and promised the judges they would like eating them. She flavored them and the judges did like them. 

[pfk505]

To be fair, this might be the closest, hardest-to-call elimination I have ever seen on the show. As much as I was rooting for him, I'd have booted Chiggs based on his technical, which is really the only outright bad example from the week. It would have been just as tough if he went based on that though, when he nailed the signature and mostly nailed the showstopper.

I like Jurgipops and don't think he deserved to go, but none of them did.

[jpgr]

I agree about the rice krispies in general, but I think in this case the "centerpiece" was meant to be more decorative than edible. The focus was really on the entremets.

I did feel bad for Juergen during the handshake-palooza, but I'm OK with him going. He is a very good baker and a sweet man, but any of the other three will be better "spokespeople" for GBBO going forward. Not that I think that has any bearing on the judging, but now that it's more expected for the winner to put out a cookbook and make appearances, etc., I can more easily see Chigs, Crystelle, or Giuseppe in that role.

Really looking forward to the final!

[Danny Franks]

Did they even try the structural elements? I don't think so, so it seems like they were intended to be purely decorative in and the entremets were the only focus of the challenge.

Seems like that should have been more explicit because Jürgen spent a lot of time on his gate structure that could have been better used on his cakes.

I don't care what work was involved, Crystelle's showstopper looked the best by far and if that was the criteria then she smashed it. Also, her cakes were "flawless". 

I don't think the decision was that surprising. It was between Jürgen and Giuseppe and the margin was definitely slim - Giuseppe better in the signature, Jürgen better in the technical and it seemed like he was better in the showstopper too, although they weren't that complimentary of his cakes.

I'm not nearly as enamoured with Jürgen as a lot of people are. He seems nice enough but of the four bakers, he was my least favourite and he didn't seem to be enjoying himself this week. It didn't help that Noel had a major case of failing to read the room.

The final will be good, and there's really no outright favourite as all three have shown occasional cracks and areas of vulnerability. But I think Crystelle has made the biggest step forward in terms of marrying her presentation skills to great flavours.

 

 

 

[Jordan Baker]

On 11/16/2021 at 8:17 PM, ShortyMac said:

I don't know why Crystelle was shocked she got Star Baker

Crystelle is always shocked when she does well, and it doesn't always read as genuine to me. 

I haven't watched this episode, but I was spoiled by something I saw on Twitter. 

Yes, I was rooting for Jurgen. If I watch the finale, I guess I'll root for Guiseppe.

[Adiba]

6 minutes ago, Jordan Baker said:

Crystelle is always shocked when she does well, and it doesn't always read as genuine to me. 

I haven't watched this episode, but I was spoiled by something I saw on Twitter. 

Yes, I was rooting for Jurgen. If I watch the finale, I guess I'll root for Guiseppe.

Same here. Didn’t see the episode yet but I follow the show on social media. I’ve been rooting for Giuseppe, but now I doubt he’ll win (just a hunch) because Crystelle and Chigs seem to be coming on strong. However, while I do like Crystelle, her bug-eyed over -reactions are wearing thin on me. I really hope that this show doesn’t start to focus too much on camera-ready, young future presenters and hosts when they cast the show. And YES, I know they cast older people, but except for Nancy, none of the winners are what I would consider older.

Jurgen grew on me, and I think the pressure of the competition was getting to him. 

[Aulty]

16 hours ago, jpgr said:

I agree about the rice krispies in general, but I think in this case the "centerpiece" was meant to be more decorative than edible. The focus was really on the entremets.

6 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

Did they even try the structural elements? I don't think so, so it seems like they were intended to be purely decorative in and the entremets were the only focus of the challenge.

= intentional food waste.

[Athena]

1 hour ago, Adiba said:

Jurgen grew on me, and I think the pressure of the competition was getting to him. 

Yes. Whenever we get to the last half of the show, I always think of what former contestant Dan said on the Bakedown podcast a couple years ago: everyone in the tent can bake, but those who make it to the finale have to go through incredible pressure. As lovely as this show is it is, this is a competition and there is a lot stress to do well week after week. Probably more so now that these people are in a bubble away from loved ones.

