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Post by Kao on Oct 19, 2018 16:30:15 GMT
This episode was very depressing in the sense that for the first time you can really tell that the pressure of the tent was really beginning to get to people. Almost everyone was crying at one point, and that's not my idea of a fun time.
Otherwise, the episode was good. The Signature bake was to make a Rye bread, and then to make two beautifully arranged open-sided sandwiches with some of it. Some of the offerings were wonderful, while others had good toppings but not a good bread.
The Technical was to make the wonderful Spherical Danish Pancake balls with apple and cinnamon inside. Trader Joes used to carry them, and they were delicious! I was very sad when they stopped selling them. These pancakes are a bit tricky because of the way you have to get the filling inside; one baker simply tore a hole in the middle and put the filling inside (a fact that Paul, who is never one to miss a trick caught).
The Showstoppers were the people shaped Danish MFWalkoff already described. Results were mixed; only one person made it so the butter was still in the layers of the Danish (and they won Star Baker) while others burned the pastry, but had good truffles on top of the Danish. Still others had dried out Danish from where the butter escaped.
I've got mixed feelings about who went home. Both people had a lousy week, both people burned the Danish in the Showstopper. However, the person they kept had much better truffles in the Showstopper. On the other side, that person was last in the Technical. I think that even though they are only supposed to judge based on the weekend's bake, if a result is very close (and it was) then they look at how people have done in the competition so far. Either way, I felt very badly for the person who was sent home, while at the same time oddly relieved it was not the other person.
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ccl
FORT Regular
Posts: 437
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Post by ccl on Oct 20, 2018 1:14:11 GMT
With regards to the person who went home, I guess it can be argued that her baking didn’t truly fit the brief in two of the three challenges - her bread was not a rye and her pastries were really French not danishes. So that could be solid reasoning, though the judges didn’t mention that in the (televised) discussion (though it was pointed out in judging). But, really, it seemed clear that the other baker was objectively worse and I think they wanted to keep him around. Honestly, though, I also think they got the star baker wrong this week - it should have been B not R. She won the technical and had a good last round. Both her and R had middling to poor first rounds, R came in middle of the pack in the technical (and she was just lucky the other two were worse as she didn’t do it correctly) while B won, and both did well in the showstopper. So, to me, that says B wins. Also the Holiday version is back this December on ABC : deadline.com/2018/10/the-great-american-baking-show-abc-premiere-date-emma-burton-host-spice-girls-1202485120/
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Post by Kao on Oct 20, 2018 2:03:25 GMT
With regards to the person who went home, I guess it can be argued that her baking didn’t truly fit the brief in two of the three challenges - her bread was not a rye and her pastries were really French not danishes. So that could be solid reasoning, though the judges didn’t mention that in the (televised) discussion (though it was pointed out in judging). But, really, it seemed clear that the other baker was objectively worse and I think they wanted to keep him around. Honestly, though, I also think they got the star baker wrong this week - it should have been B not R. She won the technical and had a good last round. Both her and R had middling to poor first rounds, R came in middle of the pack in the technical (and she was just lucky the other two were worse as she didn’t do it correctly) while B won, and both did well in the showstopper. So, to me, that says B wins. Also the Holiday version is back this December on ABC : deadline.com/2018/10/the-great-american-baking-show-abc-premiere-date-emma-burton-host-spice-girls-1202485120/Oh, my. I'm excited for Emma but I certainly hope Paul Hollywood behaves himself this time around. I still remember the scandal the last time he was stateside to do a baking show.
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Post by Arielflies on Oct 24, 2018 2:35:09 GMT
Sherry Yard will be the other judge. She is doing double duty with the upcoming Holiday Banking Championship on Food Network.
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Post by Kao on Oct 26, 2018 16:23:57 GMT
It's Patisserie Week! A certain someone would have loved this. Signature Bake: Madelines. Such a fuss in baking these things, as everyone was trying to get in the right amount of filling so the Madeline would have a slight hump. Bakes were varying amounts of success, from "perfect" to "too big a hump" to "kinda burned. Technical: A layered cake with a mirror glaze, crushed nuts, and delicate chocolate designs on top. Of course it's a Prue recipe (which generally means that a lot can go wrong, if you're not careful). Results were topsy, with the people who ranked highest in the Signature bake getting the lowest scores while the people on the bottom did well. One unlucky baker's cake tasted like rubber. So everyone is more or less on the same level for the final bake. Showstopper: Make three different types of Patisseries. Results were a mixed bag; Paul let everyone know right off the bat that all of their desserts were too big. Some desserts went over well while others were just so-so. I think nerves is really hindering these bakers at this point. Yay for Star Baker. I was very sad for the baker going home, and so was the judges and hosts from the looks of things. Sandy was crying, Neil got choked up, and even Paul looked emotional. It was a very emotional moment, but the mistake of using salt instead of sugar in the showstopper couldn't be overlooked. Next week, the final! The clip of the three finalists holding hands while looking scared choked me up. I'm strangely attached to this group and hope they all do fine.
