The Great British Baking Show Recap: The Bee’s Knees

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I’m incredibly upset with Paul Hollywood and feel he unfairly criticized my favorite baker, Tom. It feels like a complete reversal after initially praising Tom with a handshake! Now he’s finding fault with minor details. I’m so frustrated I want to do something mischievous – maybe scratch his car and definitely eat all his delicious baked goods (I hear he has a lot!). I’m seriously angry and ready to unleash my fury on him, just like Angela Bassett in Waiting to Exhale.

I don’t mind the Signature Challenge during Patisserie Week – it’s the one part I actually enjoy. The four remaining bakers – nicknamed ‘Jasmine and the Gents’ – had to make two batches of cream horns, which led to a lot of jokes about them looking like… well, horns. Honestly, I was surprised there weren’t more! The challenge itself was fine, but it was really difficult for the bakers because the tent was so hot – it was England’s hottest summer ever, and pastry work requires really cold butter, something we were reminded of constantly.

Okay, so Toby admitted he’s never tackled rough puff before, and Paul apparently really laid into him last time he tried full puff pastry. This time, he started with Paul’s recipe, but it was a disaster, so he switched to Gordon Ramsay’s – the shade! I didn’t even know Toby had it in him, and honestly, it’s endearing. Prue found his pastry a bit tough, and predictably, Paul blamed it on him using a ‘chef’s’ recipe. Seriously, Paul isn’t getting any redemption this episode. Everyone loved the flavors of both his coffee and lemon horns, but the pastry itself just wasn’t hitting the mark, which unfortunately puts Toby at the bottom of the pack.

Alongside him is Tom, who used to be called Perfect Tom. But don’t worry, Tom, I still think you’re great! Throughout the baking process, he keeps joking that his pastry will end up like shortcrust, and surprisingly, that’s exactly what the judges say! It’s strange – if he knew the pastry was an issue, why didn’t he fix it before the judges tasted everything? Like Toby, they really enjoy his raspberry cream cheese and chocolate-clementine flavors, but the judges seem to be focusing on the pastry itself.

It’s the complete opposite with Aaron – the judges seem to adore him, though I’m not sure why. Did I miss something this season? Paul and Prue both praised his dessert selection, but they didn’t like how the flavors worked together. Paul pointed out that his nectarine and cherry tasted good on their own, but were unpleasant combined – and he’s right. It’s like mixing all the flavors at a slushie machine. The same goes for his chocolate and lemon, which I also don’t enjoy, except for See’s Candy Lemon Truffles – those are amazing.

Everyone seems to adore Queen Jasmine, which honestly makes watching the competition less exciting. It’s clear she’s been the strongest contestant for weeks, so there’s no real suspense about who will win. The judges are particularly impressed with her pastry Bugles – they really do look good! Paul loves how flaky they are, Prue enjoys the coffee and chocolate flavor combination, and Paul even liked the raspberry, pistachio, and white chocolate ones (though I don’t!). It’s frustrating that Paul criticized her for using too many pistachios, and then kept bringing it up even after she stopped using them. Seriously, Paul is always finding something to complain about.

The baking challenge involves creating a Framboisier – a complex French dessert with sponge cake, a special cream, and fresh raspberries. It also requires bakers to make a delicate sugar rose and dome for decoration. As viewers, we enjoy seeing difficult challenges, but we ultimately want the bakers to succeed and produce something impressive within the time limit. In this case, however, none of the bakers were able to finish their cakes, which suggests the challenge itself is the problem, not the bakers’ skill. It’s simply too difficult. It’s surprising that the challenges aren’t tested beforehand, or run by someone other than the contestants – similar to how they test challenges on shows like Survivor.

One positive aspect of the competition is that it lets bakers focus on what they truly enjoy: creating a beautiful, classic cake. It’s refreshing to see contestants aim for a traditional look, rather than elaborate designs resembling things like footballs, faces, or cars. That’s exactly what the judges want! Often, the show pushes contestants toward overly complicated constructions, turning them into engineers when they should just be baking. As Jasmine pointed out, she’s a medic, not an engineer, and that’s perfectly fine – and Tom is great too! (She’s also fantastic, of course.)

This week’s technical challenge was a complete disaster – easily the worst bake we’ve seen on the show. The biggest problem was making the sugar glass dome. The process involves boiling sugar, spreading it onto plastic wrap (Saran Wrap), pressing it into a dome shape, letting it cool, and carefully peeling it off. It’s one of those techniques that looks amazing when a professional does it, but seems impossible to recreate at home. Tom almost succeeded, but cracked his dome while freezing it. Aaron was the only one to finish, though his looked a bit like a dirty glass found on the street. The final decision came down to Jasmine and Tom, and while the judges liked both their cakes, Jasmine ultimately won. It makes you wonder if Tom had finished his dome, would he have won? Was the competition about the flavor of the cake, or just this unnecessarily difficult technique that even Martha Stewart questioned?

