All Extra Slice Talk

[Athena]

A discussion thread for all episodes of the GBBO companion show "Extra Slice".

[tenativelyyours]

Thank you.  Looking forward to sitting down with Jo in a bit when I get the chance!

[tenativelyyours]

If GBBO is a warm comforter of viewing, this is the fuzzy socks to go with.  I'm not sure why both these shows evoke such a snuggle down sense of being with me since it is back to being hot and it is a summer theme when all is said and done.  But it still makes me yearn for a nip in the air and leaves turning and the simple change in how fallen leaves transform the dog down the way from a nagging bark to a belling that somehow is part of the turning of the season.  And yeah.  Its August.  

Jo was a bit quieter this first show out though she didn't spare Lee.  Something I always like.  They have no problem putting people and baking efforts in their proper place.  And yet never manage to be mean.

I don't like the format of the Junior Bake off so I am not familiar with Allegra and in the prior two seasons, baking experts have been hit or miss with me -- I am not keen on Rosemary and there was another woman on who was whinging about Nadiya not getting her due when Tamal finally got star baker that just peeved me to no end when Nadiya had been given plenty of due by that time and Tamal earned that star that week. 

 

However I did like her take and she seemed much nicer than Rosemary who, on this, I always felt is overly pedantic and tries way too hard.

Tamika?  Didn't know who she was since I avoid soaps and particularly British ones.  She kept up and was fun though.

Hal did a good job of keeping the show going full bore though.  Between his Val-Fruitcake comments, the holy water in a cake to test Paul and the cakes 'talking' to Val he really kept me laughing.  I also like he is rather blunt in his trepidation with trying some of those cakes. 

A half hour goes by way too fast even if I can see why an hour wouldn't work.

I swear the perspective was slightly different in my favorite 'orange juice' perplexity by Mel.  I'll have to watch again.  And I did love seeing the recap of Mel and that distinctive flavor that wasn't in the mix!

Edited August 27, 2016 by tenativelyyours

[Kromm]

I was hoping they'd ditch Jo Brand. She annoys me. 

[halopub]

I can see that. I think she's okay in small doses and definitely better when she gets to go off script.

Here's my first Anglo-American divide for the season. "Mexican" wave. It's uncomfortable to call it that. It's just a wave, folks. And it originated in the US, to boot.

I suppose Jo shouldn't be expected to keep up with food trends - cough, cough, I'm looking at you Paul and Mary -  but wow, yuzu is not a weird ingredient that no one's ever heard of. At least over in the US, it's been used in cooking competitions for over a decade because the strong citrus is a way to infuse flavor in a short amount of time. Now it may be more common in savory cooking, like the ponzu sauce you get with an order of gyoza, but one of my local french bakeries sells yuzu macaron. It's not exactly a cutting edge shop, either.

I wish Jo and the writers of Extra Slice weren't so provincial in their food knowledge. You're producing an aftershow for a food program! Someone should send her a bunch of yuzu flavored kit kats, or maybe some yuzu kosho to go along with some grilled chicken. Yum!  

[ceebee]

6 hours ago, halopub said:

 

Here's my first Anglo-American divide for the season. "Mexican" wave. It's uncomfortable to call it that. It's just a wave, folks. And it originated in the US, to boot.

 

I'm scratching my head about why this should be uncomfortable - could you explain?

Whatever it's origin, it became a popular phenomenom (outside the US) after the World Cup was held in Mexico in 1986, hence the name, which seems innocent and without side to me.

[shandy]

Tamika!!! I was screaming MOMA CASS because of Beautiful Thing, a sweet gay coming of age movie/play from 90s London. She's hardly aged in 20 years.

Jo Brand reminds me of Ricky Gervais - comedy with hits and misses - but she was a nurse so I'll forgive her almost anything.

If the food horizons are different in another country/culture, that's ok with me. However, when the contestants are clearly familiar with ingredients, it gets a little repetitive for the judges and Jo to be thunderstruck by new flavors each passing season.

I liked the male comedian's snappy wit, like a chubby British Joan Rivers. The holy water gag was great.

[halopub]

That was an awesome comment from Hal with the holy water.

 

2 hours ago, ceebee said:

I'm scratching my head about why this should be uncomfortable - could you explain?

Whatever it's origin, it became a popular phenomenom (outside the US) after the World Cup was held in Mexico in 1986, hence the name, which seems innocent and without side to me.

