S15.E10 - Final

[sugarbaker design]

The only thing more entertaining than this delightful season are the posts about Noel's sweater! I stared at it when I first saw it and then never thought about it again.

[Souris]

Thankfully I remained unspoiled before watching!

I was so sad to see Dylan fall apart in the finale. It's always tough to see a front-runner falter like that. I'm not mad at Georgie winning, though. Christiaan's cake sounded dreadful (I can't stand licorice), and it looked dreadful with all those poppy seeds. 

Scones are one of my favorite things in the world, so I was drooling at that challenge (except for Georgie's savory — I also can't stand olives).

De rigeur take on Noel's sweater: Utterly fugly but I stopped noticing it after awhile.

[buttersister]

I look at Noel as little as possible, so didn’t notice what he was wearing, he registered as hot mess.

Pass a slice of Georgie’s showstopper, but get me a meal made by Dylan. Next time I’m in England, table at that Michelin place, please.

[Quilt Fairy]

11 minutes ago, buttersister said:

I look at Noel as little as possible, so didn’t notice what he was wearing, he registered as hot mess.

Same.  I find all his costume choices on this show ridiculous, so I generally ignore them.  This particular one, I know it was a light green sweater, but I couldn't tell you what was on it.

[phalange]

I’m so happy for Georgie! I was rooting for her pretty much from the beginning. Her showstopper was gorgeous and her flavors sounded delicious. Of all the bakers this season, I think her decorating skills were the best, especially when it came to cakes. She was so shocked when she won and had me tearing up. I laughed when her daughter tackle-hugged her and they fell over, then Paul had her roll down the hill.

Going in to the showstopper, Christiaan was ahead, but his flavors were a bit too much. Black licorice is not a flavor I enjoy, so it didn’t sound very appealing. His cake did look cool though, especially that top layer.

I felt bad for Dylan. He was trying to shake off the signature, but then he did poorly in the technical and it seemed like he got a bit in his head about it. When Paul said genoise sponge was a bad idea and then Dylan said he was using it, I had a feeling it wasn’t going to go well. But even though he didn’t win, he got a great job out of it!

I always love seeing the updates at the end. This was a great group of bakers, one of my favorites. 

[peeayebee]

When I first saw Noel's sweater, I was disturbed and didn't want to look at it. And I didn't. But just now I looked at a pic of it, and I just don't know what it's supposed to be. An alien? Also, when I googled, a few sites came up saying stuff like, "Get Noel's sweaters!" Makes me wonder if he gets a cut of the sales.

I'm curious about Christiaan's top cake layer. We saw him piping that pink icing and then laying it around the cake. Was it just a regular icing? It did look pretty cool whatever it was.

I think Christiaan would have had lots more successful bakes if he didn't try to force his unconventional flavors on the judges. Certainly there have been times when the judges are skeptical about the flavors a baker is using, but then are pleasantly surprised. I think that happened a time or two with Christiaan, but I think he sometimes picked divisive flavors as a challenge. "I'm going to make the judges love this." Or of course he really likes licorice and rosewater and lots of poppy seeds in things, and he can't imagine someone else not liking those flavors as well.

[Shrek]

10 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Same.  I find all his costume choices on this show ridiculous, so I generally ignore them.  This particular one, I know it was a light green sweater, but I couldn't tell you what was on it.

It's always been his thing, not just on this show & if people don't like it then they don't have to look at it.

[Orcinus orca]

43 minutes ago, Shrek said:

...if people don't like it then they don't have to look at it.

Kind of hard to watch the show with my eyes shut!

[MartyQui]

Two things about Dylan’s cake…how did he get lumps of flour in the batter?  Did he not sift the dry ingredients?  Also, not to be nitpicky, but….Murano is the glassblower’s island, and Burano is the one with all the colored houses.  They’re both absolutely cool and unique, well worth a visit!

[Orcinus orca]

53 minutes ago, MartyQui said:

Two things about Dylan’s cake…how did he get lumps of flour in the batter?  

I think he was in such a hurry that he did not completely fold it in. For a sponge it has to be done very gently so as not to knock out the air and he might have stopped too soon.

[iMonrey]

8 hours ago, phalange said:

Going in to the showstopper, Christiaan was ahead, but his flavors were a bit too much.

