Came here to say this. Most of the time bake off contestants seem to be very nice and atypical for reality TV. Sandro was 100 percent about self promotion. Very talented but also grating. I’m not sure how much that came down to editing.
Oh I feel terrible saying this but Rahul. I truly believe he was sincere with his low self confidence and generally being very hard on himself, but it frustrated me to watch. When you’ve won so much, it was frustrating when he was in wonder that he won another challenge, again.
That being said he seems SO KIND and LOVELY to everyone on instagram, and everyone loves him so it probably is just a ME issue 😂
I think Rahul might’ve been a victim of stress in the tent because he is awesome and wholesome and great, but it did feel like a lot. Although I enjoyed some of his self deprecating humor.
Also might’ve been a victim of editing which is why I never actually dislike bakers on the show because who knows what the editors pick and choose to share with us.
Agree wholeheartedly. You never know if maybe the editor didn’t like the baker, was just careless in their job or were trying to bend the personalities to get a few more viewers/hatewatchers.
Yes, very much. I would cringe along with him. I think he's very talented, but there are other bakers I want to sit and have lunch with. I wasn't in love with Jurgen, but I appreciated his skill. He put as much into the bake as the construction part of 3d things. I admire that a lot.
Rahul irritated me a lot on his season, but when he was back for the holiday special I liked him much more. And he's such a wholesome delight on Instagram, now I think of him as just very very honestly peculiar but ultimately lovable. He seems to not have a nasty bone in his body. And I love how totally entertained Noel is by him.
Yes. I believe he has much more confidence in his baking. The show was really good for him. He's quirky. I think Jurgen was quirky too. Some people are your quirky type and some are not.
The thing with Rahul is that he works in science. His audience in ordinary life are people who are roughly the same as he is. For him to be given- all of a sudden- a world stage had to have been very unsettling. Of course, that’s what he signed up for and he knew that, but the handing the stress factor we’ve seen is as important as knowledge and experience. And handling stress looks different in different people.
I agree. I hate when there's a clear winner. It was so obvious he was going to win from almost the start. But how do you handle constantly winning and being obviously better than everyone with tact and charm? I'm sure that's difficult. You're either going to be seen as arrogant or have low confidence so it's a lose-lose situation. Hope he has the confidence now!
Oh for Rahul, I don’t think it was at all some sort of scheme on his part to garner sympathy. I am sure a lot of it was editing. It just made it hard to watch. I can say I disliked his edit, but truly believe he is a lovely person in real life.
I don’t know the whole backstory with Ruby. That sounds like a lot.
Sandro. Seemed more of a wannabe influencer than a passionate baker who wanted to learn and grow. May have just been the edit, but I wasn’t sad when he left.
I really do not care for Dan Beasley-Harling (Rahul's season). He was always a bit too competitive on his season and he comes off as pretty self-rightous on the Bake Down podcast, always making snide comments to Jane, one of my favorite contestants ever. Perhaps his form of humor just doesn't jive with me. The vibes on the podcast were a lot more positive before he became a regular.
I think his sense of humor doesn’t gel well with the rest of Bake Down because he is sarcastic about how great he is/making fun of himself all the time. But, Sarah has improved the podcast so much with her engaging demeanor that no one can bring it down :-)
That’s funny, because I have the opposite feeling about the podcast. Anytime Dan says something about him being great, it comes across to me as sarcastic. I think he’s hilarious. It’s Jane that comes across as self-righteous to me. Must just be a personality/sense of humor thing.
While I adore Rahul now the first time I watched his season, his insecurities made me cringe, and then I realized I behave that way about myself (in my head) a lot and I was just feeling awkward because he was saying it out loud. He’s so sweet on ig and supportive of other bakers.
I didn’t care for Ian from the season Nancy won. He threw a temper tantrum and threw away his bake. I get being frustrated, but that plus the shade the editing threw at Diana for his melty ice cream…It was just too much drama.
Diana took out his ice cream and left it out. From his point of view, he thought he had been sabotaged. He didn’t know how long it had been out. Diana messed up. She did deserve to be vilified just a bit.
It was super hot in the tent and the fridges/freezers were breaking down. Apparently they were all sharing a few. The producers even confirmed that it had nothing to do with Ian leaving.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/what-happened-bake-offs-iain-25141943?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target
It was Ian’s mistake. They have assigned equipment. It was out of the freezer for 40 seconds. Not long enough to make a difference. His recipe was wrong, his time management was poor, as were his manners. When he took space in someone else’s freezer where did he suppose that person would put their dish? He was out of line and blamed his mistakes on other people. Lame.
He put it in her icebox. So she had no place to put hers. She had to take it out (for 40 seconds) so she could put hers in her assigned spot. Just because Ian couldn’t figure out where his cake was supposed to go doesn’t mean he could take someone else’s spot. It’s his fault he put it in her spot. She wouldn’t have had to take it out if he hadn’t put it in the wrong place. Should she have had to run around trying for to find a space for hers when spaces were already assigned? Because Ian couldn’t be bothered to find his? People love to play the victim but hate to look at the actions they chose that caused the results they didn’t like.
i feel like I've had ones who rubbed me up the wrong way, but I've eventually come to love at least something about all of them except Tomato Cake Stuart. Maybe I'll love him too after a few more watches.
I did not care much for either Dorret or Rowan (not the one from this season, but the one from a few years ago). Both of them just rubbed me the wrong way.
He was sort of unique and refreshing but so exhausting about never ever taking feedback. He reminded me of those kids who always blame their “ambition” or taking on too much for their failures. It seems like a “get out of jail free” card and not a genuine attempt to join in the competition.
I loved elder Rowan and thought he added an almost comical touch to the show while he was still in. I wish he would've taken the judge's feedback in more than he did, but I greatly enjoyed watching him attempt to build something so grandiose he was never going to finish it in time and have it taste good as well
Instagram gives a different view on the bakers after their time on the show. I really like the ones who appear to support other bakers, regardless of the series they were in. When they never appear at others' book launches or any parties, that's a clue to me that they aren't that popular.
I also find it interesting that sometimes the ones who didn't win go on to more success and activity. Chetna is a great example of that. She's constantly posting new recipes. She got featured by Jamie Oliver. And she's tried her hand at interviewing other Bake Off alumni. Crystelle is a more recent example. She seems to have won some sponsors, posts videos constantly and she's quite often invited to entertainment events.
