S15.E09: Patisserie Week - Semi-final

[TVbitch]

It's the semi-final and Patisserie Week, as the bakers dazzle with rich, buttery breakfast pastries fit for a Parisian pâtisserie in the Signature and challenge their precision in a classic-but-theatrical Technical.

Edited November 22 by TVbitch

[dleighg]

I was so impressed with those showstoppers! I think the right person went home, and the reasoning came down to what Paul foreshadowed earlier- that if it was really close, they would use previous performance as a tie-breaker.

 

[TVbitch]

Wow, Georgie really melted down and it nearly cost her the final she wanted so much. I'm glad she squeaked through over Gill. Even Gill knew it was the right call. 

Christiian deserved the win, but I could not get over how real Dylan's fruit looked. I would have picked up one of his avocados and started slicing it for my sandwich. 

Noel and Allison have really gelled and I hope they lock them in for the next 5 seasons. Noel has had partners who were too staid and partners who brought out too much of his raunchy side, but these two balance quite well. 

[Straycat80]

Those showstoppers were all amazing. Very close between Gill and Georgie. I’m so happy Christiaan finally got star baker, I felt he’s been overlooked a few times. I love how Gill also hugged the cameraman on her way out. What a lovely lady she is.
Kudos to Allison for talking down Georgie. Everyone on this show is very supportive to each other which is why it’s one of my favorite shows to watch. 

Edited November 22 by Straycat80

[caitmcg]

The editing worked overtime to telegraph near disasters for both Dylan and Georgie (even aside from Georgie's technical challenge meltdown). I did love Georgie's "what was I thinking" moment after Allison talked her down from the ledge. I wasn't surprised Christiaan was star baker, given that while all four got near-equivalent raves for their showstoppers, he got the least criticism and came the closest to success in the signature. Kudos to lovely Gill for not batting an eye when she was eliminated after an excellent week, saying, "and rightly so." I think she was fully aware that, despite the consistent praise for her flavors and evident talent, her bakes were the more homespun and less sophisticated.

I'll be happy to see any of the remaining three win.

[dleighg]

wasn't Georgie's basket amazing? 

And Dylan's avocado! I think they said the pit was covered in caramel? It looked more like chocolate to me.

I was a bit surprised that Paul didn't mention that Georgie's blackberries were.... much larger than blackberries and looked a bit cartoonish. I get it, you can't make it blackberry size, so I guess that's what you have to do.

[caitmcg]

11 minutes ago, dleighg said:

And Dylan's avocado! I think they said the pit was covered in caramel? It looked more like chocolate to me.

 

The pits were chocolate choux buns dipped in caramel.

[Orcinus orca]

Gill was lovely in defeat, so mature about it.  Her smile was genuine and her hug for the cameraman was adorable. 

I hope Georgie holds up when the biggest test of the season series rolls around.

[chaifan]

Has GBBO ever broken the 4th wall and shown the camera guys before?  It was so sweet of Gill to thank the crew, but I'm surprised they showed it.  I'm glad they did, though.

Christiian's voice is grating on me as much as Sumayah's was.  It's really distracting.

I wonder if Dylan hadn't been missing an orange if he would have gotten star baker.  His signature wasn't great, but Christiian's had problems, too.  And he got 1st in technical.  It could have easily come down to 1 missing orange.  But, it doesn't really matter in the end.

I don't quite understand what Georgie was missing in the technical, why she had the melt down.  It seemed like maybe she mixed two elements together, maybe?  It all seemed to turn out ok.  Not perfect, but she figured out what to do.

I'd love to try making an opera cake.  But even with all the time in the world, it would probably still come out a hot mess.  

This was one of my favorite showstoppers.  It really combines all elements of baking, including incredible presentation.  I sort of wish they held this for the final - made it into a giant challenge.  I think that for the most part this season has abandoned the ridiculous "themes" and bonkers showstopper ideas that have plagued past seasons.

I think the right 3 are in the final.  Looking forward to next week.

 

[springbarb]

If Gill had been more upset about being eliminated, I would be more upset. Georgie had the worse week, I felt, but overall has more of the elements that Bake Off likes from its bakers than Gill does. Gill being absolutely lovely at being eliminated means I can't be too upset.

[caitmcg]

42 minutes ago, chaifan said:

Has GBBO ever broken the 4th wall and shown the camera guys before?  It was so sweet of Gill to thank the crew, but I'm surprised they showed it.  I'm glad they did, though.

I think the one she hugged goodbye may have been one of the producers, and they have shown producers and medics before, usually when there's a problem, though the focus is never on their faces. I don't know that we've seen actual camera operators, though.

