Fans of The Great British Bake Off are feeling a bit of dread after Dame Prue Leith confirmed a twist is looming after a huge change was made during the latest episode. The hit Channel 4 show was back on screens on Tuesday night (September 27) for episode three.
This week the remaining amateur bakers took on bread week with three more challenges set them by judges Paul Hollywood and Dame Prue Leith. However, there were only eight contestants in the famous tent with Matt Lucas having to explain the reduced numbers right at the start of the episode.
Opening the show, co-host Matt told the remaining contestants that fellow bakers Rebs, a master’s student from Northern Ireland, and electronics engineer Abdul were feeling “under the weather” and would return to compete next week. "Both Rebs and Abdul are a bit under the weather this week," he said before adding: "But with your permission, we thought we’d send them both straight through to the final."
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As the remaining amateur bakers laughed, Matt’s co-host Noel chimed in to clarify: "Only joking, they’re going to miss a week and hopefully they’ll be back next week.
But the show had to go on an the remaining contestants were tasked with baking two signature pizzas, a pain aux raisin technical challenge and a decorative Swedish Smorgastarta showstopper. The first challenge saw the contestants create two sharing-sized pizzas in two hours, taking inspiration from around the world.
The contestants opted for a wide range of pizza toppings, with Janusz creating a full English Breakfast pizza, Carole inspired by a French tartiflette and Syabira opting to create a Malaysian prawn sambal pizza.
In the technical challenge, the contestants were tasked with making 12 identical pain aux raisin equally filled with a “smooth creme patissiere”, with Hollywood specifying he “didn’t want tails”. He added: "You have to be fast and accurate with this recipe." The technical was won by Polish-born Janusz, with architectural assistant Maxy placing second and nuclear scientist James coming third.
Then, for the final showstopper challenge, they were tasked with creating their “own interpretation” of the Smorgastarta sandwich cake, a Swedish savoury celebration cake. And there was more good news for 34-year-old personal assistant Janusz, who was awarded the coveted star baker title for the second time after impressing the judges with his artistry.
But during their deliberations, judges Paul Hollywood and Dame Prue said the bottom three bakers were “all so equal” that they had to look at their scores carefully when deciding who would leave the competition. Dame Prue added that the showstopper challenge was "one of the most difficult" she has ever judged.
When the time came to eliminate a contestant, presenter Matt said: "This week nobody is going home. The judges felt given the quality and the fact that Rebs and Abdul aren’t here, everybody deserved the chance to bake again." But Dame Prue later confirmed that two amateur bakers will have to be eliminated during the same show at some point.
She said: "They were all thrilled to bits because nobody had to go, they are all friends, they don’t want to see their friends go home. But sooner or later, we have to send two bakers home and that’s not nice."
However, Bake Off fans had already figured that out as they commented on social media. @GeorgiaEH17 tweeted: "No one being sent home means a double elimination #GBBO." @_RAW06_ commented: "Major apprentice vibes, they’re going to send 2 people home in one week?! #gbbo."
@DLucksEdition said: "Are they just gonna hold a double elimination over us every week until it happens then? Sword of Damocles s**t #GBBO." @2001joe_mendy shared: "It's great that no one is leaving this week given that we were 2 bakers short, meaning that there will still be 10 bakers in the tent, but this will come at a cost..to make up for that missing elimination, a double elimination will occur at some point. Dread to know when? #GBBO."
Meanwhile, the inclusion of Pain au Raisin during bread week left viewers watching at home 'incensed'. @LucyGPS tweeted: "At my weekly #GBBO watch party and we are INCENSED by a) Paul’s pronunciation of pain au raisins, b) the addition of a drizzle to said pastries and c) the fact that pastries are not bread."
@gemma_threlfall said: "pain aux raisin is PASTRY, Hollywood you're taking the p**s #GBBO." @IrishFoodways commented: "Oi Hollywood just cos it’s called Pain au Raisin doesn’t mean it’s bread. What next? Sweetbreads? #GBBO." @SarahReilly94 added: "I would like to argue that Pain au Raisin is a pastry not a bread and didn’t really belong in this week?? #GBBO."
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