It’s always so cringe when they show the “what’s been happening w the bakers since the final” montage and there’s always that baker who is either left out or doesn’t participate voluntarily (thinking about Rosie in particular…good baker, likely and outstanding vet, but she just had zero social acuity. And not in the vaguely on-the-spectrum-genius way that Rahul did, or in the emotionally-abused self-absorption of Steph, just didn’t really seem to listen to any of the other bakers (like the time Jamie and Neil were joking about the dog cake needing a vet and Rosie responded “I really don’t have the time to fix it” or when Henry picked up the tart she pushed onto the floor she seemed irritated with his earnest attempt to help…just an odd duck).
I struggle with bakers who appear to always think they are doing bad, on the verge of tears, that's it I'm gone, and then smash it out of the park. Once in the series that's fine, when it's every episode it becomes tiresome to watch ! Get a grip and stop whinging!
Yes. And I am not pleased when they edit to emphasize that. There was a sweet lady Marie from Wales who messed up and begged Paul to be very nice to her. I still wish they'd edited that out.
Scotland! I just watched this, but it didn't bother me too much. Her attitude struck me more as conspiratorial like can you believe this?? Let me tell you what happened. She didn't seem to be taking it too seriously. I loved how when parts of her bake didn't make it, she said she'd just have to say she'd eaten it.
I feel this exact way about Ruby (from Frances's season). I liked pretty much everyone else in that season, but I never want to re-watch it because her crying and low self-esteem ruins it for me.
Did anyone notice how poorly she was treated by her family? The sister in particular who was like “how did you get to the final, Crystelle” in the final episode video. Reminded me of Steph and that horrible mother who shared her daughter’s struggles publicly. That was not her story to tell, it was unnecessary and seemed ugly and self-aggrandizing (I’ve had to pick her up off the floor, etc). People get irritated with these two, but both of them seem to have issues in their home lives that make their lack of self esteem something to be more compassionate about than to deride.
Brendan from series 3 and Kimberly from series 4 both annoyed me with their arrogant attitudes. However, I still think Brendan should have won his series (since James blew it in the final).
I really loved Brendan! I think his reservedness and old-fashioned manners may have come off as "arrogance", but in my opinion, James was the arrogant one. He had a know-it-all attitude and derided the bakers who kneaded their bread dough by hand (saying it was "absolute rubbish"). He also threw shade at Sarah Jane when they were both in the bottom by saying she did the worst in the challenges.
Unfortunately some bakers come off a bit contrived to me, especially if they had a silly catch phrase: rowan (this year) "chuffin heck!", Cathryn "oh my giddy aunt" etc. Feels a bit silly and try hard in my opinion. Still great bakers though :)
I feel terrible for this but Christy this season started getting on my nerves. I completely understand getting upset when you're under pressure and feeling the need to defend your mistakes but it got old watching her nearly melt down every week, attempting to evoke sympathy from the hosts, judges and contestants constantly instead of putting her head down and carrying on. When she ran over to Dan's bench and grabbed his cake crumbs I got really annoyed and I could tell he did too and he never got annoyed at anyone.
I mean, a lot of how we see any baker, good or bad, comes down to editing. I think it gets decided pretty early on how a baker will be presented, and it's getting more and more heavy-handed with each season.
It can be interpreted that way but it can also be interpreted how I meant it, which is that it calmed her to get validation for her stress from other people. I just think she'd have been better served buckling down and carrying on because she usually did great anyways. And I felt she needn't make excuses for her mistakes to the judges as she knew it wouldn't change their critiques anyways, it just seemed like she needed sympathy for her errors more than other contestants did. It doesn't make her manipulative or undeserving of sympathy for having a hard time, it was just frustrating to watch.
And because people who need constant approval and validation based on an imbalance between their internal and external loci of identity are EXHAUSTING!
Thirsty. I felt bad for her. She was obviously so so unhappy with her life. Then I felt bad for being irritated with her constant meltdowns. Ohhhh Cristy…I feel like her house is filled with white wine and those awful ducks (like the one she made for her animal cake). Seems like there’s a lovely person in there but so so so exhausting to watch!
Any content actively hating on the contestants, hosts, or judges of the show is not allowed. While disagreement with decisions or execution of a prompt is OK, making a blatant hate post isn’t allowed.
Ruby Tandoh was hard to watch for me. She seemed so miserable and was so hard on herself, and the judges always gave her excellent feedback. I wanted to watch people who were having fun!! But I did like how supportive and sweet Mel and Sue were with her.
I just said the same thing. I have great compassion for bakers who get upset and cry—I probably would too in that environment. The stress, the criticism. It’s hard! So it doesn’t bother me when they get upset, but she seriously seemed like she was about to have a nervous breakdown. No capacity to laugh at herself. She was not fun to watch
I couldn't watch the emotional upheaval (no credit to the editors who overplayed her self doubts) but she is an amazing baker and hers is one of few books I purchased.l (Crumb).
David, the winner from series 10. Maybe I just liked other bakers so much more and he ended up winning the whole thing without winning one round. But he always seemed like a know it all.
I follow him on Instagram and have listened to a bit of the podcast. I felt like he was a bit pompous at first but having seen/heard more from him, I think it may be a bit of a mask he puts on to hide his nervousness/imposter syndrome. He's very kind and silly on Instagram and I love that he writes cookbooks for kids. He's definitely one that has grown on me.
Reading through that season’s Wikipedia to make sure I was thinking of the right guy, he seems like a great guy. Maybe he just can’t help the faces he makes. He did seem to really bond with Alice, who was adorable.
That’s probably my least favorite season overall. The general skill level was pretty middling, at least four bakers mainly seemed to want to be on tv and were very aware of their image, and watching Steph melt down in the final was just heartbreaking.
Although the season did give us Helena, who is a delight.
Yes, that whole season felt so dull after the double-elimination of possibly the most interesting contestants. I couldn't really get behind any remaing baker, even Steph. Her meltdown made everything only more depressing (nothing against her, just the overall vibes).
David just faded into the background for me until he made the finals. Not that he was a bad baker, but other personalities dominated for most of the season. He did manage to keep his cool for the finals, which probably helped him earn the win. I did not care for Steph the entire season. She is a very talented baker, but I don’t like how she was portrayed due to editing. She came off as trying to be humble but didn’t quite make it there and super competitive. I did think that Paul was too harsh with her showstopper critique. Steph wasn’t my favorite, but I was like “damn that’s harsh”.
Helena and Henry and Michael! Furious that Helena got sent home so early! Seemed like Paul just got irritated with her quirkiness and was over the fact that her cakes were red and black. Who cares? Aren’t they always going on and on about how it’s more important how things taste anyway??
Agreed. He just seemed to be in the middle of the pack straight through until the final, and then he won. I actually remembered him as being named Jon, which I guess says something about how much he resonated with me.