[PaulaO]

Christiaan’s voice is so grating that I mute when he opens his mouth.  I hate Earl Grey so I found his entremets unappealing.  I know he would win when Allison said you’re the only one here who hasn’t gotten Star Baker .  Dylan’s avocados were amazing.

[libgirl2]

Gill was lovely. Really all of them were up there. What a great semi final. We were saying the best we have seen. 

[sharifa70]

I think the right one went home based entirely on past performance, but I did not envy the judges in this episode.

Alison talking Georgie down was amazing.

Gill stealing the lilac bowl made me laugh, and I hope they let her keep it!

[caitmcg]

3 minutes ago, sharifa70 said:

Gill stealing the lilac bowl made me laugh, and I hope they let her keep it!

You could see why its color appealed to her; it matched the shirt she was wearing.

[jcbrown]

This semi-final made me cry, I loved it so much. I also loved Gill stealing the lilac bowl at the end. This is the best group in a long time.

[susannot]

I'm obsessed with Dylan's avocado.  Never seen anything like it on ANY baking show.  Paul was almost speechless.  I agree that, except for his missing orange, Dylan would have won Star Baker.

 

Can't wait for next week.

[peeayebee]

4 hours ago, dleighg said:

wasn't Georgie's basket amazing? 

OMGosh, it was really fantastic. So was Gill's basket and Dylan's crate (even though it was missing a slat.

Quote

And Dylan's avocado!

AND his oranges! Both looked so real.

Quote

I was a bit surprised that Paul didn't mention that Georgie's blackberries were.... much larger than blackberries and looked a bit cartoonish.

Yes, they were way too big, and the color was wrong, but I guess it wouldn't work to have teeny tiny blackberry entremets.

 

2 hours ago, chaifan said:

Has GBBO ever broken the 4th wall and shown the camera guys before?

I was wondering about that, too. I loved it. So sweet.

Quote

Christiian's voice is grating on me as much as Sumayah's was.  It's really distracting.

I don't know why, but while Sumayah's voice made me cringe, Christiaan's didn't. I also didn't notice his accent changing, as many people here mentioned. 

 

36 minutes ago, caitmcg said:

You could see why its color appealed to her; it matched the shirt she was wearing.

I thought it was amazing that the necklace Prue was wearing exactly matched the colors of Christiaan's entremets. I mean EXACTLY. 

I was so happy that everyone's Showstopper was amazing. 

On the other hand, everyone had trouble with the Signature Challenge with properly proofing their doughs. 

A thoroughly enjoyable ep. 

[Ellaria]

What a lovely semi-final! This is the reason that I watch this show. Gill departed in the best way ever: kind, complementary, funny. I’m glad that she took the lilac bowl.

i truly don’t care who wins. Love them all!

[blueray]

5 hours ago, dleighg said:

wasn't Georgie's basket amazing? 

And Dylan's avocado! I think they said the pit was covered in caramel? It looked more like chocolate to me.

I was a bit surprised that Paul didn't mention that Georgie's blackberries were.... much larger than blackberries and looked a bit cartoonish. I get it, you can't make it blackberry size, so I guess that's what you have to do.

I honestly thought they were grapes. I think I zoned out when she first said what she was making.

That might have been the closest semi-finale I've seen. There was no clear person to send home. But Gill makes sense based on previous weeks.

[stormy weather]

I think Allison mentioning (again) Christiaan never getting Star Baker at the beginning of the episode was a bit of a Chekhov's gun, meaning of course he was going to get it this time around. They are all great bakers but Dylan is quite clearly a cut above the rest, and I think Paul and Prue know it but obviously he can't always win.

Gill is just a fantastic human being. So funny and kind. I will surely miss her but it seems she's going back to a very happy life at home so I'll try not to be too upset!

[SemiCharmedLife]

Wow!  That was a nail biter- so close!  I think Gill did a tiny bit better this week, but she made 1 entremet and everyone else did two.  I think the judges added this level of difficulty in when selecting Georgie to stay over her, or the results of previous weeks, as others have stated.  

I enjoyed all the showstoppers.  I wish we had taste-o-vision!  It was a creative idea to do fruit entremets and I loved how the bakers chose to present them.

I applaud Gill for her great baking and wonderful, kind character.  Loved seeing her on GBBO!

[Sesquipedalia]

1 hour ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

but she made 1 entremet and everyone else did two

I don't remember them mentioning this, but I was thinking the same thing. Hers were all strawberries, while all the others made two types of fruit. This seemed like enough to overcome her slight edge in the technical and justify her going home over Georgie.