At some point, people get tired and make little mistakes. When it comes down to the last couple weeks, there is a lot hair splitting with the remaining contestants so not surprised former front runners lose steam like Jurgen did this episode or others like Giuseppe just edge out above someone else.

[Danny Franks]

4 hours ago, Aulty said:

= intentional food waste.

Lots of things on this show could be considered food waste. Any bake that isn't deemed good will end up in the bin, rather than being eaten by the crew or whoever else is around.

And even when the food is good, I'd bet that nine or ten triple-layered cakes, full of sugar and cream and everything else aren't being polished off, with significant amounts ending up binned.

 

Edited November 18, 2021 by Danny Franks

[magdalene]

The curse of winning star baker too early and too often strikes again.  It's never good when you peak too early and then the pressure builds week after week, and all of a sudden it's patisserie week and that one has brought down the most skilled bakers.

Well, I am rooting for Guiseppe to win this. As long as it's not Chrystelle, who gives me big phony vibes trading on her looks and pretending big eyed "Oh my I am so shocked I am doing so well". While underneath it all is the soul of a barracuda.  That one is no Ruby who was genuine and gorgeous on top of it.

[pfk505]

4 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

Lots of things on this show could be considered food waste. Any bake that isn't deemed good will end up in the bin, rather than being eaten by the crew or whoever else is around.

And even when the food is good, I'd bet that nine or ten triple-layered cakes, full of sugar and cream and everything else aren't being polished off, with significant amounts ending up binned.

 

Not according to this: https://www.mashed.com/176526/the-untold-truth-of-the-great-british-baking-show/

I also have to disagree with the prevailing opinion here that Crystelle is a phony. It might be true, but I don't get that vibe at all. To me she comes across as lacking a bit of confidence / self-belief that she can hang with the others and she seems legitimately surprised when she's singled out or does well. I think it might be the over-the-top reaction that's triggering, but I think its real.

Edited November 19, 2021 by pfk505

[AZChristian]

11 minutes ago, pfk505 said:

I also have to disagree with the prevailing opinion here that Crystelle is a phony. It might be true, but I don't get that vibe at all. To me she comes across as lacking a bit of confidence / self-belief that she can hang with the others and she seems legitimately surprised when she's singled out or does well. I think it might be the over-the-top reaction that's triggering, but I think its real.

I remember Ruby Tandoh from one of the earlier seasons.  She had perfected the "poor me" look and seemed really fake.  She has since bashed the show and - in particular - Paul Hollywood.  

[Kiddvideo]

The entire showstopper reminded me of Paul's comments to Maggie: That took 5 hours? And I agree -- why no judging of the centerpieces? I thought Chig's apple tree and Giuseppe's Leaning Tower were quite simplistic and detracted from their projects.

I thought Chigs should go -- the tree, his purple apples, and his poor technical should've pushed him into last place with Juergen in 3rd.  

[caitmcg]

7 hours ago, pfk505 said:

I also have to disagree with the prevailing opinion here that Crystelle is a phony. It might be true, but I don't get that vibe at all. To me she comes across as lacking a bit of confidence / self-belief that she can hang with the others and she seems legitimately surprised when she's singled out or does well. I think it might be the over-the-top reaction that's triggering, but I think its real.

Given the outsized screaming whenever she calls home, I wonder if Crystelle doesn’t come from a family where OTT reactions are the norm. She tends to be very ambitious, but never seems confident she’s pulled it off, so her surprise comes across as fairly genuine to me.

7 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I remember Ruby Tandoh from one of the earlier seasons.  She had perfected the "poor me" look and seemed really fake.  She has since bashed the show and - in particular - Paul Hollywood.  

I was late to seeing the earlier seasons and caught up with them on Netflix, so I wasn’t aware of the amount of vitriol hurled at Ruby Tandoh online during her season (including, apparently, suggesting she could only got as far as she did by sleeping with Paul), so I’m not surprised she’s bitter about it even though it served as a springboard to her food-writing career (as it has for some other non-winners).