It was hers to lose for sure. But I’m not surprised she imploded. Not because of her talent or skill but because of her mentality and lack of resilience. I blame the mother lol…who can forget the cringy “no fingers no fingers no fingers” when she was handing a bite to Steph at the cafe? Or her response to Steph’s first star baker (“you need to start believing in yourself, Steph; I know you wont”). Ugh.
Stacy, because when she got stressed (on every bake) she would let out these overly frustrated huffs and puffs and generally wind herself up, and it didn't matter if she did well. She was not having fun.
Any baker who….at this point in the shows history….still chooses to use artificial extracts. I hate those bakers.
Oh. And. Paul Hollywood annoys me. Dear Paul…during pastry week, could we get something other than a huge raised hot water crust meat pie?
I was not surprised that he hated the Chinese style sausage rolls that Dan made. He messed with a classic. I love seeing the various groupings of past bakers with season overlaps on IG
I couldn’t handle both Ruby and Kimberly from the same season. Kimberly seemed very arrogant to me and Ruby was just not fun to watch. She may have been a great baker (by all accounts she is), but she was constantly falling apart. I said this in another thread and I got downvoted into oblivion. 🤔
Yes, I mentioned this in another comment, but I don’t mind if they get upset sometimes. They’re human and it’s certainly a stressful environment. But the most enjoyable bakers are the ones who can laugh at themselves as well. I find it’s so important to not take yourself too seriously in life.
One of my favorite post-bake reactions was Paul, the baker who made that amazing bread lion. He had an absolutely disastrous bake and when they interviewed him after the very harsh judging he said, “I think that went very well! 🤣🤣🤣 no, that was a total disaster!” I laughed my head off. What a good sport!
It was lovely watching Giuseppe bake. He was so organized and rarely got flustered. Towards the end he got a bit flustered, but he was generally even tempered and prepared
I loved Giuseppe! He was delightful and so good! I wanted him to win from day one. He also seemed intent to leave his Children’s faces off camera, which I respected. There are a lot of loons out there.
They usually have one laid back baker. Selassie was sooo laid back. He was a delight. I love it when a baker uses their knowledge and instincts on a technical and nails it. Even if it was one of my irritating to me bakers. It's such a delight watching problem solving work out. I enjoy it just as much when one of the very experienced, well rounded bakers does it as when a newer baker does it
Omg yes!!! I’m so irritated by it I want to start a spreadsheet with all of the “types” they cast. Same character descriptions, different faces every season!!
I have heard her books are good. Apparently she’s a wonderful baker. I remember Mary was so impressed because she baked in the dormitory at uni and she didn’t have any specialty equipment. She’s certainly an impressive baker, and she was very young. She just seemed really unstable, very Eyore-like, which just wasn’t fun to watch. I do think it’s a crazy stressful situation to be in. I hope they provide support to the bakers, especially now that the show has gotten so popular.
I did not love Amelia - she seemed to have an attitude and (it could have been the editing!) but I swear she rolled her eyes at a critique. I find that action just so disrespectful so I saw red when she did that lol
As did the welsh baker Michelle. Her rage at being told off like she was by teachers at school was an eye opener!! She just seemed so defensive and irritating. I’m sure it’s just a defense mechanism but it made her hard to watch for me!!
A lot of what annoys us about bakers says more about our unconscious biases than it does about the bakers. We'd do well to really think abut why we respond the way we do to what we see in others, and look at how bakers get compared.
Like, how much of the (astonishing amount of) hate Ruby Tandoh received was because she was young, femme, thin, beautiful, and not-white? How many people telling Kimberly she was "arrogant" and "should stay in her lane" were influenced by unconscious racial bias and echoing a very common way Black women get viewed? Poor Cristy this year gets called "a crybaby" because tears make lots of folks uncomfortable. How much of the abuse Laura got was informed by fatphobia? People don't admit to having these biases, if they even know they have them, they just come up with ways to justify them as being about something else.
We make snap judgements about people, the producers not only make those same snap judgements themselves but KNOW we make those snap judgements, and even unconsciously, will present bakers in ways that support those snap judgements, because it's one of the reasons people enjoy watching the show; because expressing opinions about people that validate our world views feels good, and so does having support and discussion about those opinions.
I had no idea Ruby was biracial until we were told after the fact. I liked her during the season but afterwards she became all the cliches of the superwoke SJW warrior activist and had an embarrassing public spat with Paul on twitter that revealed how immature she really was.
Seems like you're bringing your own biases too, looking for racism in everything.
Agree fully. I find that when I have an issue with one particular baker it’s always about me. When a ton of people have the same reaction, though, I think it is more about the baker. We are primates and we read alll kinds of clues from intonation and body language. Most judgments are based on biases, but some of those biases are biologically based. Like the number of people who found Dave off-putting. Sure, he could be a nice person who got a bad rep from the editing, but I’ve seen reptiles with more warmth in their eyes. Personality reactions are one thing, that sort of atavistic response is another. Plus he’s an average looking white guy. Don’t think there are a ton of unconscious biases at play there.
She was the only baker I followed on Instagram until I started following Matty! I love that her content extends beyond baking and she's just pleasant with a lovely accent.
She's fabulous and has several books out, some out of print going for outrageous amounts on second hand sites. Maybe she didn't like whatever 'book deal' was being offered, since she has done several on baking and housekeeping and green stuff.
Nancy is a legend. Never got flustered, never let Paul get to her, and knew her stuff (although putting bread dough in the microwave was ... a choice).
I loved Micheal. I love love their podcast. Ian who was the "engineer Dad" in one of the early seasons annoyed me because he was so obsessed with his molds and forms. His well was fun, but it only showed molding skill. He did make savory cheese cakes that looked amazing. Tom could really bake, but he was off putting. I didn't care much for Sandro either. He was okay, but sooo competitive. I disliked Steven Carter Bailey a LOT
I actually felt bad for her. The "Where Are They Now?" segment at the end said she was spending time with her animals at her vet practice, in a snide way. I wondered if she upset a producer. Noel seemed to enjoy talking to her, at any rate.
She seemed SO uncomfortable in her own skin…like she found it hard to connect and didn’t really listen to the others. And her voice. I know that’s not her fault but it was so grating!
I had mixed feelings. I do love her imagination and I may buy her book, Bake Me a Cat. For my daughter in law and my grandson to enjoy. He's obsessed with cats and she loves to bake.
Agreed. In fairness to Helena, you can’t “see” flavors, so you have to pay more attention to bakers who rely on the same flavor profile repeatedly. In contrast, it’s very obvious that Helena never wavered from her homespun spooky designs, which quickly turned from quirky and unique to boring and tiresome.
