First Handshakes and Second Servings
Clara takes Star Baker, Shannon goes home, and Over routs Under 17 to 1. The newsroom reacts to Audience Choice Week.
First and foremost, Paul bestowed the first Paul Hollywood Handshake™️ of the series to Moyin (and his mum Kike) for their orange Basque cheesecake. So everyone who selected Moyin for a handshake in their Fresh Bakes predictions can Basque :-) in the glory of 6 points this week! Those who have Moyin as their Roll Model are even happier; his 5 Roll Model points (3 Handshake, 1 Perfect Praise, 1 Star Baker In-the-running) topped the tent this week.
The first handshake given out last year was to (Always The Bridesmaid) Tom, who went to the final, and the year prior to (Fainting) Illiyin, who made it to episode 8.
Further analysis shows that ‘First Handshake Getters’ made it to the final 31.3% of the time and won 18.8% of the time. Moyin, orange you glad you got that first handshake? :-).
Secondly, when Prue Leith retired from the tent, she took her trademark “That’s delicious” Roll Model point with her. Leaving us with a hole to fill in our scoring. Naturally, we assumed Nigella would develop her own signature point-scoring move. This week, we’ve found it.
The Nigella Second Serving™️.
From next week, all bakers whose bakes are so good they cause Nigella to go back for a (usually weirdly large) Second Serving will receive a Roll Model point per qualifying bake. So, keep an eye out for repeat Nigella tastings going forward!
Newsroom Articles
👜 Come On, Clara!
What did I say in my Fresh Bakes prediction this week: “All in on Clara”. And, by jove, Clara delivered! That’s my girl! Strong showing with her fiancé Kieran in the Signature with their Honky Tonk Cheesecake, a bronze in the Technical, topped off with her designer bag Showstopper, which was clearly the best in the tent. A well-earned Star Baker award, which will not be her last, in my estimation!
Her cheeky character, unapologetic energy, and extravagant bakes are quickly making her my favorite - and believe me, a Derrick Dollop endorsement is tough to get. Just ask the local mums at the village bake sale, Sandra, these chocolate chip cookies are just way too overbaked to be selling for 50p a piece!
Now, Audience Choice Week as a whole…I’m not so convinced. I’m a fan of tradition, and breaking the mould this much this early had me reeling a bit. Bringing other bakers into the tent for the Signature? Non-uniform Technical Bakes? A bit silly for me. How can we seriously judge the quality of these bakers when we throw confounding variables into the mix?
However, I’ll admit, the Technical did an effective job at separating the wheat from the chaff (get ready for Bread Week next). Top performers Clara (!), Mo, and Gabe displayed precision, ambition, and class while certain other bakers collapsed under the uncertain pressures. So perhaps such a format has some merit.
💛 I Owe Nikki an Apology
Before anything else, I owe Nikki an apology.
I feel terrible for picking Nikki to go home last week! I should never have doubted her, and thankfully she proved me wrong.
Her first Signature with her cousin Jen was a bit of a wobble, but she recovered nicely by finishing fourth in the Technical.
Then came the sombrero. Wonderfully colorful, fun, and completely ridiculous in the best possible way. It looked fantastic, and the judges loved both the flavor and the decoration. Yes, the hat developed a few cracks, but that is what caramel glue is for. Arriba!
Despite being the coldest baker in the Temperature in the Tent rankings, Nikki was nowhere near elimination this week. That beaming smile alone might carry her halfway through the competition.
And a massive warm congratulations to Moyin, who earned the first Handshake of the year!
His orange Basque cheesecake wowed Paul and, somehow, also wowed me despite the minor obstacle of me not actually tasting it. It looked tremendous through the screen. The youth are the future!
🙄 Get a Grip
Audience Choice Week? What was that format? Random people invited into the tent? A mystery-ingredient Technical? The whole point of the Technical is that everyone gets the same challenge so we can actually compare them. Even the competition itself can’t keep things in order anymore.
What’s next? Blindfolded baking? Contestants get the ovens set at random temperatures? Bakers only get to use their feet? Get a grip.
And now, the bakers. Shannon’s near-handshake last week gave me hope she had real potential. Unfortunately, hope does not get you through Bake Off.
A poor Signature. A poor Technical. Then a “Showstopper” that looked like a biscuit with a bit of frosting on it, which she claimed took four and a half hours.
The only show it stopped was mine, when I had to pause the television in disappointment and consider whether she might be better suited to children’s birthday parties. Elimination felt deserved.
Nikki had a surprisingly better week, but let’s be clear: a smile will only get you so far in Bake Off. Her sombrero was fun, I’ll admit. It even reminded me of my college days, though for reasons I won't explain here. But those cracks were worrying. Caramel glue may have held the thing together this week, but there are only so many structural emergencies a cheerful disposition can survive.
Connie, meanwhile, is quietly moving up my rankings. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by her progress in the tent. She still has plenty to work on.
And Mo had another strong week. Second in the Technical, another composed showing, and those delicate wafer wings showed some real skill. The talent is clearly there.
Now I want to see whether he can keep building on it, or whether I’m about to regret saying something nice about him.
Temperature in the Tent
Gauging the heat from this week's Fresh Bakes
The Over/Under
Counting the over vs under words
Soggy, Stodgy, or Split
Calling the first word of the week
Split it is: Shannon said "split" in the Technical, the first of the three words anyone said.
Baker Points
How the bakers stacked up this week
Paul shook Moyin's hand for an orange Basque cheesecake, the first Handshake of the series. Moyin and Yannis each had a bake receive "Perfect" Praise from the judges.
Audience Choice Week, Ranked
The Fallen
Always in our hearts
Next Week's Batch
Reminders for next time
Don't forget! Bread Week airs on Tuesday 13 October, and picks opened this morning at 8am.