Toby definitely struggled, presenting a creation that looked like a messy mix of a protein shake and green juice. It didn’t hold its shape and ended up a liquid disaster. His problem wasn’t just the cake’s structure, but also the mousseline – a butter and custard cream – which failed to set properly. The result was more of a puddle than a cake, and it only had one layer of sponge when two were expected. Prue pointed out that it was a fundamental flaw, like complaining about no WiFi in a house that’s been destroyed – there were much bigger issues with the bake!

The main challenge involves creating a stunning macaron centerpiece – at least 45 centimeters tall, with 30 macarons – that’s visually impressive. I think it’s a great challenge; it’s exactly the type of ambitious task we’ve seen on the show for years. It’s difficult, but definitely achievable.

Almost all the bakers are having trouble with their macarons, particularly Aaron and Tom, who both need to remake them. Tom was smart enough to prepare extra batter, knowing his first attempt might not be perfect. However, the baking is made even more stressful by Alison and Noel constantly bothering the contestants. Noel is even going around with a bizarre prop – Mr. Spoon – that supposedly guarantees a spot in the finals if a baker kisses it. It’s ridiculous! I wish I could have been the one dressed as Mr. Spoon; I’d happily accept kisses from all the remaining bakers, and even Alison, if she’d ever stop sitting on that fence – and I mean actually sitting on a fence, because she’s wonderfully stubborn and opinionated.

Okay, so I’m all for ambitious bakes, but the judging on this show sometimes gets to me. This time, it was Tom’s turn to face the music. He built this insane chocolate beehive – seriously, with Iain inside according to Noel – suspended from a real tree and covered in bee-shaped macarons. It was a spectacle! Prue thought it was “astonishing,” which it was, but Paul? Not so impressed. He basically said if it had been chocolate week, he’d have loved it, but for a macaron challenge, it didn’t cut it. He pointed out the macarons were a bit flat, the painting wasn’t great, and the whole beehive was just too big. He kept saying it was “very Tom” – meaning over the top – and that he should have scaled it down and covered the entire structure with macarons. Honestly, it felt a little harsh!

Hold on a second. This decision doesn’t make sense – it goes against the entire premise of the show and what Baking Show has been about for years. They specifically asked for creations that were bold, impactful, and tall, always rewarding elaborate and over-the-top designs. Now, suddenly, something big and ambitious is considered too much? They requested something grand, and when a contestant delivered, they seemed to change their minds.

It’s frustrating to see bakers prioritizing elaborate structures over flavor. They’re constantly being asked to build things that look impressive, leaving them little time to actually focus on making delicious baked goods. It limits their creativity and the variety of treats they can offer. Honestly, if the goal was beautifully decorated macarons, they should have just been asked to make macarons! But no, the challenge is to build a huge sculpture with them, and then the judges complain the sculpture overshadows the macarons themselves? That’s ridiculous.

Compared to the other bakers, Jasmine’s creations are quite simple. While they look nice, simply hanging macarons on a tree isn’t particularly original, and that’s typical of her work. She consistently meets the basic requirements, but no one encourages her to push boundaries or be more innovative. She’s getting by without being challenged. I understand flavor is important, and she consistently delivers on that front. However, when you’re doing less work than everyone else, you naturally have more time to perfect the taste. The other bakers are clearly trying to impress with ambitious designs – large structures, complex flavors, even elaborate macaron displays. For a long time, the show has rewarded that kind of effort. Now, it seems they’re only focusing on flavor and ignoring creativity altogether, and that’s incredibly frustrating.

Okay, so Jasmine is crushing it – this is her fifth Star Baker, and amazingly, her third one in a row! That puts her tied with Richard Burr for the most Star Bakers in a single season, but I’m remembering Burr came in third place at the finale, so the record isn’t fully hers just yet. Paul and Prue were really complimentary about her showstopper, though honestly, it looked pretty much like something you could buy pre-made. Aaron’s was a little rough around the edges – he had to redo his macarons – but it had a certain… appeal? Okay, maybe I’m being too kind. The judges weren’t impressed, and Paul said the cookies were too chewy and not up to par. And Tom? We already talked about how his looked… and apparently, the macarons themselves were underbaked, according to both judges.

Toby’s lemon-themed creations looked impressive, though the judges felt the flavor was a bit much, comparing them to overly spiced gingerbread. They weren’t fans of the lemon macarons, finding them bland, but they absolutely loved the chocolate ones, which improved Toby’s standing after Tom and Aaron received criticism. Despite this, Toby was ultimately eliminated, with Paul citing a poor technical challenge as the deciding factor. It seems strange that the technical challenge wasn’t considered important until it determined someone’s fate. The episode ended on a sad note, with everyone appearing shocked to send Toby home. For a moment, it seemed like Paul might announce a surprise twist, sending everyone to the finale, but that didn’t happen. Instead, the remaining bakers posed for a bittersweet Polaroid, with Toby hugging them all, seemingly wondering when and how the competition shifted.

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2025-10-31 10:59