Great British Bake Off 2018 [** Spoilers **]

LirW

Now it's really just a nerve game. They all are well able to produce amazing bakes.
Ruby by far has the strongest and that's part of why she stays in the competition. Her bakes often aren't very aesthetic but she's able to just space everything out and move on from a mess-up.

A pity to see Briony go but she put herself a big task on in the showstopper. If it would have all worked out, she would've been in the final, she had the most creative ideas.

There's something I want to say about this season though. I dislike the way editing goes compared to earlier seasons, it's getting so super dramatic on purpose and I don't dig that. I love the calm in the tent when everyone is just working away, no need for this American drama element with everyone running around screeching.
And the other thing is in this particular season, especially the last few episodes the tasks are insane. Not difficult but nearly impossible to nail. In a lot of technicals the least awful wins because there's not a single great one. Showstoppers are overwhelming tasks with little time under cr4p conditions in a heated tent. The last few episodes it's just about getting by and don't completely mess up with little chance to show what they're really made of.
5 hours for high class patisserie is nothing, this is a monster task and none of them were outstanding or great.
I'd rather see going back to more basic bakes and not having super exotic things for the sake of being exotic and making the bakers wonder "OMG WHAT IS THIS I'VE NEVER HEARD OF IT".
The show is at that point so stressful to watch and it starts to annoy me. So many tasks are set up for as many contestants as possible to fail.

nc6000

skearnsot wrote:

Paul fancys Ruby big time

This happens every year, last year it was Kate and this is the second Ruby.

Sunny Dayz

One of the more underwhelming semi finals of bake off that I’ve watched. Nothing made me say wow or wished that I could taste it. Nothing show stopping. Normally at this stage the contestants are pulling out all the stops to impress but they all seemed to just struggle and get by in this semi.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

LirW wrote: »

Now it's really just a nerve game. They all are well able to produce amazing bakes.
Ruby by far has the strongest and that's part of why she stays in the competition. Her bakes often aren't very aesthetic but she's able to just space everything out and move on from a mess-up.

A pity to see Briony go but she put herself a big task on in the showstopper. If it would have all worked out, she would've been in the final, she had the most creative ideas.

There's something I want to say about this season though. I dislike the way editing goes compared to earlier seasons, it's getting so super dramatic on purpose and I don't dig that. I love the calm in the tent when everyone is just working away, no need for this American drama element with everyone running around screeching.
And the other thing is in this particular season, especially the last few episodes the tasks are insane. Not difficult but nearly impossible to nail. In a lot of technicals the least awful wins because there's not a single great one. Showstoppers are overwhelming tasks with little time under cr4p conditions in a heated tent. The last few episodes it's just about getting by and don't completely mess up with little chance to show what they're really made of.
5 hours for high class patisserie is nothing, this is a monster task and none of them were outstanding or great.
I'd rather see going back to more basic bakes and not having super exotic things for the sake of being exotic and making the bakers wonder "OMG WHAT IS THIS I'VE NEVER HEARD OF IT".
The show is at that point so stressful to watch and it starts to annoy me. So many tasks are set up for as many contestants as possible to fail.

Agreed. I’m afraid Channel 4 has not been fully able to resist the temptation to make it more “reality TV”. Even just how much they kept reminding them that it was the semi-final tonight annoyed me. I thought last year that Channel 4 was as good as the Beeb but I’m missing the BBC version more year this for a multitude of reasons.

razorblunt

It was a poor semi (as the Nun said to the Bishop) but they may have set the bar too high with that fancy cake.

I think that last patissiere really saved Rahul, Paul was even surprised by how tasty it was, if that tasted as bad as he looked then he'd be out the door.
Ruby is the epitome of someone with nothing to lose and just going for it now.

RhubarbCrumble

nc6000 wrote: »

This happens every year, last year it was Kate and this is the second Ruby.

Totally agree, although he definitely wasn't the first Ruby's type, if he did but know it at the time!

nc6000

RhubarbCrumble wrote:

Totally agree, although he definitely wasn't the first Ruby's type, if he did but know it at the time!

Yes. She made some unbelievable comments about him on Twitter. I know she's gay but she really doesn't like him.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

razorblunt wrote: »

It was a poor semi (as the Nun said to the Bishop) but they may have set the bar too high with that fancy cake.

I think that last patissiere really saved Rahul, Paul was even surprised by how tasty it was, if that tasted as bad as he looked then he'd be out the door.
Ruby is the epitome of someone with nothing to lose and just going for it now.

He came top in the signature too, didn’t he?

Posy

I (sadly) think the right person went this week, but certainly not last.