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Post by MFWalkoff on Oct 26, 2018 19:10:50 GMT
I wonder if Prue is even crueler than Mary or Paul about leaving off details on her Technical instructions? The outcomes seem to suggest that I'll have to watch it again, I missed the bit about using salt for sugar. Now the ending makes total sense, otherwise I was thinking maybe the never-smiling chef who tanked the Technical might have gone, which I wouldn't have minded. It will be a good final. Of the three, I'm kind of rooting for the (always-smiling) underdog.
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ccl
FORT Regular
Posts: 437
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Post by ccl on Oct 27, 2018 1:31:02 GMT
I am not sure which one that is? The animal lover (although she cried tonight and last week)? Or the more sarcastic one?
The technical cake looked super yummy. The professional one, that is, not the ones made by the bakers. Drool. I am surprised none of them attempted more of a showy showoff - everything was just presented on slates whereas often they have stands, decorations etc. They played it pretty close in the preview of the final -no clue what they are making. I don’t really have a favourite...maybe leaning a bit to the one who won star baker tonight.
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Post by Kao on Oct 27, 2018 2:24:01 GMT
They are supposed to have the final at a secret location instead of the tent, so maybe that's why the previews weren't giving anything away. The scene they did show (the holding hands while looking scared) was outside, so I think they're still having the friends and family picnic.
Yes, all 3 of the eliminated baker's patisserie for the Showstopper had salt in them instead of sugar. At first they thought it was a fluke and that the dessert just tasted salty. By the third dessert, it was apparent what happened. It was bad luck that could have happened to anyone, and I think that's why everyone was so upset.
I really like all 3 bakers left, and wish them all well. I do wish that Rahul would get over his doom and gloom attitude though. Some depreciation I can understand, but he's been coming across as a cross between Eeyore and that character from Gulliver's Travels on the Banana Splits show that used to always moan and say "We'll never make it" and it's very hard to watch. I also think someone had a word to a certain contestant about their makeup, as for the last couple of weeks it's looked a lot less...Jokeresque.
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ccl
FORT Regular
Posts: 437
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Post by ccl on Oct 27, 2018 3:44:49 GMT
Just the technical is out of the tent, I’ve read, the other two challenges are in the tent as usual. Also that the first challenge is donuts.
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Post by Kao on Oct 27, 2018 3:57:19 GMT
Just the technical is out of the tent, I’ve read, the other two challenges are in the tent as usual. Also that the first challenge is donuts. That's interesting. I wonder what is so unusual about the technical that they have to do it outside the tent?
Donuts? I'm excited!
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Post by Kao on Nov 1, 2018 14:32:48 GMT
The Finale: That ended exactly the way I thought it would; I only wish they could have been less obvious about it during the season.
Signature: Donuts; 6 filled and 6 plain. Two people's donuts turned out fine, while the third person less so.
Technical: This was kinda fun. As ccl mentioned earlier they had to go outside the tent, make, and cook pitas on a flat stone on an open flame. The bakers had issues because they couldn't regulate the heat so some pitas were burnt, while others weren't making the "pocket" you normally get in a pita. The judges decided to let the showstopper decide who would win.
Showstopper: Make an edible landscape. One baker's landscape looked magical and tasted really good, another tasted good but didn't look that great, while the last baker was in the middle.
Congrats to the winner! I'm just glad that the person who won had consistently good bakes and a really good final showstopper unlike that mess PBS recently aired. I'm glad I was right about this batch of bakers being extremely close, because during the "Where are they now" segments at the end of the show showed all of them getting together on a regular basis. The finalists of course are extremely close-knit, but there were also close, unexpected friendships made (Ruby and Manon, Briony and Terry). The smiley Indian guy and the single father who was a great baker seemed to be liked by everyone, lol. There's a lot of love and a lot of good bakes this season, and I have to say I really enjoyed it.