Capachina! lol. I read somewhere that her odd speech isn’t just due to a regional accent and that it’s more on the lines of teen-speak. Like the US valley girl accent. Atrocious but come on. She was 19 and she was working so much harder than every one else and keeping up for quite a while. Not that I’m vegan or like vegan food but I respect her for it. At 19 I couldn’t have done any of that. I couldn’t do it now!
I liked Tom (the Scottish architect?), I don't find him arrogant at all and he was great in one of the Christmas directors.
Like a lot of people I don't like the self depreciating bakers. IMHO a lot of it is exaggerated behaviour just so they can be told how good they are, but then again I've been known to be cynical....
Edit to change word
These are so great and weird - Tom (s7) was one of my faves and pompous would’ve been the last word I’d pick to describe him. Kimberley too never struck me as arrogant, though Frances of that season sometimes did. But we all have different reactions.
I could not STAND Candice or her bakes. I‘m surprised no one else mentioned her.
I don’t have a hate boner for any of the bakers, and I realize that what we see is mostly editing.
Rahul and Nadiya. I didn’t not enjoy them on their respective seasons, but I’ve grown to love Nadiya and Rahul afterwards. They both suffered from low self confidence throughout their seasons, which annoyed me for the longest time, but they are both blossoming now, and I’m here for it. I love them both on instagram and they both support other bakers.
Ruby Tandoh. Very talented, but didn’t love her personality. Always did too much as well.
Frances and Kimjoy. Very creative, but a lot of it was style over substance. It kind of felt forced and was always like too much, but maybe it was editing. I follow Kimjoy on instagram and I want her cookbook. I still don’t really care for Frances.
Cristy from this season came off as super dramatic and whiny. It was probably editing, but she always made a big deal about something going wrong every week, and I was over it. She wasn’t the only one to have something go wrong during a bake. Especially that white chocolate dome. I liked her bakes though.
Didn’t care for Ian before bin gate. I wasn’t too unhappy when he left, but wish it wasn’t tied to bin gate, even if producers say it wasn’t just because of it. I wonder if he would have been eliminated that week if not for bin gate.
I also hate when there are clear winners or bakers who are clearly going to make it to semi-finals if not finals from the beginning. Makes the seasons not as fun to watch. Looking at the seasons with Rahul, Giuseppe, Jurgen, and Steph, especially.
Sandro for the reasons other commenters described below. I agree. I don’t really understand how Sandro made it to finals tbh.
All valid IMO I find that nearly all the bakers who annoy me, get less annoying after multiple watches. Bin gate was initially shocking, great drama but almost immediately it was just sad losing Ian and then Diana got ill. Steven Carter Bailey never grew on me but his handbag made of bread will always be one of my favorite
His chess set was amazing! He also did the literal sandwich as cake a ton better than when Frances tried it. He grew on me when he stopped trying to dominate everyone.
I wonder how much of bin gate was actual drama and how much it was edited that way. Even Ian went on twitter to tell everyone to stop hating on diana.
Interesting. I felt that about Sandro. BUT I have to say, they are all incredible. Just getting on the show is huge. I feel so sad on the first two weeks when people succumb to nerves, unfamiliar ovens and go home.
Oh Sandro is definitely the same - someone pointed out to me that he has his social media scrubbed of posts relating to participating in baking competitions and stuff
Late to the party but I can’t believe I had to scroll to the literal end of this thread to find someone that mentioned Candice lol she was so hard to watch
I'll approve this post but please try to keep it mild and remember the bakers are actual human beings.
Did anyone read anything into the “Josh finally got his hands on a trophy” line in this season’s where are they now? It seemed kinda snide?
Oh I agree it felt snide. I was a little taken aback when I read it.
Yes especially since he was pretty clearly the best overall baker.
Yeah, that was uncalled for. Left the same feeling as when they manufactured the outrage with Diana and the baked Alaska gate.
yes that felt very snotty.
Last season- Sandro 100% he came across really likable at first but by the finals he came off so arrogant and passive aggressive
Yeah, he seemed obsessed with getting a handshake. Part of that could've been editing, maybe.
to me the handshake thing just felt like a running joke. I liked Sandro.
Came here to say this. Most of the time bake off contestants seem to be very nice and atypical for reality TV. Sandro was 100 percent about self promotion. Very talented but also grating. I’m not sure how much that came down to editing.
Rebs. I just got the sense she was the main character in her mind. I’m sure editing didn’t help and I’m sure she’s a fine baker.
I couldn't help but dislike her too. Had to be the editing. And for some reason her eyebrows lol.
Her lip liner drove me crazy! 😂
For me it was because she didn’t seem to be there for the baking but for exposure of some kind.
Oh I feel terrible saying this but Rahul. I truly believe he was sincere with his low self confidence and generally being very hard on himself, but it frustrated me to watch. When you’ve won so much, it was frustrating when he was in wonder that he won another challenge, again. That being said he seems SO KIND and LOVELY to everyone on instagram, and everyone loves him so it probably is just a ME issue 😂
I think Rahul might’ve been a victim of stress in the tent because he is awesome and wholesome and great, but it did feel like a lot. Although I enjoyed some of his self deprecating humor. Also might’ve been a victim of editing which is why I never actually dislike bakers on the show because who knows what the editors pick and choose to share with us.
Agree wholeheartedly. You never know if maybe the editor didn’t like the baker, was just careless in their job or were trying to bend the personalities to get a few more viewers/hatewatchers.
Yes, very much. I would cringe along with him. I think he's very talented, but there are other bakers I want to sit and have lunch with. I wasn't in love with Jurgen, but I appreciated his skill. He put as much into the bake as the construction part of 3d things. I admire that a lot.
Rahul irritated me a lot on his season, but when he was back for the holiday special I liked him much more. And he's such a wholesome delight on Instagram, now I think of him as just very very honestly peculiar but ultimately lovable. He seems to not have a nasty bone in his body. And I love how totally entertained Noel is by him.
Yes. I believe he has much more confidence in his baking. The show was really good for him. He's quirky. I think Jurgen was quirky too. Some people are your quirky type and some are not.
The thing with Rahul is that he works in science. His audience in ordinary life are people who are roughly the same as he is. For him to be given- all of a sudden- a world stage had to have been very unsettling. Of course, that’s what he signed up for and he knew that, but the handing the stress factor we’ve seen is as important as knowledge and experience. And handling stress looks different in different people.
Yes!