5 minutes ago, Kiddvideo said:

I thought Chigs should go -- the tree, his purple apples, and his poor technical should've pushed him into last place with Juergen in 3rd.  

But they absolutely loved Chigs's entremets, even if the color wasn’t apple-red, and his signature as well. I don’t think they put a great deal of weight on the technical this week; even Juergen's, while first, wasn’t a perfect bake, and neither his signature or showstopper got the level of admiration from the judges that Chigs's did.

[Rammchick]

I almost lost it when Chigs said Creme Mussolini.  Sadly, I also was inadvertently spoiled, and knew what was coming, but it didn't make it any easier to watch.  Auf wiedersehen, Juergen 😥

Edited November 19, 2021 by Rammchick

[Danny Franks]

8 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I remember Ruby Tandoh from one of the earlier seasons.  She had perfected the "poor me" look and seemed really fake.  She has since bashed the show and - in particular - Paul Hollywood.  

She's also consistently bashed the misogynistic comments that so many women on this show get - comments like those saying people are fake or trying to get sympathy, or sleeping with Paul so they can win a metal plate at the end.

[dleighg]

I guess I'm one of the few who was quite happy to see Juergen go. He just rubbed me the wrong way somehow. Plus I detest matcha LOL. And am also not too fond of beets in desserts.

I thought Crystele's showstopper was gorgeous. I was underwhelmed by the leaning tower of Pisa. His presentation was not very colorful-- just white and green. I think he should have put *some* kind of shading or decoration on the tower, and I also thought the mirror glaze was messy. Juergen's gate was gorgeous, but his entremets were rather boring. I thought the judges were awfully kind to Chig's apples, which were lumpy.

[TVbitch]

One of these seasons, the judges are just going to have to pull a RuPaul and say, "Dammit, you all deserve to go through to the finale!" This would have been a good season to do it. But as soon as Juergen said his dessert was going to feature beets and matcha, I figured he would be eliminated. Paul made a face at the beets, and the judges do not seem to care for matcha. I was like... Juergen, no! Not matcha! Don't you watch the show!

[Adiba]

What was it with Paul giving out three handshakes? If he was suddenly going to become a handshake whore, why wait until the semi-final and just not give Jurgen one? It screams producer-driven shenanigans to me. also, it made Paul look like an ass.
Also, why is it that Prue can’t give a handshake? Does her vote count less than Paul’s? If so, then they need a third judge, imo.

When I heard Jurgen say that he was using matcha, I figured that was the nail in the coffin. However, his bake seemed more complicated to me— he used a baked element for his gate that needed to be measured and constructed— not just shaped out of rice cereal treats. He seems like a great technical baker.
Crystelle’s entremets sounded delicious, though— but they could’ve used a more interesting contrast on the inside layers, imo. Chigs and Giuseppe did great-sounding flavors, too and I liked that Chigs did a baked tree.

[ombre]

Oh Juergen.  When has anything good *ever* come of loving Wozzeck?!?

It was a pleasure to see an ep where everybody got to do *well*.  I feel like it's been a long minute since I really felt that.  

The arc of this show always fascinates me.  I see the first two eps (usually cake and biscuits) as being about getting used to the pressure of the tent and then getting used to the merciless nature of the clock.  The third ep, Bread, flips everybody into the fundamental side of baking - you can do the quick leaveners without much thought, but to work yeasts you need a fuller understanding of *how* baking works.  And then there are several weeks of wandering in the wilderness, in which some people pick up new skills and new confidence and some people show their weaknesses or just simply get *tired*.  And with any luck, by the time they get to Patisserie they should have lost whatever jitters they had at first and should have produced some real winners and some real slop and should be able to buckle down and make something that people watching at home (and, frankly, the bakers themselves!) look at with genuine wonder, an expansive lightening of the soul.  When done well, this ep can be the most perfect of the eps - lots of time for the bakes, not so much time wasted (to my mind) interviewing their family or focusing on who will win, things I'd never try making at home.  Etc.  It's crushing that anyone had to go home after this magical week, but I am so grateful that we got to share these bakes with these lovely people.