He was only slightly ahead, I think. All three received some criticism of their Signatures, he just had the least. And first in Technical isn't as big a deal when there are only three people left. So his advantage going into the Showstopper was very, very slim. The only sure thing at that point was that Dylan had the biggest mountain to climb. I think both Christiaan and Georgie would have both had to really mess up the Showstopper for Dylan to win if he had pulled off what he intended to do. 

Once all the Showstoppers were done it was obvious who would win. (To me, anyway.)

[Mittengirl]

Paul seemed happier/more lighthearted this season.  Maybe he wasn’t a big fan of all of the ridiculous bakes of the past?  
 

I felt bad for Dylan; I had to keep reminding myself he is only 20, he looks so much older.

I like the fact that the all seem genuinely happy for the other when they do well and sad when they do badly.  It does my heart good to know that there are kind people like that out in the world.

[Shrek]

1 hour ago, Mittengirl said:

Paul seemed happier/more lighthearted this season.  Maybe he wasn’t a big fan of all of the ridiculous bakes of the past?  
 

I felt bad for Dylan; I had to keep reminding myself he is only 20, he looks so much older.

I like the fact that the all seem genuinely happy for the other when they do well and sad when they do badly.  It does my heart good to know that there are kind people like that out in the world.

Unlike a lot of cooking & baking shows it hasn't been infected by a money prize/job promise prize etc. and people do it because they love to bake & be around others who do. Of course, they may get a job offer or social media notoriety from it if they want to but for the most part they just go back to their everyday lives happy that they took part.

[Lois Sandborne]

For those who were wondering, on Extra Slice Dylan mentioned he's a chef de partie, so basically a line cook. It's not likely he has anything to do with the restaurant's desserts. But it's great he landed his dream job.

[caitmcg]

13 hours ago, phalange said:

I felt bad for Dylan. He was trying to shake off the signature, but then he did poorly in the technical and it seemed like he got a bit in his head about it. When Paul said genoise sponge was a bad idea and then Dylan said he was using it, I had a feeling it wasn’t going to go well. But even though he didn’t win, he got a great job out of it!

From this story in the Guardian, it's clear that Bake Off didn't land him the job, as he was already working there when it was airing.

[sharifa70]

2 hours ago, caitmcg said:

From this story in the Guardian, it's clear that Bake Off didn't land him the job, as he was already working there when it was airing.

I wonder if he was able to make some good connections due to his participation, though. True, the show hadn’t aired but it had wrapped, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had received some encouragement to apply to the restaurant. He obviously has to keep and earn the job on his own, but a few words in the right ears can’t hurt (I don’t know how hard/easy it is to get a kitchen job in a Michelin-starred restaurant).

Throughout the season I was impressed by Dylan’s passion as well as how willing he was to take criticism and learn. I have high hopes for his future.

All that being said - I’m happy for Georgie. I like Christiaan but think he needs to learn to edit his flavors. Georgie was just so consistent, I think she deserved her win.

[caitmcg]

14 minutes ago, sharifa70 said:

(I don’t know how hard/easy it is to get a kitchen job in a Michelin-starred restaurant).

It may not have been his very first kitchen job, either.

[janie jones]

3 hours ago, sharifa70 said:

I wonder if he was able to make some good connections due to his participation, though. True, the show hadn’t aired but it had wrapped, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had received some encouragement to apply to the restaurant. He obviously has to keep and earn the job on his own, but a few words in the right ears can’t hurt (I don’t know how hard/easy it is to get a kitchen job in a Michelin-starred restaurant).

I don't know how any of that works either, but I wonder if Michelin-starred restaurants typically hire people who haven't been to culinary school. Has Dylan? I assume not, because I would have thought they wouldn't take culinary school grads on the show. My thinking was also that he made connections on the show.

Edited December 2 by janie jones

[magdalene]

From what I read Dylan's bosses didn't even know he had been a contestant on Bake-off, never mind how far he had gotten. He kept it all to himself.

[caitmcg]

10 minutes ago, magdalene said:

From what I read Dylan's bosses didn't even know he had been a contestant on Bake-off, never mind how far he had gotten. He kept it all to himself.

They can't say anything in advance about how they do, they sign NDAs, and I assume so do their families who take part.