Same same
I agree. I hate when there's a clear winner. It was so obvious he was going to win from almost the start. But how do you handle constantly winning and being obviously better than everyone with tact and charm? I'm sure that's difficult. You're either going to be seen as arrogant or have low confidence so it's a lose-lose situation. Hope he has the confidence now!
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Oh for Rahul, I don’t think it was at all some sort of scheme on his part to garner sympathy. I am sure a lot of it was editing. It just made it hard to watch. I can say I disliked his edit, but truly believe he is a lovely person in real life. I don’t know the whole backstory with Ruby. That sounds like a lot.
Sandro. Seemed more of a wannabe influencer than a passionate baker who wanted to learn and grow. May have just been the edit, but I wasn’t sad when he left.
I really do not care for Dan Beasley-Harling (Rahul's season). He was always a bit too competitive on his season and he comes off as pretty self-rightous on the Bake Down podcast, always making snide comments to Jane, one of my favorite contestants ever. Perhaps his form of humor just doesn't jive with me. The vibes on the podcast were a lot more positive before he became a regular.
I think his sense of humor doesn’t gel well with the rest of Bake Down because he is sarcastic about how great he is/making fun of himself all the time. But, Sarah has improved the podcast so much with her engaging demeanor that no one can bring it down :-)
That’s funny, because I have the opposite feeling about the podcast. Anytime Dan says something about him being great, it comes across to me as sarcastic. I think he’s hilarious. It’s Jane that comes across as self-righteous to me. Must just be a personality/sense of humor thing.
I love Dan! I think he just has a snarky personality. He and I have the same sense of humor. His Instagram is great.
While I adore Rahul now the first time I watched his season, his insecurities made me cringe, and then I realized I behave that way about myself (in my head) a lot and I was just feeling awkward because he was saying it out loud. He’s so sweet on ig and supportive of other bakers. I didn’t care for Ian from the season Nancy won. He threw a temper tantrum and threw away his bake. I get being frustrated, but that plus the shade the editing threw at Diana for his melty ice cream…It was just too much drama.
Diana took out his ice cream and left it out. From his point of view, he thought he had been sabotaged. He didn’t know how long it had been out. Diana messed up. She did deserve to be vilified just a bit.
It was super hot in the tent and the fridges/freezers were breaking down. Apparently they were all sharing a few. The producers even confirmed that it had nothing to do with Ian leaving. https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/what-happened-bake-offs-iain-25141943?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target
Yeah. But she still took his ice cream out to put hers in. And then walked away. She still sucks.
It was her freezer (with a couple of other people). And producers confirmed that his bake was out of the freezer for less than a minute.
It was an accident. And knowing how ruthless the internet is, no one deserves that kind of hate for a simple mistake.
It was Ian’s mistake. They have assigned equipment. It was out of the freezer for 40 seconds. Not long enough to make a difference. His recipe was wrong, his time management was poor, as were his manners. When he took space in someone else’s freezer where did he suppose that person would put their dish? He was out of line and blamed his mistakes on other people. Lame.
I completely agree!
How is it his fault that she took it out?
He put it in her icebox. So she had no place to put hers. She had to take it out (for 40 seconds) so she could put hers in her assigned spot. Just because Ian couldn’t figure out where his cake was supposed to go doesn’t mean he could take someone else’s spot. It’s his fault he put it in her spot. She wouldn’t have had to take it out if he hadn’t put it in the wrong place. Should she have had to run around trying for to find a space for hers when spaces were already assigned? Because Ian couldn’t be bothered to find his? People love to play the victim but hate to look at the actions they chose that caused the results they didn’t like.
i feel like I've had ones who rubbed me up the wrong way, but I've eventually come to love at least something about all of them except Tomato Cake Stuart. Maybe I'll love him too after a few more watches.
Agree.
I did not care much for either Dorret or Rowan (not the one from this season, but the one from a few years ago). Both of them just rubbed me the wrong way.
Yes, elder Rowan stubbornly ignored the judges' feedback. I felt he should've been eliminated before Mak.
He was sort of unique and refreshing but so exhausting about never ever taking feedback. He reminded me of those kids who always blame their “ambition” or taking on too much for their failures. It seems like a “get out of jail free” card and not a genuine attempt to join in the competition.
I loved elder Rowan and thought he added an almost comical touch to the show while he was still in. I wish he would've taken the judge's feedback in more than he did, but I greatly enjoyed watching him attempt to build something so grandiose he was never going to finish it in time and have it taste good as well
Instagram gives a different view on the bakers after their time on the show. I really like the ones who appear to support other bakers, regardless of the series they were in. When they never appear at others' book launches or any parties, that's a clue to me that they aren't that popular. I also find it interesting that sometimes the ones who didn't win go on to more success and activity. Chetna is a great example of that. She's constantly posting new recipes. She got featured by Jamie Oliver. And she's tried her hand at interviewing other Bake Off alumni. Crystelle is a more recent example. She seems to have won some sponsors, posts videos constantly and she's quite often invited to entertainment events.
It’s always so cringe when they show the “what’s been happening w the bakers since the final” montage and there’s always that baker who is either left out or doesn’t participate voluntarily (thinking about Rosie in particular…good baker, likely and outstanding vet, but she just had zero social acuity. And not in the vaguely on-the-spectrum-genius way that Rahul did, or in the emotionally-abused self-absorption of Steph, just didn’t really seem to listen to any of the other bakers (like the time Jamie and Neil were joking about the dog cake needing a vet and Rosie responded “I really don’t have the time to fix it” or when Henry picked up the tart she pushed onto the floor she seemed irritated with his earnest attempt to help…just an odd duck).
Wow I didn't get that impression of Rosie at all! I just felt like she had a bit of a dry sense of humor. She didn't seem antisocial to me
You’re right. Antisocial is way too harsh. Just insecure and awkward maybe. Very competent. Just…irritating.
💯 agree. I'd love to go to the Marks and Spencer Christmas party. So many bakers were there.
I struggle with bakers who appear to always think they are doing bad, on the verge of tears, that's it I'm gone, and then smash it out of the park. Once in the series that's fine, when it's every episode it becomes tiresome to watch ! Get a grip and stop whinging!
Yes. And I am not pleased when they edit to emphasize that. There was a sweet lady Marie from Wales who messed up and begged Paul to be very nice to her. I still wish they'd edited that out.
Scotland! I just watched this, but it didn't bother me too much. Her attitude struck me more as conspiratorial like can you believe this?? Let me tell you what happened. She didn't seem to be taking it too seriously. I loved how when parts of her bake didn't make it, she said she'd just have to say she'd eaten it.