Also, in an odd way, I'm glad Lizzie didn't have to do this week.  She went out on such a high note and I think she'd have been *miserable* in this week.

...

...

...

(Dang *nab* it.  Now I have the awful last scene of Wozzeck stuck in my head.  Hip hop.  Hip hop.  Hip hop...)

Edited November 19, 2021 by ombre

[Lisapooh]

Juergen was my least favorite of the remaining bakers, but I will still sad to see him go. And even though he's my least favorite he's still adorable. They always find the best contestants. 

And they all had such a good week!. I had convinced myself they would let everyone through so I was disappointed. 

[Cetacean]

I couldn't figure out the issue with the technical and the biscuit part being too thin.  They are all given the ingredients and measurents plus the pans and yet every one of them got the same "too thin" comment.  It's not like that all just decided on a whim to throw out half of the dough.

11 hours ago, caitmcg said:

Given the outsized screaming whenever she calls home, I wonder if Crystelle doesn’t come from a family where OTT reactions are the norm. She tends to be very ambitious, but never seems confident she’s pulled it off, so her surprise comes across as fairly genuine to me

I agree and I really like her.  I thought Ruby's "poor me" while peeking through her eyelashes and sucking her bottom lip was such a big fat act.  I think Crystelle is sincerely surprised she has done this well.  And I love her attitude, just to bake and have fun.

I feel badly for Juergen but he had a tough row to hoe when he'd been sort of deemed the man to beat from the first episode.  And I cannot think of one successful bake where beets were a big hit.

Can't believe it's the final.  Unless there is a major catastrophe, this one will be really tight. 

[Mittengirl]

I think letting everyone through would set a horrible precedent.  Every season from now on, we would hear “They should just let everyone through, like the did in 2021” at least once per season.  

[Ellaria]

I see no reason why all four bakers could not go thru to the finale. If there ever was a season to do it, it was this one. This was simply a matter of producers wanting the drama of eliminating one of these excellent bakers. What a shame!

Why didn’t we get any discussion as to why Jurgen was sent home? We had a “this will be a tough decision” and then…boom…he is sent home. Jurgen was not my favorite among this group but I think that he - as well as the other 3 - deserved a spot in the finale.

The 3 handshakes were just ridiculous, especially because Prue thought Jurgen was deserving.

This should be an excellent finale because, barring a disaster, I have no idea of who the winner will be. 

[blueray]

On 11/16/2021 at 6:34 PM, Wee S said:

Well, Paul Hollywood can take a long walk off a short pier. 

Gutted with that result. they should have put all 4 through.

I was thinking for a second maybe the would do that. As it was so close and they didn't say who was "at the bottom" as nobody was. Actually there wasn't a clear star baker either. All 4 did a great job.

I'm sad to see Jurgen go. But I think he struggled with the "creativity" part. Like you look at his show stopper and it was technically perfect but everyone else had way more elaborate bakes. He did win technical which shows where his strengths are. 

[Mediocre Gatsby]

20 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I remember Ruby Tandoh from one of the earlier seasons.  She had perfected the "poor me" look and seemed really fake.  She has since bashed the show and - in particular - Paul Hollywood.  

I'm sad to hear about all the troubles she had with the show and people's reactions to her. I didn't really like her during her season because she seemed so joyless. The thing I like about this show is that the bakers love baking so much. 

The judges were so picky with Jurgen and Giuseppe's showstoppers, that it seemed to me they were preparing to be able to keep Chiggs and Crystelle in case one of them had faltered. Paul told Giuseppe that if he removed the cherry, he'd be hunting for flavor. What does that even mean? "If you took out the most flavorful element, you'd really lack flavor." Idiot. I don't remember what Jurgen's criticism was, but it didn't make any more sense to me. 

I get what people are saying about Crystelle's over-the-top reactions, but the way her family screams on the phone, I think they're just very expressive. I certainly thought she was sincere when she talked about how meaningful it is to do well at something that you did to honor someone else. She must have been missing her family by this time, too. 

