A Total Eclipse of The Tart - The Final Count Down Bake Off 25

[GetSetFake]

Just realised we need a new thread......

Anyone else find Tom’s floppy hair really annoying?! And he keeps running his hand through it which can’t be hygienic..

We don't know what else goes on in that tent. We only see 90 minutes of 2 days worth of baking.

For all we know Tom could be doing really well, and they decide to show us him cocking up as it makes good tv. Same with Jasmine being perfect every week.

I felt for Tom last night. Don't get all the hate for him, he seems like a decent guy.

I don't think Jasmine will win though.

Sad to see Toby go but he couldn’t go through to the final of The Great British Bake Off after his Technical disaster.

I don’t get the love for macarons. 😀

I had a horrible thought going to sleep last night (my life is rich and full, you can tell!). I wonder if Tom is the winner and the on screen snark from Paul was to garner public sympathy for Tom? My circles are probably not representative but he seems very unpopular as a potential winner. They have different favourites but “anyone but Tom” has become a bit of a theme in recent weeks.

@C8H10N4O2I wonder if you are right? I didn't warm to him at first but he seems more human after his wobble last night. The whole series will have been edited before we start watching it, but his narrative arc could be "Looks like the winner - struggles as the weeks go on - nearly crashes out - breaks down in tears - pulls himself together - manages both style and substance in the final".

I do think, at this point, either he or Aaaron would be a more interesting winner than Jasmine. Last night I was thinking "Not more bright green pastry?", and Paul has pointed out her fondness for pistachio. But maybe she will up her game for the final.

Surely the tent is now so often red hot during filming that they should be doing their practice bakes in furnace rooms or something? It seems to have become a regular thing. For the first time in my life, I found myself thinking about the function of eyebrows being in part to stop sweat running into your eyes — though the admirably unflappable Jasmine, whom I assume has alopecia that affects all her hair, doesn’t seem to have been negatively affected?
@HillOf, I thought I saw something drop onto her bake last night and wondered if it was sweat, but surely they wouldn't show that? Can't quite bring myself to go back and check.

Yes sweat dripped into her bake, dh and I noticed it. She knew as she immediately commented on how hot she was. But I imagine all sorts fall into those bakes, I dread to think how many hairs fall in from most contestants.

There does seem to be a general lack of hygiene. I remember watching old Bake Offs after Covid and being appalled at the number of people blowing excess sugar etc off their bakes. I know home baking is more relaxed than a professional kitchen but I'd hate people to find a hair in one of my cakes or something.

Nobody mentions the waste of making the giant stands for the Showstoppers on Bake Off: The Professionals. They are made of edible matter (technically) but definitely not intended to be eaten. If Tom hadn’t also neglected his macarons, I think it would be unfair that he is getting such criticism for the waste of chocolate.

He's definitely been going for a Bake Off The Professionals vibe since the start. Slightly less successfully than Dylan last year, probably, but definitely the same style. And yes, they use huge blocks of chocolate for effect that never get eaten. I've got to the point of admiring his ambition, perhaps more so because he isn't quite pulling it off. Got to love a heroic failure!

Very miffed Toby went! Trying to justify it by actually scoring them, I come up with:
Jas Arr Tom Toby
Round 1 4. 3. 2. 1
Round 2. 4. 2. 3. 1
round 3. 4. 2. 1. 3

Total. 12. 7. 6. 5

Which does kind of justify it to me, except I always feel the Showstopper is weighted more and round 1 was debatable between Tom / Toby which would switch the 5/6. Or did Arr actually come last in Showstopper, not Tom?

I did a similar exercise last week after the consensus on here that Lesley was robbed the week before. Meant to do it this time but the panic over starting the new thread in a hurry derailed me. So thank you for doing it for us!

I suspect if Toby's technical had only been awful and not a total fail, he might have stayed. But it was more like something served up by Hassan in Week 1 than something you'd expect in the semi final.

I think you could argue Tom's Showstopper was third not fourth as Aaron's looked terrible.