[Irlandesa]

49 minutes ago, magdalene said:

From what I read Dylan's bosses didn't even know he had been a contestant on Bake-off, never mind how far he had gotten. He kept it all to himself.

The article on the previous page said that he had written down that he was a contestant but that's it. It sounds like they knew that he had been on the show when they hired him but didn't know how far he had gone.

1 hour ago, janie jones said:

I don't know how any of that works either, but I wonder if Michelin-starred restaurants typically hire people who haven't been to culinary school.

They do.  Some chefs go the culinary school route.  Others don't.  All he'd need to do is get his foot in the door and that can be because of connections, experience or just be at the right place at the right time.  Because of my fandom with another show, I've read some subreddits related to restaurants, and there are people who have gotten jobs at Michelin-star restaurants by going around and handing out resumes and just hitting a restaurant when they have an opening they need to fill ASAP.  Turnover is high even in the prestigious restaurants.

[Deskisamess]

21 hours ago, Shrek said:

It's always been his thing, not just on this show & if people don't like it then they don't have to look at it.

Can you imagine the comments if Noel suddenly started wearing plain sweaters/jumpers?

[RoxiP]

I didn't even notice Noel's sweater so now you're going to make me go back and look.

[AZChristian]

16 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

I didn't even notice Noel's sweater so now you're going to make me go back and look.

Front and back.  The 6 little circles on the front are eyes.  And you can buy it here.  It's on sale for $69.

Edited December 2 by AZChristian

[RoxiP]

Oh LOL - I thought when you said it had a tail that it actually had a tail hanging down behind him!  And I think I'll pass on the purchase.  All I remembered about it was that it was pink.

[Ilovepie]

Ok, I know I'm in the minority, but I laughed at Noel's sweater. Allison's dress was the perfect kooky compliment. I absolutely love them together!

Awwww, the baby genius Dylan finally faltered! But for him, I think getting to the finale is a big win - he stated multiple times he wants to be a "chef", not necessarily a pastry or dessert chef, so to be top 3 at such a young age is no small feat! Great job kid even if the last episode was a disaster from the first batch of scones.....

I am glad Georgie won - her showstopper looked beautiful before they cut it and delicious after. That cake looked so tender, and yummy with the fruit and cream....now I'm drooling. Christiaan's sounded unappetizing and kind of looked it when they cut it. I think it always comes down to the Showstopper in the finale. 

What a delightful season - all likeable people and deserving finalists. I am they went back to basics on the challenges and themes. There is enough drama with the contestant flavors and decorating, no need for weird themes!

 

[Quilt Fairy]

Always sad when the season is over.  All that's left are the 2 holiday shows which I believe are due on Netflix this week.  (For us U.S. viewers, that will be last year's holiday shows that we will finally get to see.)

Also this week is the season finale of Crime Scene Kitchen (which I highly recommend, it's so much fun).

 

Edited December 3 by Quilt Fairy

[RoxiP]

Harry Potter - Wizards of Baking has also been very good.

[Shrek]

1 hour ago, RoxiP said:

Harry Potter - Wizards of Baking has also been very good.

Hoping it gets better because the first episode sent me to sleep. Even my Roku gave up & turned itself off.

[RoxiP]

Maybe it's my inner child that just loves the scenes of Hogwarts!  I actually like the fact that the contestants on this show are actually professionals - for the most part they turn out amazing creations.

There is, however, too much filler.  I would rather see how they create stuff than hear then blather on....

[Bobcatkitten]

I was oddly bothered that everyone called him Christiawwnnn but his partner just said Christian. Which is it?

[caitmcg]

1 hour ago, Bobcatkitten said:

I was oddly bothered that everyone called him Christiawwnnn but his partner just said Christian. Which is it?

Various internet sources suggest the Dutch pronunciation is Chris-tee-ahn, so closer to the Bake Off pronunciation. It may be the case that they are basing it on his own procunciation of his name, but presumably he's not bothered by his British partner's English procunciation.

[ombre]

I always watch these slowly over several days, so I'm always late to the party in here and much of what I've thought has already been said. 

 

I'll join others in saying that this is one of my favorite seasons ever and certainly my favorite in some years. And I would have been happy with any if them winning. Lovely people. 