[ombre]

2 hours ago, Cetacean said:

I couldn't figure out the issue with the technical and the biscuit part being too thin.  

It's supposed to be one big solid cookie, basically, not a hollow tart shell. So if you just smooshed all your dough into the tin it was correct and if you rolled it out and pressed it in up the sides like you would a tart or pie you did it wrong. 

[Mediocre Gatsby]

I forgot to say: that jumpsuit didn't do Paul any favors in the opening. 

[dleighg]

1 minute ago, ombre said:

It's supposed to be one big solid cookie, basically, not a hollow tart shell. So if you just smooshed all your dough into the tin it was correct and if you rolled it out and pressed it in up the sides like you would a tart or pie you did it wrong

so (this is a serious question)

are they supposed to know this particular bake? So if you don't know you're just screwed?

 

[ombre]

Just now, dleighg said:

so (this is a serious question)

are they supposed to know this particular bake? So if you don't know you're just screwed?

 

Genuinely no idea. It's a pretty basic part of French pastry. At the shop nearest my house literally all of their everyday fun chocolate things are on one. (but they bust loose on Saturdays! :D) I can see a perfectly reasonable argument that this is something they should have researched as they prepped for the show, but I do also think that a huge part of the show is making people do/giving people the chance to do things they haven't done before. (that said, I *also* think situations like this are exactly why the technical doesn't count for as much.) 

[jpgr]

3 minutes ago, dleighg said:

so (this is a serious question)

are they supposed to know this particular bake? So if you don't know you're just screwed?

 

I think they always try to do something in the technical which most of the bakers won't know (with a few exceptions, and those are for notoriously fiddly bakes or they add things like the tuiles with the sticky toffee puddings from this season). The idea is the test their instincts and experience as bakers, and their ability to read and interpret the recipe. It backfired a bit in this case because the instructions seemed straightforward but because it was called a "tart" it was easy to think you had to fit the dough up the sides. 

[MsMalin]

Well you certainly cannot be a one or even 2,3 or 4 trick pony on this show. Which makes it so phenomenal that Chiggs only started baking a year ago! That is very hard for me to believe.  My husband always asks how they can make so many different types of bakes and are amateur bakers.

Edited November 19, 2021 by MsMalin

[caitmcg]

44 minutes ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

The judges were so picky with Jurgen and Giuseppe's showstoppers, that it seemed to me they were preparing to be able to keep Chiggs and Crystelle in case one of them had faltered. Paul told Giuseppe that if he removed the cherry, he'd be hunting for flavor. What does that even mean? "If you took out the most flavorful element, you'd really lack flavor." Idiot. I don't remember what Jurgen's criticism was, but it didn't make any more sense to me. 

To be fair, the point of the entremet is to have several elements in complementary flavors. So Crystelle had passion fruit, mango, coconut, Chigs had apple, caramel, chocolate, Juergen had matcha, raspberry, etc. And Giuseppe had cherry, chocolate, and pine nut, but they said the only flavor that came through was the cherry, and the pine nut bavarian had no pine nut flavor. So his dessert lacked the element of having several flavors in harmony. That doesn’t seem like an overly picky critique to me, and one contestants often get when their flavors are out of balance or an element lacks flavor. Giuseppe’s doing fine, given he’s had the worst reviews of his showstopper this episode and last, and he’s still made it to the finale. 

[krankydoodle]

On 11/16/2021 at 6:34 PM, Wee S said:

Loved Jurgen basically shoving Noel out of the way at one point - I love Noel, but he was really taking the p**s there!

I admired Jürgen's restraint. As much as I generally enjoy Noel, he was really pushing it and I don't think I would've handled his needling (lighthearted though I'm sure it was meant to be) as well. I appreciated at least that when Noel and Matt came out for the showstopper, they apologized for bothering the bakers and didn't mess around when announcing times during that grueling final challenge. Of course, that didn't stop Matt from winking and nudging when Crystelle talked about putting her candle in a hole 🙄

Edited November 20, 2021 by krankydoodle

[Straycat80]

I already knew before watching that Jurgen  got the boot because…I’m in the US and social media. He did so well but someone had to go, it was a shame, I was rooting for him.

