Great British Bake-off: The Final

[StrangerintheNight]

Just typed out a very excitable post only to find the previous thread, on which I was an avid lurker, had exceeded it's capacity. So if you don't mind, I'll start the overflow thread in the lead up to the Grand Final.

But his chocolate topping was like a mirror created with a low heat hair dryer He was on Radio 2 talking about it. More creative than Brendan (i didn't like the voyueristic way the camera lingered over poor Brendon's upset though what was that about?).

I found Brendan a total irritation to watch and listen to. His bakes were stuck in the 70's, I hated his lack of modesty....so I was in the anti Brendan camp. I think James deserved to win - he took risks, his bakes were interesting and creative and I was gutted for him that his Finals performance was poor.

Did anyone else spot the bird house in the background of Brendan's garden when he was talking at home?

I've just watched it again. I think Paul was very disappointed with James. I think it was James's for the taking if he just hadn't ballsed everything up in the final, and I think Paul's face reflected that at the end when he presented those five cakes.

So glad John won, he was one of my favourite personalities from the start, although I agree he hasn't been the best or most consistent. Plus he's the only one who actually wants to make a career out of baking, so this will be an amazing springboard for him.

Felt sorry for the others. Brendan has been so consistently good and James is so creative, but he royally buggered it up didn't he? Get the impression he was trying to wow with quantity over quality; they were SO badly iced!

wintera Brendan did say his gingerbread bird house was modelled on the one in his garden

I thought he did but when I saw it in his garden I couldn't help but chuckle. It looked exactly the same too!

hiviolet I agree but don't understand why he has to 'save up' for the patisserie course; he's won FFS you'd think they could give him some money towards his course or even pay for all of it!! What DID he win BTW?

Looking at the technical challenge last night, John didn't win because he tried to do something different (varying the size of the cakes) and didn't quite pull it off. Brendan lost because he just didn't do it very well. And John's pithivier was better cooked than Brendan's (browned round the edges, which is good, while Brendan's had just tipped over into slightly burned around the edges (in spite of his "10 out of 10" comment)).

But I love that we're all discussing who should have won in voices of authority when none of us has tasted a single mouthful of any one of the bakes. You can edit anything together to make it look closer than it is and it's obvious that the producers would want to show John and Brendan's final showstoppers looking roughly equal going into the final judging as otherwise there'd have been no suspense. Either you trust the judges to know what they liked eating most or you don't.

I think he just won the glass cake stand.

I'm really disappointed with the result

James was my fave, didn't like Brendan and was a bit meh about John.

James has won the technical challenge for the last four, five weeks? And he has been star baker three times. Obviously though there's no denying he wasn't exactly on top form last night.

As much as I didn't warm to him I think Brendan should have won.

If the producers are watching here's an idea for next year's show:

Day 1)
Assemble the 10 contestants. Get them all to bake their best cake and THEN PICK THE WINNER because the whole 2 month 'competition' is obviously irrelevant.

But hey at least John had a 'journey' and 'made his Mum proud' and was 'dead nice', bleurgh. Shame he wasn't the best baker.

How very X Factor.

Agree Casey about the tasting that 's what P.H. said on Radio 2 yesterday. Didn't last year's winner win more than a glass cake stand?

Well if it was supposed to be a "showstopper"-how did John´s cake even come close to that?

But yeah, John wants a career from it, unsupportive mum, made her proud, cried...

It was a technically more demanding cake than Brendan's, more imaginative, looked good and allegedly tasted good. But of course none of those could be the reason he won. It must be down to the sob story .

John had more failures that successes and should have been out weeks ago. His cake was the best on the day but that does not warrant his winning.

What a joke.

Squoosh - you might as well say there is no point in University Challenge holding a final, they could just add up all the points from the rounds and whoever got the most right over the series wins. Only problem is that makes for boring tv! An all or nothing final with the chance of an outsider beating the favourite with a better performance on the day makes for more interesting watching.

But didn´t look like a "showstopper"??

imo, of course.

To be honest I didn't think any of the three cakes were of a standard worthy of the final.

Interesting to see James nailing his political colours to the cake, especially coming the day after Cameron and Salmond signed the referendum deal. Salmond will be peeved.

An all or nothing final with the chance of an outsider beating the favourite with a better performance on the day makes for more interesting watching.

Beating? That's the point I didn't think he beat anyone.

If I'd ordered a 'showstopper' cake for a party the only one I would have been happy with was John's.

Brendan's was an ugly looking thing. No doubt it tasted wonderful

All three were more suited as doorstoppers than showstoppers.

The judges thought he did though! Only they know how the cakes tasted, but on visual I thought john's was head and shoulders above the others and far more creative. That is just personal taste though.

The consistent performer has never won GBBO. They are looking for flair, imagination and artistry.

James or John had both. Brendan not so much

I definitely can't watch this year, I'll probably implode if the same thing happens again!

John, lovely guy, not a worthy winner.