I'm guessing it normally sounds neutral when European announcers cover bored spectators.

With Extra Slice I think it was mainly Jo's condescending tone in saying let's do a Mexican wave to celebrate our first "weird" ingredient. If you're going to sarcastically call for a crowd wave, then let's not impugn the modifier Mexican along with it. Yeah, I get the wave can be annoying and childish but the snide way Jo said it, came off unnecessarily negative to me. (shrug). 

[Kromm]

46 minutes ago, halopub said:

With Extra Slice I think it was mainly Jo's condescending tone in saying let's do a Mexican wave to celebrate our first "weird" ingredient. If you're going to sarcastically call for a crowd wave, then let's not impugn the modifier Mexican along with it. Yeah, I get the wave can be annoying and childish but the snide way Jo said it, came off unnecessarily negative to me. (shrug). 

I'd think also after the whole Top Gear "Mexican" mess, that British comedians would steer away from commenting on Mexico at all! That said, Jo certainly didn't invent the term. BBC News talked about it years ago (where they point out that the Mexicans themselves simply call it "La Ola"--The Wave--just as the Americans do). 

It's likely more offensive to Americans (probably even moreso to Mexican-Americans, who love to joke about their Mexican-ness but don't like it when other people do so) than it is to actual Mexicans. The later, if they cared at all, would probably just see it as crediting them with something.  The former might not like it, because the practice of hanging unnecessary ethnic tags on things which don't require them is something which has definitely been called out for years inside of the US. For example, in our grandparents or even parents' day it was common to call someone who asks for a gift back or wants extra compensation after the fact "an Indian giver"--a phrase that probably will get you a pretty strange look if you use it today. Or the phrase "Chinese whispers". Well, lets be frank. Only the British probably still call it that. The rest of the world seems to call it "Telephone" or "Grapevine" (not that America gets off scott-free here because generations of Americans used the super-racist phrase "Chinese Fire Drill" when nobody else in the world seemed to). Hmm. What else? Dutch Uncle for a harsh critical busybody. Dutch Courage for relying on alcohol to do something.  I'm sure there are plenty more. "Mexican Wave" has a more genial meaning than the rest of these, so again I think it's just the one aspect of it seeming like an arbitrary addition of the ethnicity. I mean if you talk about people "doing the Wave", chances are the context should clue you in fairly well that no water is involved. 

[ceebee]

3 hours ago, Kromm said:

 "Mexican Wave" has a more genial meaning than the rest of these, so again I think it's just the one aspect of it seeming like an arbitrary addition of the ethnicity. I mean if you talk about people "doing the Wave", chances are the context should clue you in fairly well that no water is involved. 

It isn't an 'arbitrary addition of ethnicity' though - it's used here as a 'credit of origin' (even if mistakenly credited).  I think if Jo had asked the Extra Slice audience to 'do a wave' they would have waved their hands or looked bemused ... at least the first time they rehearsed it ;-)

Edited August 28, 2016 by ceebee

[ceebee]

7 hours ago, shandy said:

Tamika!!! I was screaming MOMA CASS because of Beautiful Thing, a sweet gay coming of age movie/play from 90s London. She's hardly aged in 20 years.

Ha!  Whereas I groaned.  I only know Tameka from her role in EastEnders (which I loathe) and have always found her irritating. I fear I may have been guilty of confusing her with her soap character, because she came across well on Extra Slice. 

 

(She's recently been announced as a contestant on my favourite dancing show starting soon. Now she's redeemed, I can look forward to her on that. Phew!)

[bybrandy]

On 8/27/2016 at 1:15 AM, Kromm said:

I was hoping they'd ditch Jo Brand. She annoys me. 

Honestly, this was the first episode I'd bothered to watch of Extra Slice because Jo Brand annoys me.  Although, I don't mind her so much in small doses.  She just tends to go back to the same well for jokes too often for my taste.   I thought she was really nice in this and am looking forward to the next episode, although I did notice that the first comment was how Jo was a little more subdued this episode.  So we'll see how my Jo Brand tolerance holds up through the series.  

18 hours ago, halopub said:

Here's my first Anglo-American divide for the season. "Mexican" wave. It's uncomfortable to call it that. It's just a wave, folks. And it originated in the US, to boot.

