Spoilers Ahead for this episode of GBBO.

“It’s just baking.” – Tom, gazing pensively off into the distance at the end of the semifinal

Semifinal! You can really tell, just from the atmosphere, that the season is wrapping up. No fun little intro, just straight into it; and this was probably one of the most emotional, but also funniest, episodes of this show ever. We really got to see some of that camaraderie and friendship that the contestants always seem to have for each other, especially this late in the game. All the cheering for each other and the hugs, the little nicknames, the freaking Polaroid at the end. It’s really sweet. The cynical part of me wonders how much of it is for the cameras. I like to think it’s genuine. What do you think?

Toby said in the opening interview that he’s had a feeling this whole time that the finalists would be Jasmine, Aaron, and Tom – which made him nervous going into today. I was so sad to see his prediction come true; so he was right, when he said last week that he’d only be a one-time star baker. Why is it so sad? Why does it feel like he’s dying?! He’s just going home to his everyday life! My husband pointed out that we watch this show as if it’s Squid Game (which I did not watch, btw – too weird and grim, for me). It’s not like the losers are getting shot. But that’s the fun thing about this show. It’s so low-stakes – no cash prize to speak of, even – but they manage to make the stakes feel very high.

I’m bummed that Toby went home. I was so delighted to see that he included a little nod to Pui Man by using her gingerbread in the showstopper! And, I’ll miss his funny commentary: “Paul’s framboisier… it sounds erotic.”, “Tom’s turned into a chocolatier. Go on, Tom!”, and “LoOK aT ThiS,” as he showed off his melted puddle of mousseline … not to mention his sneakily spraying his showstopper with freeze spray after the “time’s up” call, lmao.

But, this week’s outcome was pretty predictable, I suppose. I had no idea, literally zero clue, who they’d eliminate, it could have been any one of the three dudes; but Jasmine being the winner, again, was no surprise. My husband remarked that he thinks Jasmine traded her hair to the devil in exchange for baking skills. She’s unstoppable! I was really surprised though when she said that “eight weeks ago, I didn’t know what a genoise was.” What? Isn’t genoise one of the most basic, rudimentary things that they make all the time, on this show? How did she go on this show without knowing what genoise was – hadn’t she watched the show before?! (Asking as someone who’s been watching the show for years and still doesn’t know what a genoise is, lol.) In any case, it clearly hasn’t hindered her at all. Any chance she won’t win next week? – no, I didn’t think so either.

But, hey! Aaron’s in the finale! My favorite made it to the finale! Apparently he’s like the best pastry chef out of the four of them; “we can’t all be Aaron,” Tom said bitterly during the signature challenge, “so why try?” He had a bit of a battle in the showstopper – those macarons just did not want to work out for him – but, he managed to make it work, even though the sloth’s face was unfinished (which was kind of a cute look, actually). And, I’d be really interested to try a salted popcorn flavor macaron. And I appreciated that he said he likes making cakes that actually look like cake, rather than all these weird illusion-style challenges. THANK YOU! That’s what I’m always saying! Also, I just love his laughter, it’s adorable. Whoever wins next week, Aaron’s my winner.

I can’t believe next week is the final. It’s over so soon. More than in previous years, I’m looking forward to seeing all the other contestants again, and finding out what they’ve been up to since filming! Do you think there will be banana coladas next week??

“Claggy” count: 0 (running total: 5)

“Concertina” count: 0 (running total: 1)

High point: “It’s not that kind of show, Jasmine.” Or maybe “what’s more impressive is, Iain’s inside that.” Or maybe Alison getting stuck on the fence. Alison and Noel’s banter was on point this week!

Low point: Paul coming down so hard on Tom in the showstopper. What the helly?! That was completely unfair, uncalled-for, and rude. True, it was a macaron challenge, not a chocolate challenge, but it wasn’t as if that chocolate beehive wasn’t completely covered in macaron bumblebees! If he’d skimped on the macarons then sure I could understand this critique, but I totally did not understand; all the macarons were there, and beautiful; the painting was not “lackluster.” Where was this coming from?! You don’t ding a student for handing in a perfect assignment plus extra credit! I seriously wonder if Paul was just mad that it was such a spectacular feat that Tom pulled off. Poor Tom was so crushed. He deserved better.

The dessert that I would most have liked to eat: Probably Toby’s chocolate macaron in the showstopper. Dark chocolate with hazelnut and peanut praline, and both judges raved about how chocolatey and flavorful it was. What would your choice be?