Now I think Crystelle is the one to beat. Whoever wins will deserve it, like Jurgen said they were all five star bakers. 
 

[lovinbob]

On 11/17/2021 at 2:20 PM, Aulty said:

If I was a judge on a baking competition, using rice crispies for structural work would be grounds for elimination.

I love Giuseppe, but I agree with this. 

On 11/18/2021 at 7:18 PM, magdalene said:

As long as it's not Chrystelle, who gives me big phony vibes trading on her looks and pretending big eyed "Oh my I am so shocked I am doing so well". While underneath it all is the soul of a barracuda.  

Trading in on her looks? What does that even mean?

[springbarb]

I knew going in that Jurgen would be sent home (my Google app spoiled it for me Tuesday night, WTF), but watching it, it seemed that it should've been Giuseppe. Those flavor critiques for the showstopper seemed much worse than Jurgen's "Your entremets should have been more visually interesting." But devastating to lose any of them; what a fantastic final four.

[JustDucky]

10 hours ago, TVbitch said:

One of these seasons, the judges are just going to have to pull a RuPaul and say, "Dammit, you all deserve to go through to the finale!"

I was waiting for a four-baker finale, as well.  They all deserved it.  I was - kind of loudly - hoping for one.  It breaks my heart to see Jurgen go home, but he seemed okay with it.

Crystelle's bake could have gone wrong several times, so I think her reaction to being called "flawless" and being named Star Baker were legitimate.  Plus, I like her little quips and her taste profiles (although I hate coconut, I would give her bakes a try for everything else).

Guiseppe's bake was white and green, and I was unimpressed.  It must have tasted good, but it looked bland.

I thought Chigs and his interesting eyes were out (if somebody absolutely had to go) when his Technical went sideways, literally.

[bugsmum]

That was an amazing episode; I was on the edge of my seat as the showstopper time ticked down. I don't remember a year when all four semi-finalists were so good and it was (or at least seemed) so close.  I knew I'd be gutted no matter who was eliminated and indeed it's very very sad to see Jurgen go home. Yes, it would have been great if all four had gone through to the final but this show has never done that and there was no reason to think they'd change now.  

[Nidratime]

On 11/18/2021 at 9:20 PM, AZChristian said:

I remember Ruby Tandoh from one of the earlier seasons.  She had perfected the "poor me" look and seemed really fake.  She has since bashed the show and - in particular - Paul Hollywood.  

Ruby reminded me of Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh.

I wanted all four bakers to go through. I'm not the kind of person that likes seeing the judges not send someone home in ANY competition show, but this time, I really felt it was justified.

All season, I expected Chigs to go because he has little experience and seems to have learned everything on the fly via book learning. This last technical proved that. That's why I was shocked that he's in the final and not Jurgen. I honestly felt Jergen deserved to stay over Chigs -- the newbie baker.

I've always felt Giuseppe would win the season based on his background of having grown up with a father who was an expert baker. He clearly picked up some tricks.

We'll see.

Edited November 20, 2021 by Nidratime

[Adeejay]

Jurgen was robbed.  For whatever reason, Paul didn't like him and always gave him a hard time.  I believe the handshakes were to put Jurgen in a negative head space.  Chrystel should have been eliminated a long time ago.  Chigs' apples looked lumpy and Giuseppe's leaning power of pisa was plain.  Not to mention the whole thing was made of rice krispies.  I won't be watching the finale.  

[Rickster]

4 hours ago, dleighg said:

so (this is a serious question)

are they supposed to know this particular bake? So if you don't know you're just screwed?

 

I don’t think the entire “bake” is a well known traditional thing, but when asked to make a “breton tart base”, yes, they were expected to know what the base should look like.

[BellyLaughter]

I think it's between Giuseppe and Crystelle.  Can't wait to see what they come up with in the final! 

[ZeeEnnui]

Jurgen not getting a handshake for his murder slice cake

 

Edited November 20, 2021 by ZeeEnnui