This!   I've heard this expression so many times and every time I go, "wait, how is that different from the wave?  Oh, wait, it isn't.   It is just a little cringey".  Every single time.  

And I do realize that nobody means Mexican Wave in a cringe inducing sort of way, it is just how it always, always, always sounds to me as an American.  I suspect because so many things like Indian giver are sort of cringe inducing.

I liked Hal.  

The girl with the cakes that looked like sponges and dish soap cracked me up.

My mom used to make a couple of savory cheesecakes.   They were always pretty big hits.  But she didn't do so many flavors at once and she never really at a desert baking type thing.  They were just usually on the table with the chips and salsa or other spreads as an appetizer option when she had large parties.  Because I associate savory cheesecakes with these that my mom used to make, I don't inherently have a problem with them.  But her flavor combination seemed a little off.  And quite frankly I don't know that I'd have been as stoked about my mom's savory cheesecakes if she'd presented it to me as "here, have some cheesecake".  It was more, "hey, mom, are you making that Mexican dip thing everybody loves?"  "You mean the Mexican cheesecake?"   

LOL.   No, seriously, the recipe in the magazine she made it from the first time was a Mexican cheesecake.      I didn't find that cringe worthy.   I'm seriously going to have to retrain my brain or something on the phrase Mexican wave.

[tenativelyyours]

I guess the Mexican Wave never occurred to me as something other than what I assumed it to be.  Since at Allianz if someone said do "the wave" it would always be an all up at once with hands reached out and if someone said to a "Mexican" a wave with arms raising in tandem with the body.  A "wave" and a "Mexican wave" have always been a different thing since I was a kid going to my first games.  I guess by the time I started attending American football (is that just as bad as saying a Mexican wave?) what Americans just call a "wave" had pretty much died out because my parents have season tickets and I cannot for the life of me remember doing a single wave.  Getting glares for wearing the school's primary color on a white out game day I have had plenty.

I thought the handling of Yuzu was done as a joke.  Which seems apt since I don't even considering GBBO a "cooking show" let alone this little nibble of entertainment.  Goes to show how differently we all come in to watch something I guess.  But the writers to me need to keep Jo's jokes sharp and yet fond and I'll be happy.  Don't need them to tell Brits how silly and provincial getting a laugh from the reaction on the show to Yuzu because in the US people know it real well.  Except my family I guess!  Some have heard of it, some have tasted it.  But I had a couple of blank looks and a couple who took a second to place it when we watched the season premiere all together this morning.  I don't like it in sweets at all as it somehow has a pith like aftertaste to me whereas in savory it blends in so Mary not liking it made a lot of sense to me. 

Though the real group gasp of discomfort came from the amount of cardomom Selasi put in his drizzle cake.   A little of that goes a long long way for my family.  Our various Teutonic ancestors must be rolling in their grave since most now get a 'soap' taste from it (I've always wondered if there is a correlation between soapy cardomom and soapy cilantro reactions). 

[Kromm]

1 hour ago, tenativelyyours said:

I guess the Mexican Wave never occurred to me as something other than what I assumed it to be.  Since at Allianz if someone said do "the wave" it would always be an all up at once with hands reached out and if someone said to a "Mexican" a wave with arms raising in tandem with the body.  A "wave" and a "Mexican wave" have always been a different thing since I was a kid going to my first games.  I guess by the time I started attending American football (is that just as bad as saying a Mexican wave?) what Americans just call a "wave" had pretty much died out because my parents have season tickets and I cannot for the life of me remember doing a single wave.  Getting glares for wearing the school's primary color on a white out game day I have had plenty.

Has the move changed since I was last at a game of some sort a dozen years or so ago (ouch, long time)?  Because I'm not sure I understand the distinction between the two moves you describe. 

Waves as I recall them are less about specific arm position or if your arms go up before or after you get your backside off the seat, and more about being properly "in time" with the rest of the crowd. 

A classic demonstration (because the stadium announcer even GIVES INSTRUCTIONS!):

And here's what's allegedly the first verified example. "Alleged" because I've seen other claims it goes back to the 1970s at some non-pro sporting events:

1 hour ago, tenativelyyours said:

I thought the handling of Yuzu was done as a joke.  Which seems apt since I don't even considering GBBO a "cooking show" let alone this little nibble of entertainment.  Goes to show how differently we all come in to watch something I guess.  But the writers to me need to keep Jo's jokes sharp and yet fond and I'll be happy.  Don't need them to tell Brits how silly and provincial getting a laugh from the reaction on the show to Yuzu because in the US people know it real well.  Except my family I guess!  Some have heard of it, some have tasted it.  But I had a couple of blank looks and a couple who took a second to place it when we watched the season premiere all together this morning.  I don't like it in sweets at all as it somehow has a pith like aftertaste to me whereas in savory it blends in so Mary not liking it made a lot of sense to me. 