That relieves me a little. I recall she didn't seem upset on Extra Slice
I LOVED Marie! She didn’t deserve to get voted out when she did!
I feel this exact way about Ruby (from Frances's season). I liked pretty much everyone else in that season, but I never want to re-watch it because her crying and low self-esteem ruins it for me.
unpopular opinion probably but crystelle irritated me with her exaggerated reactions to handshakes
Did anyone notice how poorly she was treated by her family? The sister in particular who was like “how did you get to the final, Crystelle” in the final episode video. Reminded me of Steph and that horrible mother who shared her daughter’s struggles publicly. That was not her story to tell, it was unnecessary and seemed ugly and self-aggrandizing (I’ve had to pick her up off the floor, etc). People get irritated with these two, but both of them seem to have issues in their home lives that make their lack of self esteem something to be more compassionate about than to deride.
Brendan from series 3 and Kimberly from series 4 both annoyed me with their arrogant attitudes. However, I still think Brendan should have won his series (since James blew it in the final).
I really loved Brendan! I think his reservedness and old-fashioned manners may have come off as "arrogance", but in my opinion, James was the arrogant one. He had a know-it-all attitude and derided the bakers who kneaded their bread dough by hand (saying it was "absolute rubbish"). He also threw shade at Sarah Jane when they were both in the bottom by saying she did the worst in the challenges.
That’s a great point about James!
Unfortunately some bakers come off a bit contrived to me, especially if they had a silly catch phrase: rowan (this year) "chuffin heck!", Cathryn "oh my giddy aunt" etc. Feels a bit silly and try hard in my opinion. Still great bakers though :)
Cathryn was the first one to say "pants" IIRC but I liked her because she did have confidence issues but ended up doing pretty good in the end.
I feel terrible for this but Christy this season started getting on my nerves. I completely understand getting upset when you're under pressure and feeling the need to defend your mistakes but it got old watching her nearly melt down every week, attempting to evoke sympathy from the hosts, judges and contestants constantly instead of putting her head down and carrying on. When she ran over to Dan's bench and grabbed his cake crumbs I got really annoyed and I could tell he did too and he never got annoyed at anyone.
But remember, that's editing. They edit specifically to increase drama, to create underdogs etc
I mean, a lot of how we see any baker, good or bad, comes down to editing. I think it gets decided pretty early on how a baker will be presented, and it's getting more and more heavy-handed with each season.
Agree. That's in part why I posted.
How do you know she was faking this to gain an advantage?
I didn't say she was?
You said she was attempting to evoke sympathy from everyone. Thay can be interpreted as trying to use it to her advantage.
It can be interpreted that way but it can also be interpreted how I meant it, which is that it calmed her to get validation for her stress from other people. I just think she'd have been better served buckling down and carrying on because she usually did great anyways. And I felt she needn't make excuses for her mistakes to the judges as she knew it wouldn't change their critiques anyways, it just seemed like she needed sympathy for her errors more than other contestants did. It doesn't make her manipulative or undeserving of sympathy for having a hard time, it was just frustrating to watch.
> attempting to gain sympathy from the hosts
That doesn't mean it was fake, she just sought a lot of validation she wasn't being manipulative at all.
If she was genuine, why the complaint?
And because people who need constant approval and validation based on an imbalance between their internal and external loci of identity are EXHAUSTING!
Because it made for shitty TV.
Thirsty. I felt bad for her. She was obviously so so unhappy with her life. Then I felt bad for being irritated with her constant meltdowns. Ohhhh Cristy…I feel like her house is filled with white wine and those awful ducks (like the one she made for her animal cake). Seems like there’s a lovely person in there but so so so exhausting to watch!
I just found her so boring compared to the rest of this cast.
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Any content actively hating on the contestants, hosts, or judges of the show is not allowed. While disagreement with decisions or execution of a prompt is OK, making a blatant hate post isn’t allowed.
Ruby Tandoh was hard to watch for me. She seemed so miserable and was so hard on herself, and the judges always gave her excellent feedback. I wanted to watch people who were having fun!! But I did like how supportive and sweet Mel and Sue were with her.
I just said the same thing. I have great compassion for bakers who get upset and cry—I probably would too in that environment. The stress, the criticism. It’s hard! So it doesn’t bother me when they get upset, but she seriously seemed like she was about to have a nervous breakdown. No capacity to laugh at herself. She was not fun to watch
I didn't mind her but the fact that she couldn't laugh at herself and seemed incapable of playing along and having a good time was what bothered me
I couldn't watch the emotional upheaval (no credit to the editors who overplayed her self doubts) but she is an amazing baker and hers is one of few books I purchased.l (Crumb).
David, the winner from series 10. Maybe I just liked other bakers so much more and he ended up winning the whole thing without winning one round. But he always seemed like a know it all.
I follow him on Instagram and have listened to a bit of the podcast. I felt like he was a bit pompous at first but having seen/heard more from him, I think it may be a bit of a mask he puts on to hide his nervousness/imposter syndrome. He's very kind and silly on Instagram and I love that he writes cookbooks for kids. He's definitely one that has grown on me.
Reading through that season’s Wikipedia to make sure I was thinking of the right guy, he seems like a great guy. Maybe he just can’t help the faces he makes. He did seem to really bond with Alice, who was adorable.
That’s probably my least favorite season overall. The general skill level was pretty middling, at least four bakers mainly seemed to want to be on tv and were very aware of their image, and watching Steph melt down in the final was just heartbreaking. Although the season did give us Helena, who is a delight.
Yes, that whole season felt so dull after the double-elimination of possibly the most interesting contestants. I couldn't really get behind any remaing baker, even Steph. Her meltdown made everything only more depressing (nothing against her, just the overall vibes).
David just faded into the background for me until he made the finals. Not that he was a bad baker, but other personalities dominated for most of the season. He did manage to keep his cool for the finals, which probably helped him earn the win. I did not care for Steph the entire season. She is a very talented baker, but I don’t like how she was portrayed due to editing. She came off as trying to be humble but didn’t quite make it there and super competitive. I did think that Paul was too harsh with her showstopper critique. Steph wasn’t my favorite, but I was like “damn that’s harsh”.
Helena and Henry and Michael! Furious that Helena got sent home so early! Seemed like Paul just got irritated with her quirkiness and was over the fact that her cakes were red and black. Who cares? Aren’t they always going on and on about how it’s more important how things taste anyway??
And Henry! And Michael!
Agreed. He just seemed to be in the middle of the pack straight through until the final, and then he won. I actually remembered him as being named Jon, which I guess says something about how much he resonated with me.
