CAUTION: SPOILERS for this episode of BCNG, and for GBBO Series 12!

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This show… it pleasantly surprised me. I am actually slightly sad to see it end.

As thrilled as I am for Abigail and Kenneth – I adore them, and their cake sounded like the most delicious one of the three: the sunset-orange décor was beautiful, and their animation effect was the most successful – I am also sad for the other two teams.

I really felt like Leia and Kiera deserved the win, for being so incredibly technically skilled this whole season long. As Leia pointed out, they weren’t in the bottom two once. So many of the things they created this season were adult-tier baking championship stuff. And their final cake was so extra, with the interactive element of the Dubai-chocolate-covered strawberries hiding under the “sun”-shaped chocolate shell! That cake just looked like it deserved to win! The only downside to it, I guess, was that the pistachio layer was too thick, and I guess that made for a less-pleasant eating experience, which is fair.

A part of me just also wonders if the creators didn’t want to award the big prize to Leia and Kiera because it would have been too predictable. Way too easy. I’ve seen them do this on baking shows before. Sometimes, there’s a competitor who’s so insanely good, who so obviously deserves to win, that the show gives it to someone else just to keep it interesting. (See: Juergen in Series 12 of GBBO.)

I haven’t really had a favorite, per se, not since my favs went home in episode one; but in this episode, I really found myself starting to root for Genesis and Akbar. Because of the discussions of what they were going to do with the prize money. Genesis and Akbar wanted to share it with all their siblings, and also start a business. Both of the other teams were planning to save and/or invest it, which, wow, that is incredibly wise and mature of them, way to go kids!, I wish I’d been so smart when I was your age! But I also would have loved to see the money go to a family who seems to need it a little more, in the here and now. Abigail and Kenneth live on three thousand acres (!), and Leia already has a baking business, so I don’t get the impression that they’re exactly hurting for money, lol!

And Duff actually said of Genesis and Akbar at one point: “I don’t think anybody in here can make a cake as well as those two” – which is so true, because their flavors have been consistently the best! Also, I think it was pretty clear from their interactions throughout the season that Kardea also favored Genesis and Akbar. Maybe she’ll be able to pull some strings behind the scenes and help get Genesis’s business going, haha. I hope so.

But honestly, I woulda been a bit sad no matter who had won and who had lost. Abigail and Kenneth have been awesome this whole season, so much fun to watch, and I’m thrilled that a couple of farm kids from the midwest won the big prize. This episode, Duff commented on how Kenneth has really shone and how it’s really because of him that the team’s done so well… but let’s not neglect to give Abigail the praise that she deserves! She is an incredible person! She is tough as nails! I’m so impressed by her character. A hard worker, confident, strong, bold, just completely herself. What an absolute boss. And yeah, watching Kenneth make snow angels in the confetti was delightful.

Overall, I thought the finale was satisfying. I liked how each team’s cake ended up kinda representing that team: Genesis and Akbar did that incredible upside-down sweet potato pie crunch cake, hearkening back to their highly-acclaimed sweet potato pie from week one. Leia and Kiera, true to form, went with the bougie, trendy Dubai chocolate theme, even matching the décor to the flavor with that splattered chocolate design. And Abigail and Kenneth of course used a tried-and-true, all-American chocolate cake recipe and a “heart of the land” theme to represent themselves.

What kind of cake would you make to represent yourself? I’d probably do a peanut butter cake to represent my family, since my kids and I all basically live off of peanut butter. Maybe with some chocolate in there somewhere and a layer of strawberry filling. For the décor, I would have liked to use flowers like Genesis and Akbar did (loved the little stems they added!), though I’d make mine blue, because we all know blue flowers are my fav.

Stats for this week:

Superlatives from the judges: 0. Season Total: 6

Kid who most deserved a hug: Genesis. I hope she still gets to start her business.

Kid who most deserved a high five: Abigail, for her mathematical precision lining up those fondant hearts!

The dessert that I would most have liked to eat: Abigail and Kenneth’s chocolate cake with blackberry filling and hazelnuts; easily the most delicious flavor combo out of all of these.

Stats for the whole season:

Total Wins: Maci & Emmett (2), Leia & Kiera (2), Abgail & Kenneth (2, counting the big win), Jovie & Lenore (1), Genesis & Akbar (1)

Superlatives This Season: Leia and Kiera 2; Harper & Holland 1; Maci & Emmett 2; whole group 1

Total hugs: Liam (1), Genesis (3), Abgigail (1), Melody (1), Kenneth (1), Maci (1), Kiera (1)

Total high fives: Holland (1), Cameron (1), Genesis (2), Kenneth (1), Maci (1), Emmett (1), Kiera (1), Abigail (1)

(…it starts to become clear that maybe Genesis was my fav all along, haha

Who made the desserts that Mith most wanted to eat: Harper & Holland (2), Abigail & Kenneth (2), Genesis & Akbar (2), Jovie & Lenore (1), Leia & Kiera (1), Maci & Emmett (1).

See you next week for Ultimate Baking Championship!