I don't think it's silly in any way if your family doesn't know Yuzu.  I expect many people don't. But I'd wager most of them aren't Professional Bakers like Paul and Mary.  Who have a much greater motive to know ingredients.  Now I've seen the argument that they reacted that way perhaps for the sake of the audience, but I don't buy it. Paul and Mary could put on their professor hats and explain what Yuzu is to Mel or Sue far easier than playing dumb and having the contestant explain it. Or state what they know about Yuzu to the contestant as a question, leaving the contestant to confirm it for the audience. Both of those seem more sensible than faux-ignorance (which is why it's probably real ignorance).  Although as I said upthread, I suspect Paul and Mary know darn well what matcha is, at the very least. They didn't really try and pretend they didn't. What leaked through was simply that they didn't like the ingredient. 

Edited August 28, 2016 by Kromm

[halopub]

Two fun moments for me in Episode 2: Josh Widdicombe's style being deemed updated "Bilbo Baggins" and Josh genuinely enjoying the ube and buko pandan (sp?) cookies.

The makeup artists on this show continue to make the contestants look fabulous. Louise looked wonderful with that softer color palette.

[tenativelyyours]

Josh to play off Rosemary was a good match.  I can find Rosemary a bit much to take on this show and Josh came right out and didn't let her take on an annoying tone (for me) when he quickly and completely jabbed with the "posh" dipping bit. 

I agree that with Louise less is not just more, here it was fabulous.  She looked fantastic.  Note to Louise; for the wedding, this is how you should have your makeup done.  Well pretty much every day but especially then.  It also looked like she toned down her hair a bit.  In any case she looked great.  I wonder how much a kind of relaxing relief it is to be away from the tent and that also makes a bit of difference?  Pretty much every one of them come on here to have fun and have a good self-deprecating way of appreciating they are the source of a chuckle -- that having a laugh at yourself is a bit of the fun of the whole experience. 

I think the still running reality competitions like Top Chef and Project Runway are too entrenched to "fix what isn't broken"; but I wonder if attaching a show strictly aimed at having fun, like this one does, in the midst of appreciating the whole matter, would lighten those series a bit in a way I strongly think they need.  Both have had the fun mostly sucked out of them and PR has had its entire soul ripped from it thanks to Murray as producer.

But this manages to underscore the whole idea that its a baking contest and if it isn't fun as a whole then that person didn't belong in the tent in the first place.  Or the show has evolved too much from its intent.

[halopub]

I agree that Josh is great at balancing out Rosemary. He's one of the better celebrity panelists that the show offers and I think that's because he genuinely loves the main show. I'm waiting to see him crush on someone this season like he did Chetna.

The makeup artists have made just about all the contestants look effortlessly fantastic. Even Diana had a natural-looking glow and bouncy hair.

Quote

I wonder how much a kind of relaxing relief it is to be away from the tent and that also makes a bit of difference?

In addition to their relaxed appearance on Extraslice, the lack of intense competition definitely shows in the rebakes!

Quote

I think the still running reality competitions like Top Chef and Project Runway are too entrenched to "fix what isn't broken"; but I wonder if attaching a show strictly aimed at having fun, like this one does, in the midst of appreciating the whole matter, would lighten those series a bit in a way I strongly think they need.  Both have had the fun mostly sucked out of them and PR has had its entire soul ripped from it thanks to Murray as producer.

This is an intriguing idea that hadn't occured to me. I guess there are the different captain shows to Deadliest Catch but sometimes I feel like all the aftershows on US TV are for Sci-Fi/Fantasy and are hosted by Chris Hardwick. Even Orphan Black's companion show is hosted by a Canadian guy who seems to be channeling Hardwick.

Edited to add: How would you feel about, instead of a companion show, an extended main show with thought bubbles?

Edited September 8, 2016 by halopub
Added a sentence.