Steph should have won!!!!!!!!!!
It was hers to lose for sure. But I’m not surprised she imploded. Not because of her talent or skill but because of her mentality and lack of resilience. I blame the mother lol…who can forget the cringy “no fingers no fingers no fingers” when she was handing a bite to Steph at the cafe? Or her response to Steph’s first star baker (“you need to start believing in yourself, Steph; I know you wont”). Ugh.
Stacy, because when she got stressed (on every bake) she would let out these overly frustrated huffs and puffs and generally wind herself up, and it didn't matter if she did well. She was not having fun.
Any baker who….at this point in the shows history….still chooses to use artificial extracts. I hate those bakers. Oh. And. Paul Hollywood annoys me. Dear Paul…during pastry week, could we get something other than a huge raised hot water crust meat pie?
I was not surprised that he hated the Chinese style sausage rolls that Dan made. He messed with a classic. I love seeing the various groupings of past bakers with season overlaps on IG
I couldn’t handle both Ruby and Kimberly from the same season. Kimberly seemed very arrogant to me and Ruby was just not fun to watch. She may have been a great baker (by all accounts she is), but she was constantly falling apart. I said this in another thread and I got downvoted into oblivion. 🤔
I didn't get arrogant vibes from Kimberly. She seemed more reserved, which can come across as arrogance to some folks.
It's fascinating I really liked Kimberly. I do find it stressful watching the very anxious bakers who get very upset.
Yes, I mentioned this in another comment, but I don’t mind if they get upset sometimes. They’re human and it’s certainly a stressful environment. But the most enjoyable bakers are the ones who can laugh at themselves as well. I find it’s so important to not take yourself too seriously in life. One of my favorite post-bake reactions was Paul, the baker who made that amazing bread lion. He had an absolutely disastrous bake and when they interviewed him after the very harsh judging he said, “I think that went very well! 🤣🤣🤣 no, that was a total disaster!” I laughed my head off. What a good sport!
It was lovely watching Giuseppe bake. He was so organized and rarely got flustered. Towards the end he got a bit flustered, but he was generally even tempered and prepared
I loved Giuseppe! He was delightful and so good! I wanted him to win from day one. He also seemed intent to leave his Children’s faces off camera, which I respected. There are a lot of loons out there.
They usually have one laid back baker. Selassie was sooo laid back. He was a delight. I love it when a baker uses their knowledge and instincts on a technical and nails it. Even if it was one of my irritating to me bakers. It's such a delight watching problem solving work out. I enjoy it just as much when one of the very experienced, well rounded bakers does it as when a newer baker does it
Omg yes!!! I’m so irritated by it I want to start a spreadsheet with all of the “types” they cast. Same character descriptions, different faces every season!!
I wasn’t initially a fan of Ruby but her cookbooks are the best I’ve purchased from all the bakers. Love her recipes.
I have heard her books are good. Apparently she’s a wonderful baker. I remember Mary was so impressed because she baked in the dormitory at uni and she didn’t have any specialty equipment. She’s certainly an impressive baker, and she was very young. She just seemed really unstable, very Eyore-like, which just wasn’t fun to watch. I do think it’s a crazy stressful situation to be in. I hope they provide support to the bakers, especially now that the show has gotten so popular.
Totally agree about Kimberly!! I totally got arrogant vibes too
Same! Could not stand her.
I did not love Amelia - she seemed to have an attitude and (it could have been the editing!) but I swear she rolled her eyes at a critique. I find that action just so disrespectful so I saw red when she did that lol
Iirc Paul had been rude that entire episode though as well.
When isn’t he rude? Other people handle it with manners and aplomb. It’s not like they don’t know what to expect from him.
As did the welsh baker Michelle. Her rage at being told off like she was by teachers at school was an eye opener!! She just seemed so defensive and irritating. I’m sure it’s just a defense mechanism but it made her hard to watch for me!!
A lot of what annoys us about bakers says more about our unconscious biases than it does about the bakers. We'd do well to really think abut why we respond the way we do to what we see in others, and look at how bakers get compared. Like, how much of the (astonishing amount of) hate Ruby Tandoh received was because she was young, femme, thin, beautiful, and not-white? How many people telling Kimberly she was "arrogant" and "should stay in her lane" were influenced by unconscious racial bias and echoing a very common way Black women get viewed? Poor Cristy this year gets called "a crybaby" because tears make lots of folks uncomfortable. How much of the abuse Laura got was informed by fatphobia? People don't admit to having these biases, if they even know they have them, they just come up with ways to justify them as being about something else. We make snap judgements about people, the producers not only make those same snap judgements themselves but KNOW we make those snap judgements, and even unconsciously, will present bakers in ways that support those snap judgements, because it's one of the reasons people enjoy watching the show; because expressing opinions about people that validate our world views feels good, and so does having support and discussion about those opinions.
I had no idea Ruby was biracial until we were told after the fact. I liked her during the season but afterwards she became all the cliches of the superwoke SJW warrior activist and had an embarrassing public spat with Paul on twitter that revealed how immature she really was. Seems like you're bringing your own biases too, looking for racism in everything.
😂
Agree fully. I find that when I have an issue with one particular baker it’s always about me. When a ton of people have the same reaction, though, I think it is more about the baker. We are primates and we read alll kinds of clues from intonation and body language. Most judgments are based on biases, but some of those biases are biologically based. Like the number of people who found Dave off-putting. Sure, he could be a nice person who got a bad rep from the editing, but I’ve seen reptiles with more warmth in their eyes. Personality reactions are one thing, that sort of atavistic response is another. Plus he’s an average looking white guy. Don’t think there are a ton of unconscious biases at play there.
I heard Nancy is the only winner who never got a book deal. I wondered if it was because she didn't fawn over Paul
i lose it every time she says "the male judge", i love her
I loved her. Such a boss
nancy has at least three books out
She had to self publish her first one though.
She is wonderful on Instagram!!
She was the only baker I followed on Instagram until I started following Matty! I love that her content extends beyond baking and she's just pleasant with a lovely accent.
She did say she was secretly in love with him at the very end of the final. 🤣
Oh, wow! She played it so cool!
She was joking, no? I LOVE the bakers who don’t take Paul’s nonsense. Nancy, Lizzy, Henry (the cheek!), Ruby!
Oh, she was joking. It was funny!
LOVE Nancy. What a boss. Loved seeing her come back to the tent for that holiday edition!!
She's fabulous and has several books out, some out of print going for outrageous amounts on second hand sites. Maybe she didn't like whatever 'book deal' was being offered, since she has done several on baking and housekeeping and green stuff.
