..to think that in the Bake Off semi final...

[SealSong]

There should be a better standard of baking. So much bad pastry!

I'm unimpressed.

Couldn't agree more about the terrible baking. I'm a massive food TV addict (hate soaps so need to fill that 6-8pm gap) and watch the good food channel loads, they're always re running old series of Gbbo and previous series such better cooks. Which, both me and husband commented on (loads) as with other TV cooking programs generally when you look back the older shows look really amateur.. Where as here it seems a massive reverse!

I'd prefer to watch lots of beautifully created cakes and pastries, TBH. I like watching people show off real skills and execution. Usually I am in awe and think I couldn't possibly bake that well; this season, not so much (except for the frangipane in the technical the other week - I have no idea how to make one of those!)

Yeah. Think they were set up to fail with fondant fancies. As Jane said, making 36, spending 5 mins on each (which is the least you'd need to make them look lovely) cutting, icing, decorating is 3 hours by itself

There has been a lot of talk about whether the producers have tried to cause some drama by not giving them enough time to complete the bakes.

I hate all the naff decorations the cakes get draped over in this season.

They are DEFINITELY set up to fail. Not always given enough time to complete things. Clearly, the producers think a big panic at the end as the time runs out makes good television, but I'd rather see the contestants turning out lovely things than underproved and underbaked things all the time.

I think the results haven't been as good quality this year because they have been given less time. Trying to pipe cream on to a red hot cake is never going to end well, but if you haven't been given enough time to bake the bloody thing properly and allow it to cool...

There is a balance between keeping the timings keen because that differentiates a very competent baker from the lucky ones, but trimming them back so much that everyone's bakes look shit because they have run out of time. I think this year they have the balance wrong. Never mind - next time round it'll be in C4 and we'll be too busy being bombarded with product placement and sob stories to worry about what's actually coming out of the ovens.

We watch GBBO and the Dutch version and usually the standard on GBBO is much higher than on Heel Holland Bakt. This year the standard on GBBO is much worse!

The technical today they clearly didn't have enough time to prove and bake properly. The cream was melting because they hadn't had time to cool and yet none of them had proved the bake for long enough.

The showstoppers don't seem as Showstopping as previous years.

Agree, when I was at uni 10 years Masterchef would have awful cooks in the heats and the middle rounds were the level of a good home cook, now they're fine dining almost from the beginning!

I loved Candice's marzipan peacock the other week, but other than that I've been rather underwhelmed. It's the first series I've ever watched so struggling to understand what all the fuss is about.

Brendan and his year were building amazing creations ... this lot can't even do fondant fancies. !!!

I was really upset when they started talking about the move to C4 with this, but I'm falling out of love with it this series. The bakers are nothing like ones on the 1st few series, and tonight's bakes looked distinctly amateur. Undercooked pastry, decorating warm cakes...... it's just not interesting enough.

Fondant fancies was a technical in another season and they looked better than tonight's effort.

I haven't had the 'OMG I can't wait till next week' feeling this season around. I didn't watch it for about 4 weeks and am kind of catching up but not really too bothered.

Who is your fave and worse character this year? Who do you think will win?

They aren't given enough time

Like Mary said, with fondants, the sponge is left over night. They had to do it all on 4 hours. How is that fair?

Is anyone else watching My Kitchen Rules?

Ive watched a few series from other countries and was so excited when it came to the UK.

My favourite is Candice and I hope she wins

She's been fairly consistent every week

I really don't like Andrew. There's just something about him that bugs me

I'm neither here nor there about Jane. She's ok but I wouldn't be happy if she won

By some miracle I had a box of Mr Kipling fiendish fancies in my bag (orange ones for Halloween). Waited for DH to leave the room then practically inhaled one!

Jane looks like Andrea Leadsom's sister. Went right off her when she couldn't stop chuntering about coming bottom one week and how she didn't know how to feel because it hadn't happened to her before.

I like Candice. I think it will be between her and Andrew.

I think the whole business about it moving to Channel 4 has taken some of the tarnish off it for me. I've fell out of love with a couple of shows recently. Gogglebox and Bake Off used to be the highlights of my week but I've gone off Gogglebox and Bake Off I'm only watching because the kids like it.

My favourite is Candice and my least favourite is Andrew, mainly because he hasn't really made an impression on me this year - Jane is okay I'm with everyone else on the fact I think she is just a bit 'meh'

I too think they deliberately aren't given enough time to complete the bakes. They have to rush, so end up making mistakes.

Im sure last time they had to make French fancies, they only had to make one type. This time it was two

I think Candice is miles infront of anyone else. They always say her flavours are very good.