[tenativelyyours]

Not sure about thought bubbles.  Depends on the writers.  What I might find fun would be a marathon of extended shows with Jo, Josh and Hal watching and narrating.  Think gogglebox meets GBBO.  Sue and Mel doing it would be nice as well, but maybe it still needs a bit of a remove of not being directly involved with the show.  Or do a gogglebox version of the season -- with the contestants as the couchies.    It could make for fun and interesting groupings (mix it up each episode if possible so we see some play off different fellow bakers) and they could all show off more bakes to nibble while watching.

That would also let some of the favorites who left early to weigh in on challenges and personalities they have some insight to that we lose out on with their leaving the tent.

[halopub]

17 hours ago, tenativelyyours said:

Not sure about thought bubbles.  Depends on the writers.  What I might find fun would be a marathon of extended shows with Jo, Josh and Hal watching and narrating. 

Sorry for not being clear, I meant extended, annotated versions of Top Chef. Though now I'm imagining GBBO getting its own version of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Edited September 8, 2016 by halopub
grammar

[sum]

Michael has never made any particular impression on me on the main show but he was really charming on the Extra Slice. Now I'm going to miss him! I kept forgetting he's only 19 years old. Here he was just a cheerful and well mannered young chap and having seen how young his mom looked I won't forget it. 

Nothing against Sarah or any individual's dietary choice but a guest who can't taste non-vegan bread seems a bit pointless. Nick Hewer was good fun though.

[tenativelyyours]

Between not being that funny and being vegan, for this show, Sarah just did not work for me.  Richard and Nick were both fun.  I'm trying to think where I have seen Richard before.  When I figure it out I know it will be a huge 'duh' moment for me.  I wonder if Richard was one of the people one of the papers did a column with that kind of tweaked Paul Hollywood.  It was either the Telegraph or the Guardian,  It was an odd placement and it was funny because I remember Tom Kerridge was part of it and it was well before Creme de la Creme was even in the works I think.  Everyone in the bit, including Rosemary, were nice and polite but it was funny how they also in typical British manner then pointed out all the things Paul tended to get wrong outside of his bread expertise.  I think the article was when several people started getting mad at Paul when he was wrong about types of pastry in regards to what is Italian and what was American Italian.  It is easy to forget, thanks to fantastic production, how much Mary and Paul don't actually know as the show has had to stretch and reach farther to try and stay new and (unavoidable) fresh.  The technical this past week a prime example.

Jo was pretty quick on her feet this week and that is the Jo I enjoy.  Her non-scripted quips and responses are what make her a perfect host for this type of fluffy fun.

halopub, I think part of the flaws with Top Chef are what every show eventually deals with, even GBBO flirts a bit with it for me though doesn't quite succumb.  And that is the fear of being stale and repetitive and self-derivative.  I think they 1) try to fix what isn't broken too often and mess up the original charm of the show (Survivor and Project Runway are the guiltier shows in this regard and yet oddly both have done better in the ratings I believe, than my more favored counterparts -- Top Chef and The Amazing Race) and 2) in Top Chef's regard, like Survivor and Project Runway, they have come to believe they are infallible and can do no wrong -- instead of admitting something was a mistake they never return to their original recipe but double down and try something else).  One of the charms of GBBO is that it has evolved, but it has removed the extraneous and the unpleasant and anything that might feel contrived*

I do with they would do a season recap of Extra Slice that was an hour long and maybe just Jo, Josh and Hal going over the main highs and lows and funny bits with no audience bakes tasting etc.

*without spoiling for those who might venture in still having the first season of GGBO unwatched, I still say that in that first season there is a glimmer of a different direction production wise that played, ever so slightly, but deliberately, on two of the contestants -- one the younger mother who baked with her daughter and the one who was the only woman in a household of men/boys.   Their talking heads had a "flavor" that is more along US reality competitions and I was glad that that particular component got nipped in the bud.  However I soooooo wish I could get Jo, Josh and Hal to do a recap of that season!

[Kromm]

15 hours ago, tenativelyyours said:

Between not being that funny and being vegan, for this show, Sarah just did not work for me. 

UK Panel shows often confuse me in general about who they invite, but it seems twice as bad when it's a panel add-on for a reality show. I understand why they usually feel by default that one or more of a panel has to be a comedian, but at the very least it should be someone who's a genuine fan of the show. I won't say it's impossible for a Vegan to be a fan of Bake-Off, but it's unlikely, and I didn't hear much out of her mouth to indicate otherwise. 

