GBBO 4th thread - Will it be Ruby Tuesday in Final Week?..

[Myimaginarycathasfleas]

...or will Kim Joy claim the title? Will Rahul nail it with a bake they DO have in India?

It’s anyone’s to lose.

I don't understand the perception that Rahul is still in because he's a ratings puller. I know in the early stages people thought he was quite endearing, but that's definitely worn off, especially since Danish week. The ones I've most enjoyed watching are Briony and Ruby.

GBBO is a victim of its own success. What I loved about the first 5 seasons was that the bakes themselves were both relatable and the beauty came when the bakers took them to the next level. Now it's all timings, tears and telly sound-bytes.

I loved the two seasons of The Great Pottery Throwdown and The Big Allotment Challenge. I continue to enjoy The Great Sewing Bee, The Great Design Challenge, The Big Painting Challenge because they are still highlighting to the shows core theme rather the the contestants Personality/Story/Journey.

I should be wanting the best Baker to win, but I just want anybody but Rahul. It's more like picking a racehorse because you like the name, number or the colour of the jockeys silks rather than its form.

The Block sounds right up my street Schaden I would have LOVED that!

'Twas great fleas - Limpy liked it too- there is no greater accolade.

Vanilla - I will definitely be rooting for you to win the Bake Off next year - but to be honest, I don't see how you can ever top your Paul and Prue showstoppers that you've shown us on these threads.

Outstanding!

I loved the pottery throw down, DH went to the factory where it was filmed while we were on a weekend away. The pieces were amazing.

Really happy to hear that sewing is coming back too

The technicals have definitely become ridiculous. I remember them doing doughnuts in a technical in an early series and now we have the candidates on The Apprentice making them! Whereas on GBBO, they have a challenge that professional bakers would find almost impossible in the time.

And as a pp said, the advert spacing is ridiculous. They manage to show the intro, signature and judging before the first break, but have two breaks between the end of the showstopper baking and the final results - why?!!

Have been lurking for ages but it's taken the mentions of Sewing Bee and Pottery Throw-Down (RIP) to lure me back in

Volant, a few months ago the BBC did screen 3 progs about different crafts including knitting, in which they had a group of people learning how to knit a hat with a bobble. Unfortunately they skimmed blithely over most of the pesky details of how you actually knit and kept cutting away at the crucial points (though I did manage to glimpse one of the teachers, a young woke type, knitting in a most peculiar way that I've never seen before). So I don't think we'll be seeing the Great British Knit-Off any time soon.

As for GBBO - please let anyone other than Kim-Joy win.....

I’m surprised KJ’s mannerisms and personality irritate so many people. My SIL is VERY similar to her and her child like voice and insincerity unfailingly bug the shit out of me. But apparently I’m the only person who thinks she is anything but gentle and fluffy. I feel quite vindicated. This thread is therapeutic.

Rahul is like Marmite, love it or hate it. They say that really annoying adverts sell products well. I guess Rahul is so different from any previous contestant that he stands Out.

Oooh Halsall I remember that knitting/crafty programme. It definitely needed more detail.

I wish that the TV powers-that-be would realise that not everyone is interested in spray tanned 30 somethings finding partners/jobs etc.

There must be a whole world of alternatives.

Fuzzy yes, they tantalised us with things like letterpress printing, silver-clay jewellery and felting, but didn't really do any of them in enough depth. I don't think they really understand how skilled a lot of home makers are - which is surprising given that GBBO and Sewing Bee have shown there's a world of talent out there.

I like Kim joy best, she's been steady the whole way through. I think ruby will win as Paul clearly has the hots for her! Mannon would have stormed it this week if shed stayed in. Ruby has upped her game, she was very patchy for the first 4 or so. Sad to see briony go last night but that seemed fair at least.

Ruby for me! I also like Kim Joy.

I found Briony as irritating as some of you find Kim Joy, and was not sorry she left.

My DDs have different opinions - one not keen on KJ, the other adored Briony. But we all like Ruby!

I want Ruby to win!

I wanted Briony so not that bothered who wins now.

Just caught up with this as we've been away. I think Rahul is now on a downward curve now and can't pull back his confidence. He comes across as someone who doesn't fail often, so can't really cope when he does. He was very lucky this week that Briony had such a mare in the showstopper. I think Ruby will win because she seems the exact opposite and has the personality to cope under pressure. Agree with all the comments re the timing. If you can't make Madelines without leaving the batter to rise for hours, why then complain when they use baking powder?

I thought that episode was very poor (from a production point of view). In all three challenges they weren’t given sufficient time to do the bakes properly so ended up rushing and stressed. I watch GBBO to see people making nice cakes well, not to watch people getting stressed out and on the verge of tears because they’ve been asked to do the impossible.

Yes I've found this c series a bit disingenuous. Not the contestants fault. They are just members of the public after all but the production just seems to have been aimed at trying to create drama and exaggerate the personalities of the judges and contestants rather than it just being a nice friendly show about baking. When it went to C4 I was worried they would do that. They didn't last year but they seem to have ramped it up this year.

It’s not the friendly cosy show it once was that’s for sure. Could be because there’s no Mary, no Mel & Sue.

They also give Paul too much air time, this handshake nonsense is irritating. Was it Manon or Ruby who said, early on in the series, that a handshake from Prue would mean more? I remember applauding them mentally!!!

Manon on extra slice barely disguised her Hollywood handshake apathy! I think both of v them have said similar about wanting Prue approval more. Makes me wonder if he's been perving over them and they v were distinctly unimpressed!

Wouldn't surprise me at all River.

He's as oily as hell.

And getting knocked back would explain why he was in such a foul mood - if both of them had told him to bugger off, he wouldn't like it at all.

I like Prue, but as a pairing with Paul she doesn't work as well as Mary did, Paul and Mary seemed to have a real rapport, bouncing their comments off one another, with Prue it's just two separate judges.

I think Sandy and Noel are a huge improvement on Mel and Sue, they were the one thing that spoiled old Bake-Off for me.

Briony was my remaining favourite. Rahul isn't a rounded enough baker (can't do cakes, which is surely the point). Kim-Joy is so cutesy that I find her exasperating. And Ruby is so hearty and chummy when I think she's so ambitious she'd sell her own granny to get her own TV show.