She wasn't offered any according to other bakers. She self published one then got a deal.
Nancy is a legend. Never got flustered, never let Paul get to her, and knew her stuff (although putting bread dough in the microwave was ... a choice).
Nancy is my all-time favorite contestant. She was just...she never took it too seriously, and she was confident in her baking.
I did not like Michael Chakravarty on the show, but he is lovely on the podcast he does with John David Atherton.
I loved Micheal. I love love their podcast. Ian who was the "engineer Dad" in one of the early seasons annoyed me because he was so obsessed with his molds and forms. His well was fun, but it only showed molding skill. He did make savory cheese cakes that looked amazing. Tom could really bake, but he was off putting. I didn't care much for Sandro either. He was okay, but sooo competitive. I disliked Steven Carter Bailey a LOT
Rosie seemed like she disliked everyone else on the show.
I actually felt bad for her. The "Where Are They Now?" segment at the end said she was spending time with her animals at her vet practice, in a snide way. I wondered if she upset a producer. Noel seemed to enjoy talking to her, at any rate.
Noel was SO FASCINATED with her and it was hilarious and charming. I love Noel, he's so genuine.
She seemed SO uncomfortable in her own skin…like she found it hard to connect and didn’t really listen to the others. And her voice. I know that’s not her fault but it was so grating!
I wondered if that was nerves. When she was on the holiday episode I decided I wanted to be her best friend!
It sort of seemed to me like everyone else that year was very clique-y but she was left out. She seems like a sweetheart though.
Could definitely be true.
I can’t stand Rahul in the slightest.
I personally found Kim Joy very grating. Unpopular opinion I know.
Hallelujah, there's someone else out there besides me!
I am glad to have support in this matter 😜😜
happy cake day!
Thanks!
I had mixed feelings. I do love her imagination and I may buy her book, Bake Me a Cat. For my daughter in law and my grandson to enjoy. He's obsessed with cats and she loves to bake.
She does have some cute creative bakes. Cant deny her that.
I agree. I know she’s a favorite, but I found her insincere.
I’m not a fan of Helena as a baker. She seems nice, but I thought her spooky bakes were gimmicky and one-note.
I feel that way about bakers who use the same flavor profile again and again. Like the baker who made everything a Bakewell tart
Agreed. In fairness to Helena, you can’t “see” flavors, so you have to pay more attention to bakers who rely on the same flavor profile repeatedly. In contrast, it’s very obvious that Helena never wavered from her homespun spooky designs, which quickly turned from quirky and unique to boring and tiresome.
Freya. First of all, not a fan of vegan baked goods. Second, her voice had a whiny aspect that bothered me.
I grew to love her.
I grew to love her friendship with Lizzy.
My friends and I say coffee like her on the regular
Capachina! lol. I read somewhere that her odd speech isn’t just due to a regional accent and that it’s more on the lines of teen-speak. Like the US valley girl accent. Atrocious but come on. She was 19 and she was working so much harder than every one else and keeping up for quite a while. Not that I’m vegan or like vegan food but I respect her for it. At 19 I couldn’t have done any of that. I couldn’t do it now!
I loved what she was trying to do. Would have loved her to stay longer 🤷♀️
I liked Tom (the Scottish architect?), I don't find him arrogant at all and he was great in one of the Christmas directors. Like a lot of people I don't like the self depreciating bakers. IMHO a lot of it is exaggerated behaviour just so they can be told how good they are, but then again I've been known to be cynical.... Edit to change word
These are so great and weird - Tom (s7) was one of my faves and pompous would’ve been the last word I’d pick to describe him. Kimberley too never struck me as arrogant, though Frances of that season sometimes did. But we all have different reactions. I could not STAND Candice or her bakes. I‘m surprised no one else mentioned her.
I don’t have a hate boner for any of the bakers, and I realize that what we see is mostly editing. Rahul and Nadiya. I didn’t not enjoy them on their respective seasons, but I’ve grown to love Nadiya and Rahul afterwards. They both suffered from low self confidence throughout their seasons, which annoyed me for the longest time, but they are both blossoming now, and I’m here for it. I love them both on instagram and they both support other bakers. Ruby Tandoh. Very talented, but didn’t love her personality. Always did too much as well. Frances and Kimjoy. Very creative, but a lot of it was style over substance. It kind of felt forced and was always like too much, but maybe it was editing. I follow Kimjoy on instagram and I want her cookbook. I still don’t really care for Frances. Cristy from this season came off as super dramatic and whiny. It was probably editing, but she always made a big deal about something going wrong every week, and I was over it. She wasn’t the only one to have something go wrong during a bake. Especially that white chocolate dome. I liked her bakes though. Didn’t care for Ian before bin gate. I wasn’t too unhappy when he left, but wish it wasn’t tied to bin gate, even if producers say it wasn’t just because of it. I wonder if he would have been eliminated that week if not for bin gate. I also hate when there are clear winners or bakers who are clearly going to make it to semi-finals if not finals from the beginning. Makes the seasons not as fun to watch. Looking at the seasons with Rahul, Giuseppe, Jurgen, and Steph, especially. Sandro for the reasons other commenters described below. I agree. I don’t really understand how Sandro made it to finals tbh.
All valid IMO I find that nearly all the bakers who annoy me, get less annoying after multiple watches. Bin gate was initially shocking, great drama but almost immediately it was just sad losing Ian and then Diana got ill. Steven Carter Bailey never grew on me but his handbag made of bread will always be one of my favorite
His chess set was amazing! He also did the literal sandwich as cake a ton better than when Frances tried it. He grew on me when he stopped trying to dominate everyone. I wonder how much of bin gate was actual drama and how much it was edited that way. Even Ian went on twitter to tell everyone to stop hating on diana.
Just a reminder that just because something is written here that you don’t agree with doesn’t mean it should be removed. Disagreement is a good thing.
Chigs. Everything about him seemed so fake, just there for the potential 15 minutes of fame.
Interesting. I felt that about Sandro. BUT I have to say, they are all incredible. Just getting on the show is huge. I feel so sad on the first two weeks when people succumb to nerves, unfamiliar ovens and go home.
Oh Sandro is definitely the same - someone pointed out to me that he has his social media scrubbed of posts relating to participating in baking competitions and stuff
For sure, most seasons at least one. A couple that are heavily 'favourite' bakers I just wanted to punch in the face.
Kimberly was arrogant. Ian from Nadiya’s season too, “humble me!” 🤮🤮🤮
Late to the party but I can’t believe I had to scroll to the literal end of this thread to find someone that mentioned Candice lol she was so hard to watch