[halopub]

I believe a lot has to do with a production company's relationships with talent agencies and then willingness to do cross promotion for the broadcaster's other shows. I don't remember where, but I read an article once talking about how QI has often favored comedians from a particular agency.

I've missed Michel Roux, Jr. and his sunny personality. I wonder how his post BBC work on Channel 4 has gone.

Nancy was fun - I always like getting to hear the perspective of a former contestant. I probably would get annoyed with him after a short while but I liked that snarky comedian Tom Allen, who I hadn't seen before. He's tough on the contestants but clearly is a dedicated watcher of the show.

I think this is the first episode taped since the Channel 4 news and there was no acknowledgement of the change.

[DHDancer]

So nice to see Michel Roux (Jr) -- he was witty and relevant!   Nancy may have another career as a TV personality as she held up her end too.  Tom didn't do anything for me unfortunately.  And I know Jo Brand is a bit polarizing based on the comments here but I like her a lot: she moves things along and has wry and dry wit.

Val really is a hoot and so true to herself.  What a sweetie.   It was her time to go but I'm sure her energy and humor was missed in the tent.

[tenativelyyours]

Loved seeing Michel Roux Jr as well.  Marcus has grown on me, but I still miss him on Masterchef the Professionals.  He and Monica seemed to always have just the right mix of enjoying each other that included a touch of the sly wit.  Plus I counted twice when he and Monica shared a look when Gregg Wallace flapped his yap stupidly. 

Nancy did do a great job.  And again the show has a master in makeup because she and Val both looked natural and stunning.  Few talk shows on either side of the Atlantic seem to do women very many favors. 

It seems like the last couple of episodes have glossed over the audience bakes a bit more and made up for it in the interviews with the contestant of the week.  I think I like that.

Tom the guest comedian was funny at times but also a bit too rehearsed and determined to get out his full bit others.  Not sure about him overall but willing to give him a second chance.  Still Michel and Monica the week before have a better wit to me.  And Jo is always so able to roll so well with impromptu bits like the "Let them eat cake" that add to the show and keep the panel laughing and determined to keep up. 

Any word on how this goes with the move yet?  Will Ch4 do some kind of followup show?  We just can't have nice things can we?

[halopub]

I've seen Marcus & Monica do the same thing. While Marcus has settled into the role of a mentor and is a good fit for Masterchef, he's never going to be as affable and approachable as Michel. Any contestant that can make Marcus' eyes crinkle has really earned it.

That bonus clip of Mary copying Mel's bucktoothed, "grapefruit face" cracked me up.

And I loved that Danny Baker proclaimed that the two audience bakers should make the next season's cast and then quipped he wasn't supposed to mention next season. I think the veggie cake was sweet potato, parsnips, kale and carrot.

Jo told ITV last week that she had heard nothing either way about the future of the aftershow.

[shandy]

Danny Baker is the kind of easy going comic that suits the after show - he doesn't try too hard and is witty. The woman in the middle had clearly come to eat cake, which is a plus in my book, and the ginger chef showed you can be red and sexy, cough Andrew.

My favorite was ribbing rock climbin' Tom for fougasse being his go to 'cinema snack'. I find it hilarious that he is essentially a UK version of  an ivy league hipster.

[toodles]

I'm so excited!!!  Masterclass 1is on right now.  Paul and Mary demonstrating their dishes.

[tenativelyyours]

Danny Baker really works well on this show.  He really likes the GGBO and it shows in how he talks about and how he interacts with the contestant there that week.   He is one of several guests that I could see every week on this. 

  Tom the chef is sort of an odd duck for me.  He always seems to start off as being too cool for wherever he is.  As if he is slumming or forced to be there.  And no matter how many times I see him, my first reaction is always just a little bit of "get over yourself".  But then he relaxes and you can really tell how much he enjoys the show and how much enjoys being on An Extra Slice.  He also has always been both enthusiastic and honest about the bakes brought on the show.  In a way that always seems sincere and even a bit of fun. 

It was interesting that the bakes they tasted all seemed to have turned out really well this time.  I think that was actually the perfect panel to have that happen too. 

I loved the little dig about the show's future and wonder just how bold it will get by the end.  I wonder how tight Hollywood's contract is because appearing in the finale might be, well, interesting to say the least. 

