Great British Bake Off 2018

[5foot5]

Couldn't see a thread on this already so just posted to say it is back on Tuesday 28th August.

Less than 2 weeks to go. Yippee!

They'll have to stop giving Rahul star baker if they want him to win. Otherwise he'll peak too early, like Richard did a few years ago.

raisedbyguineapigs she was born in Belgium to an English father and Chinese-Malaysian mother, apparently. So no Japanese descent, it would appear.

Rahul was quick to take the opportunity to give Manon a hug last week. I doubt he’d have been so keen with one of the more mature women.

Am I wrong to fucking hate Rahul and his smarmy "I'm so humble" act?

I don’t like Rahul. I think he’s pathetic

Yes I think the reason he has to buy friends with cake is because he's so irritating I do feel like i've kicked a lame cat though now Ive said that

You lot are mean! Poor Kim Joy getting all this hate for daring to look a bit quirky and calling Rahul pathetic. Its a baking show, its meant to be about their cooking, not about whether you think they blend their make-up well or whatever! How about discussing their bakes not their faces on the next thread?!

And given KJ's boyfriend owns a comic shop, her obsession with all things Japanese is not unusual. My DS is an anime geek and would love to visit Japan more than anything in the world. He just bought a beautiful Japanese style tea cup for his green tea and has been trying to learn a bit of the language. We have no Japanese heritage but as a culture it is fascinating and beautiful.

With KJ's mixed heritage I'm sure she's had people asking her all her life about 'where she's from' and there isn't really a definitive Chinese/Malaysian/English/Belgian style she could latch onto, so she's gone with something she is passionate about instead!

@Piggywaspushed YES! Thank you! That's been winding me up for weeks, knew she reminded me of someone!

MyRelationship I didn't say I hated anybody, their faces and their personalities are in our faces so will get commented on. It's not the radio. We talked about the decorations on the cake.

Yep - Rahul is getting a bit irritating. Take pride in your achievements man! I thought Briony's decoration on her korovai was really clever but she didn't seem to get any recognition for it - too subtle I'm guessing. There are a few of them who fluctuate between producing something brilliant then go and mess up spectacularly. I can't understand how Terry thought 45 minutes to prove an enriched dough like was enough: they had five hours! I'm not sure the editing is giving us the same picture as Prue and Paul have.

I liked Anthony I think Ruby's 'not the worst Indian in the room' comment was laugh-out-loud funny and I agree with PPs that they are mates and it was a running inside joke, not meant to be offensive.

I think the show's narrative for Rahul is a bit cruel. First it was 'He doesn't stop talking' – they would ask him questions, which of course he'd answer, and then have clips of Paul etc rolling their eyes/drifting off. Now they're going for 'he's a bit sad and lonely' –I know they said he 'makes cakes to make new friends' but I think the real meaning is more 'He makes cakes for colleagues and friends', which loads of people do. They just twisted the wording to suit the 'lonely Rahul' narrative.

They are chosen as much for their entertainment value as for their baking. The baking prowess is what they are judged on but they are only there because the producers thought they were comment worthy characters. Maybe it's a bit more obviously done now it's on C4.

Darling An Extra Slice was cruel to Rahul, but everyone's supposed to take it as a joke. He is probably a bit too sensitive for both of the shows!

ppeat, I don't watch Extra Slice but imagine there's lots of joking and banter, which could be hard for someone very sensitive and a bit serious. I do wonder how he's feeling about it all. I suppose one has to assume that the producers make clear in advance what kind of shows they both are and how they might portray the contestants.

Yes Darling I would hope so but they might not (just concentrate on the baking perspective) , I would hope too that he has watched BOTH shows himself!

I don't mind Rahul, I think there's definitely a bit of acting going on WRT the 'I'm so humble' thing but he comes across as genuinely lovely. Kim Joy seems sweet - quirky very much so but very fun! Although as I said earlier in the thread I did begin with a bit of a crush on Ruby and considering how stroppy she seems it's beginning to wane a bit!

I feel a bit cheated WRT the Hollywood handshakes, feels as though Paul has been handing them out this series and it seems... too early!

There's a lot in the editing. There could be loads of times when he's more comfortable or confident but the producers have decided on his 'character' and that's what we're fed.

They couldn't have edited that very unsure walk towards the judges in the first episode. They could've ignored it of course.

I found Ruby's "not the worst Indian" comment funny, especially as the editors followed it with Anthony saying he isn't from the part of India where they make naan bread. I was surprised anyone found it offensive. I also like Kim-Joy - she is nerdy and awkward but sweet and very creative. Definitely one of my favourite contestants along with Briony and Rahul. Manon seems nice enough but is just too normal for me to warm to!

Whatsnew I think SOME people will find anything to complain about !

Dan is by far my favourite. His baking is consistent & he seems receptive to learning & taking criticism from Paul & Prue. Anthony was another favourite of mine but only really for his lovely attitude & positivity - let's be honest, his baking wasn't much cop really!

I see from this thread that Ruby has a mixed reception. I like her confidence and that she doesn't totally lose her sh*t drama queen style when things go wrong. Granted, she can be a bit mardy but she just keeps going & is wonderfully self-deprecating.

I'm struggling to understand why Karen is still in the competition. Her bakes are generally not well-received and she does the same "whacky" crap week after week whilst touting her "I'm mad, me" schtick. She cannot take constructive criticism and clearly thinks she has nothing to learn if her back-chat is anything to go by. I find her just plain rude.

Kim-Joy is really not that great: churning out the same cat-themed stuff week after week. Rather than sweet, I find her cloying & immature.

Rahul's "I'm so unworthy" behaviour is beginning to grate. The stuff he produces looks amazing and you don't get star baker twice in a row for nothing. If it's sincere, I think it must be terrible to be crippled with such self-doubt but something doesn't sit right.

Terry the 'tache, Manon & Briony are all dull. Not remotely inspired by what they've produced & I don't think they make for good tv.

Rather than sweet, I find her cloying & immature.
I totally agree. Sorry Kim-Joy. She's probably a nice person but I want to shout at her to grow up

Love GBBO and everything about it.

However, IMO, that Tom Allen in Extra Slice seems to be a cross between Judge Rinder and Larry Grayson and he seems to be trying a bit too hard.

I'll still watch it tho.

How about discussing their bakes not their faces on the next thread?!
Where I live, Bake is another word for Face.