To me Gill really embodies the spirit of Bakeoff. She is so kind and such a good sport. She helped others out multiple times on the show. And I love that she stole something on her way out!

[Ms Lark]

20 hours ago, TVbitch said:

I could not get over how real Dylan's fruit looked. I would have picked up one of his avocados and started slicing it for my sandwich.

I was waiting for Paul to hit the pit! Even the stems looked real.

Agree, great semi-final. Was right for Gill to go home. She's lovely, but the others tend to take everything another rung.

[roseslg]

While Gill did consistently better, her bakes are a lot simpler than the others. Even her basket was simpler. I think you have to take into account level of difficulty and adjust the scores accordingly.  I liked Gill, but I think of the others, her bakes are the most basic.

[libgirl2]

I was so glad that everyone did amazing showstoppers and that it was close. I'm sad to see Gill go as I really liked her, but I would be sad to see any of them go. This was really a great semi with some amazing bakers. 

[MsJamieDornan]

16 hours ago, chaifan said:

Christiian's voice is grating on me as much as Sumayah's was.  It's really distracting.

Its very hard to listen to.

[iMonrey]

Whew! That was a nail biter and I was worried about Dylan for most of the episode. Frankly I thought his Showstopper was the least impressive out of the four, but I guess it looked much better in person and they raved about the tastes. 

I thought Georgie would be a lock for the final so I was shocked when she melted down over the Technical. And Alison was so wonderful talking her off a ledge. That's something I could easily have seen Mel or Sue do for a baker. She really is a great host.

Yeah, I don't really care who wins. I'm just glad I get one more week to see them and then I'll be sorry when they're gone.

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

Whew! That was a nail biter and I was worried about Dylan for most of the episode. Frankly I thought his Showstopper was the least impressive out of the four, but I guess it looked much better in person and they raved about the tastes. 

I thought Georgie would be a lock for the final so I was shocked when she melted down over the Technical. And Alison was so wonderful talking her off a ledge. That's something I could easily have seen Mel or Sue do for a baker. She really is a great host.

Yeah, I don't really care who wins. I'm just glad I get one more week to see them and then I'll be sorry when they're gone.

Dylan did have the best opera cake though and that helped. I think that avocado pit was a big win. It was gorgeous.

[peeayebee]

16 hours ago, blueray said:

I honestly thought they were grapes.

Even if she'd kept the same size, they would have looked a lot better with a darker purple.

16 hours ago, stormy weather said:

I think Allison mentioning (again) Christiaan never getting Star Baker at the beginning of the episode was a bit of a Chekhov's gun, meaning of course he was going to get it this time around.

Yes, I saw it the same way, but I would have been disappointed if he hadn't gotten Star Baker.

12 hours ago, Sesquipedalia said:

I don't remember them mentioning this, but I was thinking the same thing. Hers were all strawberries, while all the others made two types of fruit.

True, but the outsides were decorated differently. The ones that were dipped in chocolate looked like real chocolate strawberries. I thought the others were a bit too bright red, though it was nice that the texture didn't get covered by the glaze. Were the insides the same?

30 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I think that avocado pit was a big win.

It's not often we get to say that.

[jabRI]

10 hours ago, roseslg said:

I think you have to take into account level of difficulty and adjust the scores accordingly.

I remember Prue and Paul mentioned she was doing only one kind for the showstopper, so I do think this affected the outcome.  But I liked her a lot, she was a true home baker.  And I loved that they showed Dylan's clutzy side which we have heard about, he was hilarious to watch.

[caitmcg]

7 hours ago, peeayebee said:

The ones that were dipped in chocolate looked like real chocolate strawberries. I thought the others were a bit too bright red

I thought the bright red ones were her entremets, and that the others were actual chocolate-dipped strawberries, just there for decoration. They were only required to make 12 entremets.

Edited November 24 by caitmcg

[peeayebee]

Interesting. If true, that explains why they looked so real!

[Sesquipedalia]

51 minutes ago, caitmcg said:

I thought the bright red ones were her entremets, and that the others were actual chocolate-dipped strawberries, just there for decoration.

This is correct. I went back and watched again to be sure. There were 12 of the plain red entremets, and the others are actual chocolate dipped strawberries. They only described one filling, so I think all 12 entremets were the same.

[Bumblebee84047]

On 11/22/2024 at 2:40 PM, Straycat80 said:

 I love how Gill also hugged the cameraman on her way out. What a lovely lady she is.
 

And took the mixing bowl! "I didn't get the cake plate, but I got my bowl." Man I love her.