[tenativelyyours]

The sampling of the audience bakes seems to be a bit off this season.  I think they are aiming for longer interviews with the eliminated contestant so I'm okay with that, but it seems the editing is a bit wonky at times and did so this last episode.

Tom was much more relaxed now he has left the tent it seemed to me.

I did love Mary asking if Sue was free and they could switch out when Mel was going on about the nutmeg.

I was curious about having Cherish on and being introduced as a judge on Creme de la Creme.  I wonder if it is coming back for a second go.  I have yet to see or hear anything but all the noise about GBBO probably has drowned any out if it exists.

Cherish does work better in a relaxed atmosphere and can have fun.  Something I think the Creme de la Creme production team seem to go out of their way to discourage.   Because it is the professionals!  And instead making it seem almost silly and robs the show of any joy despite the host Tom doing his best to interject. 

[halopub]

Okay, it was funny seeing that outtake of Paul cracking up at Andrew's knights.

[tenativelyyours]

When I saw the episode I was wondering what was said when Andrew brought his bake up because their faces definitely did not look as composed as the segue  to their subsequent commentary on it.  So I was glad to see what was actually said. 

 

Good panel.  But I like Michael anyway.  I also like looking at Michael which is a plus.  I liked the comic, I've seen him before can't remember where.  And Deborah because she is so down to earth and fun. 

Benjamina is just so charming.  I do hope she is able to use this exposure as a means to take whatever the next step towards what she wants in life. 

It occurred to me after reading yet another article on the matter that Love Productions was looking at a sort of all-star show, maybe tie it into sports/comic relief.  But the rights to it and any returning favorite former contestants goes with Love Productions and the BBC is apparently a little concerned that is a trick the show could pull out of its sleeve with the move.  Lure enough former fan favorites to give the new show a ratings boost. Which means yet another possible potential ruin this move has created for me.  The hopes of seeing the likes of Benjamina again might be tied to Hollywood and the move. 

I wanted to know why/where Selasi was running?  My best guess was that he left something either back at the staging tent they have them apparently gather near the entrance to get mic'd and stuff or maybe he left his pie-pricking pen in the car and was bolting to get to the car park.

[DHDancer]

That was one of the funniest episodes so far this season: Jo Brand was on point!  The BBC Tudor evening lineup --Strictly Cometh Dancing, etc-- had me cracking up.

Edited October 18, 2016 by DHDancer

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Loved seeing Selasi on An Extra Slice! If I didn't already like him, this would have sealed the deal. And bonus: we got to see Nadiya again! It's too bad she couldn't try his Savarin due to the alcohol. The cake they made for Selasi was great - I love that they incorporated so many of his previous bakes including the crown. 

[tenativelyyours]

Nadiya is really even more charming.  Her brush with fame has really made her smooth and yet sincerely engaging. 

And if someone at BBC is not seeing Selasi first in the tent these weeks and now this?  And not see it as an unintentional test application for being in front of the camera in some way?  Needs to find a new job.  I've been a fan from the reveal of their bios and pics and he has not only not been a disappointment, he has well exceeded my hopes in being fun, balancing self-deprecation with confidence and just being engaging on so many levels.  More please!

The one sour note was the comic Tom.  I did not care for him at all the last time he was on and I didn't care for him at all this time either.  I hate his little over-rehearsed bits.  All the comics bring them along.  That is part of the job.  His though seem more about showing how funny he is as opposed to showing how funny something about the show is thanks to to smart and insightful comic.  The whole not-trusting them bit was so weird and maybe I missed something in social media but it seemed to go off into a tangent that seemed to lose the actual show really fast.  And being petty, and I do realize it is partly the position of his seat, but still I loathe how he does the head bobbing version of a pageant wave.  Like he is the one being honored on the show when the audience applauds.  There is just something so self-absorbed about him compared to most of the other panelists.  Can't stand him (because I'm not sure that comes through in all this!).

[BradyB66]

Quote

The one sour note was the comic Tom.  I did not care for him at all the last time he was on and I didn't care for him at all this time either.  I hate his little over-rehearsed bits.

So much THIS!  I hate that he was the comedian who got two appearances this season.  He's too anxious to get his material out there rather than just commenting on the show.  I was so happy when I saw that Nadiya was one of the panel and then my heart sank when I saw him sitting at the table.

