Obviously, SPOILERS AHEAD for this episode of SBC!

It’s really getting real! We’re in the thick of it now. When they start sending home the people that you thought were really, really good, that’s when it starts to feel intense.

But before we get to the intense stuff, I wanted to touch briefly on one thing that I always find kind of annoying and delightful at the same time. It’s that stupid little intro portion, before Jesse walks out, where they have all the contestants stand there and wait and make little comments about this and that. It’s just so freaking cheesy and staged! When I first started watching this show, I always cringed and rolled my eyes, like: come on, don’t make them do this. But, the more I watch it, the more I’ve come to embrace this stupid moment as part of the ritual. Kind of like those unbearably cheesy, un-funny skits that the hosts of GBBO perform at the beginning of each episode. Those are so bad that it actually goes full circle and becomes funny again. That’s kind of how I feel about the Baking Championship intro scene.

Speaking of cheesy. I really don’t care for the little themes they choose for each season. “Little shop of spring magic?” Ugh, please. It’s so corny. But, I get that they have to do it, and that it adds a little something to each season. At least Jesse really manages to sell it.

But, on a positive note, I thought the stylists did an exceptional job dressing Nancy this episode. Sometimes her styles are wacky but this week’s was really elegant. The color of her top really matched her eye color and brought out her eyes, which, I’ve never noticed before, seem to be a really pretty and different shade of greenish brown. I absolutely love brown eyes, especially the unique, lighter shades of brown; everyone in my family has blue or green eyes, so brown eyes are so fascinating and enchanting to me!

On to the actual bakes! The challenges were both excellent again this episode. As a scented candle addict, I definitely cheered when they announced the Preheat. And, I always really enjoy the team format that they did in the Main Heat this week. And who knew that there was such an “age-old feud” between lemon meringue pie and carrot cake? Not I, lol. What did you all think of the Main Heat?

Despite the judge’s decision, I think the star of this week was Kari. “This is my episode to win,” she said, right before winning the Preheat with that stunning little clementine olive oil cake. With her prize of the “Gift to Assign Desserts,” she got to choose the teams for the Main Heat, and decide whom she was going up against. Although, this ended up kind of biting her in the butt, sadly. I had high hopes.

On that note, Mary-Frances was another one of the most interesting ones to watch this week! Mary-Frances vs. the lemon has been kind of a saga this season so far. Her wild strawberry religieuse in the Preheat should have been incredible, but once again she went overboard on the tartness. Then, Kari chose her as her opponent in the Main Heat – which, basically, is like saying “I think you’ll be the easiest one to defeat,” haha, and Mary-Frances pretty much confirmed that herself, saying that she feels like one of the weaker competitors, while Kari is one of the stronger. But then, in the Main Heat, Mary-Frances was assigned lemon meringue opera cake – and she nailed it! She seemed totally aware that she had nailed it, too. When Nancy praised her flavors, she looked completely unsurprised. I feel like she was out for blood in this challenge, lol.

Also this week: Paul. I thought he really shone in both challenges. What an inspired little dessert that was that he made in the Preheat – the “berry patch” financier! Forest berries is such a beautiful European flavor, and the way he combined it with a juniper caramel “votive” was so clever. It looked immaculate. I would have loved to taste that. And then, in the Main Heat, Kari did really well choosing him for her team ans assigning him the quintessentially French Paris-Brest. Wise move, Kari. This might have been one of Paul’s best desserts yet! He really went above and beyond, with that little extra surprise in the filling. And I love how he decorated it; it was so tasteful, how those simple little pink and yellow flowers made that carrot orange color look so springy. The judges said it really tasted of carrot. That’s another one that I would have liked to try.

Corey didn’t do as well as I’d hoped this episode. He’s pretty much the reigning champion, at this point: as Jesse pointed out, going into this week Corey was the only one who had three victories under his belt. But then, in the Preheat, his pineapple basil mojito trifle didn’t have quite enough sugar, and in the Main Heat, his lemon meringue tiramisu was too sour. Nancy’s face! I couldn’t tell if she was going to yell at him, or do symphony fingers. Sadly, it was the former. But then, he ended up winning anyway.

Which brings me to one of the most interesting moments of this episode: the battle of the tiramisus, Priya vs. Corey, in the Main Heat. Priya’s carrot cake tiramisu tasted better, but Corey’s better fit the bill for a tiramisu. The judges were faced with a dilemma: what should win, the better dessert, or the one that met the challenge? I was caught in a philosophical conundrum right there with them! Such suspense! In the end, I think they made the right call, in this situation. The contestants have to do what they’re assigned, or the judging won’t be fair. But, would this be true even if Priya’s had been the most delicious thing they’d ever tasted, but was totally not a tiramisu, structurally, and Corey’s had been a dumpster fire, flavor-wise? Like, if Corey had straight up replaced the sugar with salt, or had done some wacky flavor combination like anchovy and licorice, and it was just vile, but still fit the bill, technically, for a tiramisu – would he still have deserved to win? I’m conflicted. What do you all think?

Sadly, Julian didn’t live up to his usual standard this episode. He’s been so impressive to watch, with his big ideas and cool sugar work, but this week I’m afraid the judges made the right call sending him home. I’m so disappointed. As soon as he said in the Preheat that he didn’t see a need to decorate his pear and champagne upside down cake at all, I knew he was going to get dinged. And then, in the Main Heat, watching him scrape out that underbaked pate a choux just made me groan (and it was still underbaked, even after all that). Poor Julian! He had a bad week, but he is an awesome baker.

High point: Paul finally getting the unqualified praise that he deserved in the Main Heat! He killed it.

Low point: Kari’s bad luck. First when she melted her plastic container with the hot thyme oil in the Preheat (“cheese and rice!!” lol), then when she was bested by Mary-Frances in the Main Heat, by a nose.

The dessert that I would most have liked to eat: It would have been Raveena’s cherry-almond mini cakes in the preheat – I love cherry almond, that’s one of the best flavor combos out there – but, she made them all boozy with the amaretto, so, hard pass from me. Got to go with Kari’s carrot opera cake. I know the judges said that it tasted more coconutty than carroty, but honestly that kinda sounds like a good thing to me?? Plus, it looked phenomenal: both rustic and elegant, with those little candied carrot curls on top: truly, a carrot cake morphed into an opera cake! I’m cheering for you, Kari.

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