If Rahul wins, he'll probably still be miserable.

jellybear

Well, I'm rooting for Rahul. I may be the only one but, I've liked him since day one so I'm hoping he wins Ruby is definitely a strong contender and I'd be happy to see her win but poor Kim Joy is just struggling so much and I don't feel she has been strong enough to be crowned the overall winner.

It's my first year watching it and overall I've really enjoyed it. Although, I do blame my 10 stone weight gain on it...you have to have treats while you watch it!!

Zaph

LirW wrote: »

And the other thing is in this particular season, especially the last few episodes the tasks are insane. Not difficult but nearly impossible to nail. In a lot of technicals the least awful wins because there's not a single great one.

I agree. People were going mental on Twitter about how great it was that Kim Joy came back from a near meltdown to come second. Well no, she only came second because she was the least crap of the bottom three. I do think that this season they've been a bit mean with the time given for the tasks. Even an extra half hour for a lot of them would have made such a difference. We'd have been seeing a load of masterpieces instead of one or two decent efforts and a bunch of middling to crap ones.

If Ruby doesn't win I'll be really p*ssed off. To be fair to Kim Joy, what she produces looks amazing, but it really is style over substance a lot of the time. The technical caught her out quite badly tonight because there were two elements, the mousse and the mirror glaze, that she was pretty clueless about. I would have thought that anyone getting to the semi would have no problem with either, but I'm guessing that a lot of what she makes is small and perfectly formed, and she therefore has little need for the skills of someone who makes multi-serving cakes and desserts. And Rahul is just a pain in the arse and has been from the beginning, it's just with less people in the tent now it's even more apparent. Ruby, on the other hand, might have been a bit fortunate not to leave early on, but she's come on immensely since then and nothing really seems to faze her now. If she has a bad round she just moves on and tries to make sure the next one is a lot better. My wife made the point that of the three, Ruby is the one who could probably make a career out of a win as she's articulate and entertaining, whereas Kim Joy is just that bit too quirky and Rahul would have the world's biggest anxiety attack if he was told he had to present a show of his own.

HeidiHeidi

LirW wrote: »

Now it's really just a nerve game. They all are well able to produce amazing bakes.
Ruby by far has the strongest and that's part of why she stays in the competition. Her bakes often aren't very aesthetic but she's able to just space everything out and move on from a mess-up.

A pity to see Briony go but she put herself a big task on in the showstopper. If it would have all worked out, she would've been in the final, she had the most creative ideas.

There's something I want to say about this season though. I dislike the way editing goes compared to earlier seasons, it's getting so super dramatic on purpose and I don't dig that. I love the calm in the tent when everyone is just working away, no need for this American drama element with everyone running around screeching.
And the other thing is in this particular season, especially the last few episodes the tasks are insane. Not difficult but nearly impossible to nail. In a lot of technicals the least awful wins because there's not a single great one. Showstoppers are overwhelming tasks with little time under cr4p conditions in a heated tent. The last few episodes it's just about getting by and don't completely mess up with little chance to show what they're really made of.
5 hours for high class patisserie is nothing, this is a monster task and none of them were outstanding or great.
I'd rather see going back to more basic bakes and not having super exotic things for the sake of being exotic and making the bakers wonder "OMG WHAT IS THIS I'VE NEVER HEARD OF IT".
The show is at that point so stressful to watch and it starts to annoy me. So many tasks are set up for as many contestants as possible to fail.

Have to agree with this. It's nearly like a self-fulfilling prophesy, where they have to make it more and more and more and even more difficult, to the point where the whole thing just self-implodes.


Briony was the obvious one to go tonight, but I'm very sorry to see her go. Her showstopper(s) were an unmitigated disaster, really - none of them looked terribly appetising. Actually none of them at all looked very appetising, apart from the tarts with meringue and raspberries on top which I think were Ruby's? But Briony was just so unfailingly cheerful and positive (even when she was blubbing). She was a lovely contestant.



Ruby has to be the favourite for the final, just from the point of view of being so balanced. The other two are turning into basket cases before our very eyes. Although if KimJoy gets the opportunity to do some fine art decoration, that could take her over the line, she really is a brilliant artist.


I just hope Rahul has lined up some counselling for himself, whatever happens next week :eek:

HeidiHeidi

And how in the name of God has KimJoy made it to the semi-final of GBBO without ever having made a chocolate mousse? Or seemingly ever having even heard of it if her comments/horror were to be believed??