[tenativelyyours]

Hal and Sarah were perfect for the finale. 

Loved (and giggled more than once) at the complete absence of Hollywood.  I mean he was in plenty of the flashback footage but not a murmur about him not being there.  I think Mary is a lady through and through but it does make me wonder if she as as determined that she will be friends with him after this.  I don't think she would go out of her to be disparaging or wouldn't be nice to him if they meet at some function.  But I also wonder how far she would go out of her way to just say hello?

I hate to say this but Andrew still seems a bit letdown not winning.  I can't put my finger on it but Jane seems so much more happy for Candice and just satisfied with it all.  I think he knew that he wasn't going to win once they went through the judging of the show stoppers but I just think he realized he had a chance after the technical and he just never quite recovered, not so much as "much" as Jane but just differently if you will. 

I would be happy if they would have tossed the pics of the various bakes sent in and just focused on the contestants.  Also a hour would have been nice.  Last year the finale seemed to have just a tad bit more interaction with the others beyond the final three. 

I love that Mary is so easy with laughing at herself.  Something I find Hollywood has trouble doing.

And again.  A simply "Not There at All" Hollywood made the finale so much nicer. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I don't mind the viewer pictures during regular episodes but I agree that for the finale episode, I would rather cut that segment and have more time with the bakers!

[GaT]

Anybody else still watching this show? I've been watching it with the current season & enjoying it. Some of the bakes sent in by viewers are hysterical, & even though I hated Tom Allen when he was on "Bake Off: The Professionals", I like him on this.

[jpgr]

I'm watching, and I mostly like Tom Allen on it but I think he has taken over maybe a bit too much (judging the audience bakes, and giving a recap to the losing baker, and more quips throughout). Sometimes I think Jo is fed up with him. 

[dewelar]

This is my first season watching it, and have enjoyed it so far, although I definitely agree that it needs less Tom Allen. He's the kind of character best enjoyed in small doses. I like Jo Brand more here than I have in other shows, but she does seem a bit bored by the whole thing. Otherwise, I'd say it's fine for what it is.

[bybrandy]

Also watching, also enjoy Tom Allen but in smaller doses than we're currently getting on the show.  It feels like we don't get much time with the 3 guests as we used to.  And the dairy week episode was weird because they hardly discussed it at all... like less than usual, even.   

[GaT]

I'm beginning to enjoy Tom Allen more. I think he's at his best when he goes into the audience to talk to people about their bakes, he's a really good ad-libber.

[TVbitch]

For those of you missing Henry, I just watched An Extra Slice from Henry's elimination. Lots of laughs and lots of adorable Henry. Totally worth a watch. I've never watched the aftershow before, is it always this funny? Lots of outtakes and unseen bits. Loved it. 

PS. If you're in the states and need help on where/how you can view it, shoot me a PM. 

[GaT]

Wow, they really glammed Rosie up, & she actually slowed down enough so that I understood some words.

[bybrandy]

Extra Slice with Covid restrictions is really weird this year, but it is also been cool because they have behind the scenes videos that show what the Covid situation is like.  All the bakers practicing in the tent with partitions up so they have an independent space.   Paul making pizza for everybody for dinner one night (apparently he had his pizza oven brought in.   How extra is that?  Have pizza oven, will travel.    

Rowan was so adorable in his extra slice appearance.  I am not sorry he's gone because he was at the end of his ability, however, it is so clear he's going to go on being Rowan and be just fine with it, which I sort of love.  

[GaT]

I love seeing all the photos of their bakes that people send in. A lot of them are just terrible, but there are quite a few that are really great.

[GaT]

Wow, Linda looked a good 10 years younger with makeup & her hair done.

[ShortyMac]

I've never watched this, but, I watched Lottie's episode. I love her; she is a delight. Going back and seeing her 'inspirational quotes' was hilarious. Prue telling her, "You just have to be not the worst." "That really spurs you on, doesn't it?" LMAO

[Oldernowiser]

Okay, can someone please please provide some guidance as to how these damned things are numbered? It seems like there are three versions (at least) and Netflix isn’t calling anything a “season,” they’re numbered “collections” that don’t seem to have any relationship to how the “seasons” are numbered, including here.

 I occasionally trip over the episode I wanted to read about here but it’s a complete coincidence. It’s driving me crazy. Anyone with a GBBO to Viewing Moron conversion table handy?