I'm just frustrated that playing it safe seems to be the way to win. Last year's winner Georgie was a much more boring baker than either Christian or Dylan. But they over reached themselves, crashed and burned. Hoping for a plot twist this year!

Glad I found you all for the final thread!

Me and DH caught up tonight. So gutted for Toby as we thought he'd pulled it back, although his mousseline soup was a thing of legend!

Paul was quite viscous I thought. DH said, of Paul about Tom, 'I really think he doesn't like him very much' and on that showing it's hard to disagree.

It's looking like Jasmine for the win but I'm secretly hoping for one of the others. Yes, she's very good and calm, and yes she's a good baker. I'm sure she's very nice but she does give off perfect Head Girl vibes.

I was about to post the same. How much sweat must there be in his bakes? 🤮

Anyone watch an Extra Slice? Cherish, taekwondo and Joe Wilkinson is the funniest thing I’ve seen on TV ever.

I loved it. And I think Tom Allen has just got funnier and funnier as the series has gone on. Toby's pistol squat was astonishing! I didn't think such a thing was humanly possible. And that sofa cake was lovely too.

Yes, loved it. I think Tom Allen is great, so quick witted. I think they could ditch the celebrity kitchen segments and I often find the celebrity games cringey, but actually watching them throw fruit at Tom was genuinely entertaining.

Yes I really like Tom Allen, he’s hilarious when he interviews the audience.

I stopped watching Extra Slice because of Tom Allen, I just didn’t find it funny when he was slagging off people’s bakes that they brought in.
I don’t mind his style of conversational humour, pithy comments and barbs in panel shows, but in Extra Slice it just felt like punching down as he never brings in anything he’s made for audiences to slag off.
I haven’t watched extra slice for a couple of years though, perhaps he’s mellowed and is less mean now.

He's usually complimentary about the bakes. I think perhaps he has changed a bit though because I didn't used to like him at all and now I do. In fact, last week I found myself thinking that I'll be sad when Bake Off finishes because then there'll be no more Tom Allen on Extra Slice!

I withheld from reading the thread in real time as I watched on catch up....but I've only just found this!
Im gutted for Toby and his showstopper was better than Aaron's and Tom's. I thought any of them , apart from Jasmine were at risk of going.

I had a 3 tier cake for a significant birthday and the cake maker assembled it on a table at the venue, so it was transported in pieces and assembled, and decorated, on site. (She was there about 20-30 min) So I always think its an element of unnecessary risk to man handle the show stoppers to the front table.

This might be a bit mean and obviously all the cakes are amazing but I notice sometimes that Jasmine has possibly taken less risks/been less ambitious than other bakers (Tom having a hanging element - wtf did it have to be 12kg though, surely a smaller structure would have worked the same?) There was a baker a few years ago - incidentally she had the same bench - at the back - as Jasmine, and she did simple designs but exquisitely neatly but im sure the week she went out she was criticised for being ambitious enough (or words to that effect)

I have to agree Jasmine keeps it simple and avoids risk. But I can’t criticise that too much because I would totally do the same!

If you play safe with flavours you need the presentation to be perfect, if you take risks with flavours you get a bit more leniency on presentation etc.
Different approaches suit different bakers. I like finding out about different flavour combinations from the likes of bake-off but am far more likely to try a beautifully presented but traditionally flavoured bake IRL.

I've been enjoying Extra Slice more this series as well. Joe Wilkinson is generally always great, Tom Allen too. One thing I've noticed this year is that the audience aren't wearing/waving around masks of the contestant who won 'star baker' each week when named by Jo Brand. Maybe the printing costs were getting too much for the show's budget.

The throwing fruit game was fun, but I'd rather have another segment of showing bake pictures from viewers instead of the celebrity game; Jo's introductions and comments on the withered/deformed pet-inspired cakes really make me laugh.

Wel they’d only have to print one - it’s mostly been Jasmine! 😄

I always turn off at the Celebrity Game, not a good addition imo. More home baking disaster pics would be great 😄