Even I've made chocolate mousse (admittedly about 100 years ago when I was about 9, but still......)

meeeeh

I don't mind Raul. He doesn't smile but so what. I suspect he is just fairly introverted person and not that great under pressure. I like Ruby and I don't like Kim Joy at all. I don't like that much quirkiness, she is very good at decorating but everything is predictably childish. Still those three are deservedly in the final.

iamwhoiam

meeeeh wrote: »

I don't mind Raul. He doesn't smile but so what. I suspect he is just fairly introverted person and not that great under pressure. I like Ruby and I don't like Kim Joy at all. I don't like that much quirkiness, she is very good at decorating but everything is predictably childish. Still those three are deservedly in the final.

Its not that I dont like Rahul , I am sure he is a nice man . But he is in my opinion not suited to Bake Off , its a feel good programme and he makes me anxious and uncomfortable watching him .His anxiety and lack of any joy is difficult to watch for me .
I would Ruby to win as its easy to watch her and she is not uptight and just gets on . And the clip from next week while she holds Rahul and says " breathe Rahul , you are not breathing " makes me want her win now !

Addle

He can be hilarious at times, whether purposely or not.

Max Headroom

Ruby to win since Paul first set his eyes on her....Theres no doubt she can bake, but the C4 bosses are already working on her own show ,win or lose..she's a winner..;)
Rahul is just annoying now....

starlit

I liked Briony I was sure she be in the final I thought Rahul or one of the other girls might have gone last night. Can't believe the final is next week! The excitement!

.red.

Why is everybody laughing at the word hump?
I love Rahul, he'd be a great stand up dead pan comedian if he could get someone else to write the jokes.
Ruby to win it I reckon, she's probably been the most consistent baker.

One thing i noticed, they mention before the big showstopper that it's a new day, something like yesterday ye did this, or yesterday xyz was very strong. But their all wearing the same clothes as in the previous challenges.
The heat in the tent can be unreal, imagine the bang of sweat off some of the under arms of shirts, blouses and t-shirts!!
The only reason I noticed that was because I'm missing Manon's arse and they seemed to show Ruby's cleavage a few times to keep me interested lol.

meeeeh

I suspect they probably buy two sets or clothes or something similar. I presume some filming of 1st day could be actually done next day and it helps that they are all dressed the same for the weekend.

Addle

Has Ruby been so consistent?
She was lucky not to leave a couple of times in the early stages of the competition.

tea and coffee

Did anyone notice Briony's nod to Manon last night? She was wearing a t-shirt saying "Parlez vous Francais " or something like that. She is such a lovely person, and very caring towards other people- she was comforting Sandy last night after she lost!

Addle

And she had French inspired earrings.
I noticed, but presumed it was because it was French patisserie week, and not for manon.

Max Headroom

Manon was hard done by imo...she seemed to be just "going through the motions" on the extra slice, even when Angela Scanlon quizzed her on it she was very tight lipped..i thought.."why does everybody hate the english...:P

zenbuffy

Sad to see Bryony go, though unfortunately, she had a total nightmare, especially in the showstopper. I don't really know what she was thinking with the full puff pastry for the showstopper when they were under so much time pressure.
I feel like the time pressure element has really been ramped up a lot the last year or two, and it is a bit frustrating to see challenges where there is barely enough time to finish even if you do everything absolutely right and as efficiently as possible. I understand that part of the challenge is not having time to keep redoing a certain element, but I feel like maybe they've gone a little too far in the other direction with the timing.
I'm really interested to see who wins next week, and slightly raging that there was no preview at all (just an "enter GBBO" screen), since now I haven't a breeze what to bake for next week at all. Stress!
I had a hard time guessing what was coming for this week too, beyond Madeleines. I don't have the right tin for them, though I think I am going to get one. Even though I try to avoid unitaskers, I have wanted one for a while now and have found myself looking for one multiple times. So, I just made my best guess and figured if in doubt, make choux pastry. There's no way there'll be a patisserie week without choix pastry.
As it happened, my guess was accidentally very close to the showstopper, as I made three different kinds of small patisserie style treats. Lemon meringue filo pastry pies, filled with my homemade lemon curd, and topped with Italian meringue (blowtorched to add some colour and to bring halloweeny terror into my life), chocolate and raspberry profiteroles, and a variation of Paris-Brest (the round pastry thing)

tea and coffee

Delicious Zenbuffy.

gmisk

Max Headroom wrote: »

Manon was hard done by imo...she seemed to be just "going through the motions" on the extra slice, even when Angela Scanlon quizzed her on it she was very tight lipped..i thought.."why does everybody hate the english...:P

Sorry what do you mean? Do you think Manon was annoyed at who? The English?

Addle

I love an extra slice.
Some of the baking attempts are lol funny.
It's amazing how quickly you forget about some of the contestants.

gmisk

Briony was so lovely on extra slice.
Definitely got the best reception of anyone on it so far.

Addle

Ya, very likeable and natural.