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ccl
FORT Regular
Posts: 437
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Post by ccl on Nov 3, 2018 1:20:56 GMT
Donuts looked yummy but the pita technical looked difficult - couldn’t regulate the heat properly etc. Everyone struggled. I didn’t really like the look of any of the landscapes. I guess they were going for realism but grey choux does not equal appetizing to me. I think the problem with one is that she used the same flavour biscuit and cake...too much the same so the other baker got the edge there. Plus she spelled Atlantis wrong so points off from me. And usually her bakes were really pretty but - and I found this for all the showstoppers- they weren’t showstoppers in appearance (disappointingly). Fine with the winner, I liked all three left and wasn’t really rooting for one over the other.
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Post by Kao on Nov 9, 2018 21:32:29 GMT
Hey everyone! The season that just aired is now available on Netflix for viewing!
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Post by Arielflies on Nov 9, 2018 23:33:58 GMT
YAY! For me it is truly NEW!
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Post by MFWalkoff on Nov 10, 2018 0:12:25 GMT
Wow, I'm surprised Netflix got it so fast for once! It's a good season.
The new "older" season that is billed as "The Beginnings" is actually season 3, which Netflix didn't have but it has been seen on PBS (they call it Season 5). So those first two seasons of the show are still locked up in the UK.
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Post by justCoz on Nov 10, 2018 17:47:48 GMT
Is the newest one on Netflix the one you all have been discussing? If so, I haven't seen that one and have something to look forward to!
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Post by Arielflies on Nov 11, 2018 1:39:55 GMT
Yes, it is! I can't believe we get to see it so soon.
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Post by justCoz on Nov 11, 2018 3:36:01 GMT
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Post by provenceguy on Nov 11, 2018 4:16:47 GMT
Again, if you don't have Netflix, we have been watching via the above link.
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Post by Arielflies on Nov 12, 2018 3:27:54 GMT
I loved the latest season. All the bakers seemed so loose or else the editing loosened up or something. I really enjoyed watching the journeys and celebrating Don (?) when he left by wearing his trademark Hawaiian shirts - unprecedented. Raul (sp) was such a contradiction yet lovely. Good Show, Guys!
ccl - She didn't spell Atlantis wrong, she spelled as it would have been in ancient Greece - as supplied by the presenter.
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ccl
FORT Regular
Posts: 437
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Post by ccl on Nov 12, 2018 13:36:25 GMT
She did, she was missing the “n”. I don’t recall the sign she was given by Sandi missing it so I am pretty sure the error was on her end. I mean, it is not that big a deal really, it just bugged me personally.
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Post by Arielflies on Nov 12, 2018 15:15:36 GMT
Oh, sorry, I missed it too.
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ccl
FORT Regular
Posts: 437
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Post by ccl on Nov 12, 2018 17:30:49 GMT
Yeah, I mean, it is pedantic of me...but there you go. Also the cat in your avatar is super-cute!
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Post by Arielflies on Nov 13, 2018 1:50:51 GMT
Yeah, I mean, it is pedantic of me...but there you go. Also the cat in your avatar is super-cute! That is my brother's cat, Toby. He loves the outdoors, even in winter.
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Post by provenceguy on Nov 13, 2018 4:55:34 GMT
I just watched Episode 9 (the semi-final), and it's the first time I noticed that Briony has a very misshapen right hand.
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Post by Arielflies on Nov 13, 2018 6:54:09 GMT
I never noticed that. She was a favorite of mine. She always seemed so centered then would have a crying jag. This group all seemed so human in their reactions.
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Post by provenceguy on Nov 13, 2018 16:24:18 GMT
Her right hand is kind of a rounded stub with one finger attached. It's fairly obvious in several shots during this episode; however, I hadn't noticed it at all beforehand.
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Post by MFWalkoff on Nov 13, 2018 19:53:37 GMT
Wow -- I never noticed that at all during the entire season.
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ccl
FORT Regular
Posts: 437
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Post by ccl on Nov 13, 2018 21:36:48 GMT
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Post by woodiedog on Nov 14, 2018 11:37:06 GMT
Again, if you don't have Netflix, we have been watching via the above link. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this link Provenceguy! It's wonderful to catch up on these episodes! I just binge watched episodes 1 and 2. So wonderful to see another season! thanks again!
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