 

My primary thought on this ep that hasn't been said is how much I enjoyed the technical. A lot to do? Yep. But with a clear statement that figuring out how to slot those projects together is a major part of the challenge. It's such an unheralded, necessary skill in the kitchen whether you're a pro or a home baker. You have to really understand the nature of all your bakes and know what needs what and what can be fudged a little. Very fun. I've also liked the general bits of playing with the format of the technical this year. Good stuff! 

 

I also got a real, silly kick at Noel digging ever more into Christian's accent over the course of this ep and then nailing it in the mid-ep chat. 

 

Looking forward to the holiday eps, which, if I don't misremember, should be the first time that Alison is in them. She is such a joy! 

 

(as I watch, Paul just caught that champagne cork. He has gotten to be a much more enjoyable presence this year.) 

[ombre]

Screw it. Watching the rest of the ep while I make a cappuccino, since today has been exhausting. 

 

I have such a different kind of love for each of the finalists. I spent the first several weeks thinking Christiaan was about to get sent home. He seemed like one of those bakers who has funny flavor combinations and never figures out how to bend that to the judges' tastes. And his technical skills seemed just slightly off. Dead wrong, I was. He really managed to find that internal dial and crank it up. I suspect he is the most improved over the course of the show. Love him for it. That takes such determination. 

 

Georgie, coming into *this* week of all weeks and baking for the sheer joy of it. Breathless. Way to be in the moment and just put one foot in front of the other. I said in another thread that I hope to manage to hold on to illiyin's extraordinary poise in the face of heartbreak. I hope to keep a little of georgie's be-a-goldfish zen. 

 

And Dylan. Kiddo. It is so hard when you're so young. His bakes were (mostly) just phenomenal this season. What joy to see a young kid with such talent and drive. 

 

I've also just loved that Paul and Prue got to be human. Genuinely snorted at prue's pfft I'm not asking them to lay the eggs line. And Paul... That chagrined pause as he acknowledged his blue tongue. And then stuck it out. 

Great ep. Great season. Just lovely. 

 

 

[peeayebee]

4 hours ago, ombre said:

(as I watch, Paul just caught that champagne cork. He has gotten to be a much more enjoyable presence this year.)

I forgot about that! Wonderful moment.

[lark37]

On 12/1/2024 at 11:56 PM, Irlandesa said:

The article on the previous page said that he had written down that he was a contestant but that's it. It sounds like they knew that he had been on the show when they hired him but didn't know how far he had gone.

They do.  Some chefs go the culinary school route.  Others don't.  All he'd need to do is get his foot in the door and that can be because of connections, experience or just be at the right place at the right time.  Because of my fandom with another show, I've read some subreddits related to restaurants, and there are people who have gotten jobs at Michelin-star restaurants by going around and handing out resumes and just hitting a restaurant when they have an opening they need to fill ASAP.  Turnover is high even in the prestigious restaurants.

Some if you beat me to posting about the chef world. As I have mentioned before, my youngest is a chef. He did not go to culinary school but instead has a degree in biology. He was always passionate about cooking. He decided to follow his passion and changed his medical path to a career as a chef at age 23. He got his foot in the door as chef de partie and has worked his way up in three years to exec sous chef in new restaurant opening in Louisville this week. He was told with his science background and his talent with food, he didn’t need culinary school. He’s worked with a James Beard award winning chef in Chicago and at a Michelin star restaurant in Chicago before moving to KY. Dylan is very talented and creative as well so he will likely move up as quickly as my son has! I’m sad he didn’t win and had a bad week but I think he gets in his head too much.
 

Since Dylan didn’t win, I’m glad Georgie got the win. Christiaan - I was never impressed with as he seemed inconsistent with flavors. 

Edited December 9 by lark37
Clarity and spelling.

[LilJen]

On 11/29/2024 at 3:29 PM, Rammchick said:

I'm glad someone mentioned this.  I guess it was a sea monster person, since the back had the tail.  Agreed that it was very distracting.

Someone either in the press or here on the forum described Dylan as what a cat would look like if it became a person.  After I read that, I thought of it every time I saw him, and especially the way he jumped on Georgie and Christiaan after the bake was finished. 

(Cat character on Red Dwarf; a cat that over many centuries evolved into a person.)