[buttersister]

Gill was right, it was her time. The red blobs weren’t at the level of the others’ work. But I’d watch her make home style bakes on the regular. All mixed in her lovely new bowl. Gill’s YouTube channel would work a treat.

Edited November 24 by buttersister

[Deskisamess]

On 11/22/2024 at 7:14 PM, chaifan said:

Christiian's voice is grating on me as much as Sumayah's was.  It's really distracting.

His voice is like nails on a chalkboard for me. Sumayah's didn't bother me at all, she sounded a lot like one of my nieces, and her "vocal fry" is tiny compared to Christian's.

I wasn't surprised Gill went home, she is a great baker but didn't show the finesse of the other bakers. I'd like Dylan to win it all.

[Orcinus orca]

6 hours ago, Deskisamess said:

His voice is like nails on a chalkboard for me.

This plus the odd mix of accents.  I cannot understand a single word he says!  Thank heavens for closed captioning.

[MsJamieDornan]

On 11/23/2024 at 6:33 PM, jabRI said:

And I loved that they showed Dylan's clutzy side which we have heard about, he was hilarious to watch.

Remember, he fell off his stool. 😀

[Deskisamess]

1 hour ago, Orcinus orca said:

This plus the odd mix of accents.  I cannot understand a single word he says!  Thank heavens for closed captioning.

Agreed. I think his lack of modulation is part of the issue for me, maybe that is partly nerves. I can't believe this season is almost over, it's flown by.

I've been watching the Australian version, which is very similar in format. I've only found this season and last season of that show online. They bake in a "shed" instead of a tent. The female judge doesn't seem to have a huge vocabulary with her comments, so much of what she says is the same thing over and over.

[Orcinus orca]

10 hours ago, Deskisamess said:

I've been watching the Australian version, which is very similar in format.

I am lucky, living in Michigan I can get CBC on TV.  I have watched the Great Canadian Baking Show through all of the seasons.  Identical format except that they put the baker's name on the aprons so it's easier to get to know them.  Love the judges!

These are available on YouTube.

Edited November 25 by Orcinus orca
Forgot to add anyone can watch!

[caitmcg]

4 hours ago, Deskisamess said:

I've been watching the Australian version, which is very similar in format. I've only found this season and last season of that show online. They bake in a "shed" instead of a tent.

Someone posted this here earlier, but at this link, they have a bunch of seasons, and also of Great Kiwi Bake Off (on that one, they bake in a "barn," which pretty much looks like the Aussie bake off shed.

[libgirl2]

I just watched The Great American Baking Show Holiday special. It was really fun. 

[luna1122again]

On 11/22/2024 at 9:33 PM, susannot said:

I'm obsessed with Dylan's avocado.  Never seen anything like it on ANY baking show.  Paul was almost speechless.  I agree that, except for his missing orange, Dylan would have won Star Baker.

 

Can't wait for next week.

I'm in Louisville Ky and we have a fantastic local restaurant that features an avocado dessert: avocado ice cream with a chocolate shell, and the pit is a bourbon truffle. It's delish and looks exactly like an avocado. I loved seeing Dylan's avocado. (that sounds dirty, sorry)

[RoxiP]

Why does it seem that this show just flies by?  

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, RoxiP said:

Why does it seem that this show just flies by?  

I know. It is such a pleasure to watch. 

[cowgirlwen]

3 hours ago, RoxiP said:

Why does it seem that this show just flies by?  

I know, right?  I'm always SOOOO excited when it starts each fall, and then disappointed that we have to wait another full year until it starts again!  

[chaifan]

18 hours ago, Deskisamess said:

I've been watching the Australian version, which is very similar in format. I've only found this season and last season of that show online. They bake in a "shed" instead of a tent.

I honestly wonder if they can't use a tent because of kangaroos.  Seriously, I'm not joking.  A friend was vacationing down there, somewhere in the Sydney metro area, and had his golf game constantly interrupted by kangaroos. 

Roo vs. tent... the roo wins every time.

[AZChristian]

I usually try to post these as soon as they are published, but my computer was in the shop for the weekend.  Enjoy.

[Ilovepie]

I am not a great baker but oh my stars, do I love watching people make laminated dough! It's like ASMR to me. Pounding in the butter, rolling it and folding it for all of the turns.....I find it so satisfying to see those pillowy squares, and then the lamination when it bakes........I'm drooling thinking about it!

I thought this was a fantastic episode and loved all three challenges. It's always nice when everyone does so well on the show stopper. 

Moments like when Allison put her arm around Georgie and helped her buck up are why I love this show. Allison and Noel are the best pairing since Mel and Sue.

I wouldn't be mad at any of these people winning, but I am low key rooting for that baby genius Dylan.....