..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.

[amusedbush]

ApplesinmyPocket

Nothing quite as extravagant and not every single week.

[OlennasWimple]

I think after Frances, the bar was set quite high for props. Andrew isn't afraid of a prop or two either (moving cog pies? ferris wheel of lard?), but doesn't get the same criticism. Candice has been the most consistent throughout the weeks, and judging by the comments her stuff seems to taste the best. But then I never guess right who is going to win, so it probably won't be her!

Loving the Selasi link (though a bit concerned that the BuzzFeed writer doesn't understand the birds and the bees...)

[TragicallyUnbeyachted]

It's perfectly possible for a body part to be fine but to still feel self-conscious about it. Whole multi-million-pound industries are built on encouraging and exploiting that fact.

[BalloonSlayer]

Yes but by suggesting someone is pouting because they are trying to hide their teeth is clearly implying that you think there is something to hide and to claim anything else is being disingenuous. It never crossed my mind in a million years that Candice "might be trying to hide her teeth." Bloody insulting.

[sandragreen]

Totally agree with balloonslayer

Can't stand Candice but there's no reason to be slagging off her teeth. The gurning is ridiculous, yes, but what's it got to do with her teeth?

[ApplesinmyPocket]

"Nothing quite as extravagant and not every single week."

Well I've not got a great memory so maybe you're right.

I quite like Candice, she seems a decent sort to me. I'll be happy if she wins.

[ThereIsNoFelange]

Meh, Candice is inoffensive.

Jane, on the other hand....😡

[rogueantimatter]

What's wrong with Jane?!

[originalmavis]

I'm not really rooting for everyone. All the ones she seemed strong have gone already. It's been an odd series.

[TragicallyUnbeyachted]

No one on here is slagging off Candice's teeth. A subset of commenters on Twitter appears to think that there's something wrong with her teeth. Combine that with the fact that she seems to show them as little as possible and it's reasonable to hypothesize that the reason she pouts is more likely to be "because this isn't the first time she's been picked on over her teeth and so she feels self-conscious and shows them as little as possible" rather than "because she's just an intrinsically smug and annoying person".

Victoria Beckham gets exactly the same thing ("urgh, why does she pout so much?" when she doesn't show her teeth and "urgh, look at her TEETH!" when she does). And, again, there's absolutely nothing wrong with her teeth.

[JosephineMaynard]

I was rewatching an episode of GBBO earlier - there was a shot of Candice smiling and showing her teeth on that. They're fine. Looked like perfectly ordinary teeth.

Personally, I think it would be nice if people would talk about the contestants baking rather than their appearance or mannerisms. Given that it's a baking competition, not a modelling competition.

[BlueberryBakewell]

This is why I have not applied. I am a very good baker, but I know everyone would hate me and say horrid things.

This series they have not been given nearly enough time to complete their bakes well. They used to get 5 hours to do their show stoppers, now it is 3.5 hours.

[NoMoreMissusNiceGuy]

I totally agree Blueberry Bakewell ... I made a bakewell tart, following the recipe from the show. They got 2.5hrs to complete that. Between chilling the pastry/blind baking/then cooling before icing mine took 3.5 hours! It takes well over an hour to cool properly, even if you shove it in the fridge when it's cooled a bit.

[2rebecca]

I dislike Candice because she acts as though it is a modelling competition though. All that lipstick and pouting.
They always have their ingredients with them though so it never seems that the suff they are baking is a surprise so surely they get to practise at home and practise doing it in the time available.

[MrsHathaway]

One of them said this week ooh I've practised but not to time.

What?! Why would you do that? Surely in the circumstances you work down to the resources available to you, rather than up to your aspirations.

And you look at the fucking weather forecast to work out whether it's going to be humid or not, or cracking flags perhaps, and factor in the additional time sink accordingly.

[JosephineMaynard]

I believe they're told what the brief is for the signature bake and showstopper ahead of time, so they can plan what they're baking and practice. Agree it seems silly not to practice baking to time.

I think the technical bake is the only random bit that they don't know about in advance.

[BitchQueen90]

I don't get the Candice hate, but I do think she has been favoured from the beginning and I think that's unfair. Couldn't believe Paul suggested she should be star baker on the last episode. Her bakes were BURNT.

I don't think her makeup looks that great either, dunno why everyone goes on about it.

Don't think I'm gonna watch it now Selasi is gone. I'm indifferent to the 3 remaining.

[TragicallyUnbeyachted]

Danny from Season 3 wrote a very candid blog post about the GBBO process that I think sheds some light on the "but why don't they all practise everything more?" questions.

Her original blog isn't there any more, but it's archived courtesy of the Wayback Machine: <a class="break-all" href="//web.archive.org/web/20140113181000/bakingastherapy.wordpress.com/2012/10/21/bake-off-confidential-bittersweet-adventures-in-a-tv-show/" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">Bake Off Confidential – bittersweet adventures in a TV show

[MrsHathaway]

Thanks Tragically, very interesting.

[Tomorrowillbeachicken]

Would loved to have seen Selasi in the dress

[littleprincesssara]

All the hate on Candice is very depressing (not here but in general), and would never happen if she was male.

If Selasi was female he'd have been absolutely raked over the coals for some of the stuff he's done!

[BuntyFigglesworthSpiffington]

Candice is okay but her end results never match her ambition. All the finalists are a bit blah to be honest.

[Roussette]

Not sure about that. In Masterchef, the bald twirly moustached supercilious guy got a lot of flack. Horses for courses.

I don't dislike her, I just don't like her pouting, it irritates me. She's a good baker. Obviously she is or she wouldn't be there.

[BuntyFigglesworthSpiffington]

And I hate, hate, hate that this year they present their bakes on some bloody elaborate stage set. Just put them on a bloody cake stand.