Caution: Spoilers

“When I come back next week, it’s gonna be full-on honey badger fight. Jasmine’s not having that star baker.” – Aaron, at the end of the episode

“Oh, I can see it squidging.” – Tom, of his freestanding trifle, at the end of the showstopper

Did anyone else find this episode disappointing all around?

For one: I was so excited when I saw that it was Dessert Week, but all of the desserts in this episode were kind of blah. All those cheesecakes, and not a single flavor combination that sounded yummy. And then, gluten-free steamed puddings? And then a bunch of booze-soaked trifles? Womp womp. For two: poor dear little Iain going home. He’ll be fine, I mean he’s like 20 years old, so just a baby, and he’s got a beautiful pole-dancing fiancee and all, so, he has his whole life in front of him. But, I’ll sorely miss seeing him and his Irish elfin antics on this show.

And, for three: Jasmine getting star baker again. It’s just getting boring, at this point! Her bakes are perfect and traditional and classic every time. Everyone else is a little more interesting to watch – Aaron with his avant garde flavors, Tom with his ambitious designs, Iain with his fine arts skills, and Toby’s quirky and fun style – but Jasmine’s just textbook perfection, challenge after challenge. Which I guess is what they’re looking for, on this show, really, and I respect that. But, still. It is kind of cool that Jasmine is the last woman standing this year.

It was wild how this week the placements did a perfect one-eighty from the signature to the technical. In the signature, we had Aaron and Jasmine in the lead, Toby in the middle, and Tom and Iain at the bottom. Then in the technical, we had Tom and Iain in first place, Toby in the middle, and Jasmine and Aaron in the bottom! Which makes things extra tense, going into the showstopper, because you know so much is hanging on that last challenge.

Another perfectly symmetrical thing that I noticed, that I don’t think I’d ever seen in this show before: in the technical, the order in which the judges tasted the puddings was the exact order in which the contestants placed, from worst to best: Aaron, Jasmine, Toby, Iain, Tom. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure they were even seated in that order, each in front of their own bake. What a weird little coincidence!

Of note this week: Toby said during the signature that he thinks he will be “one week and one week only” as a Star Baker. I’m curious to see if that will come true. Will Toby win star baker next week, or possibly even the final? I’m sure the winner will be Jasmine, but, I can still get my hopes up. I like Toby a lot, and I love that he’s a fan of Christmas like I am. But I do wonder: how, as a British baker, had he never once made a steamed pudding before?, lol.

I’m also allowing myself to get my hopes up for my favorite, Aaron! He’s been my favorite since Pui Man went home in week three, and he’s still here! He really has a shot! He didn’t do well in the technical this week, but his saké plum cheesecake got perfect reviews, and his champagne-raspberry-chamomile-peach trifle apparently tasted amazing even though the textures were off. He might just win it.

And even if he doesn’t, we’re at the point now – the final four/five – at which all of the contestants are successful. They will go down in Bake-Off history as some of the best. If you make it to the quarterfinal, you’re pretty much Bake-Off nobility, if not royalty. Any one of these contestants could go on to like get a cookbook published or get their own TV show or land a great job somewhere at the drop of a hat, if they wanted to.

One other mildly interesting thing that I learned about this week: “Flipping Nora,” apparently a milder version of the colloquialism “Bloody Nora,” is, according to Google, a phrase “used to express surprise, irritation, or dismay.” Never heard that before in my life. And we heard it from Jasmine, of all people, lol!

That’s about all I’ve got for this week. It was not my favorite episode. Only two episodes left. What do we think will happen? Leave me your comments!

“Claggy” count: 0 (running total: 5)

“Concertina” count: 0 (running total: 1)

High point: Tom’s first technical win! He was saying after the signature that he really wanted to do well in the technical, and then he not only did well, but finally won. He’s been wanting to win one for weeks.

Low point: The lack of a single chocolate dessert in the entire “Dessert Week” episode. Toby did use white chocolate in his marbled cheesecake, but that just barely counts.

The dessert that I would most have liked to eat: Really, none of them. I was so disappointed that all of the trifles were soaked in booze! I don’t do alcohol, so these were all off-limits for me, which was devastating, because Tom’s Greek trifle sounded amazing: fig, almond, and honey – I was so excited about that one! But, in any case, he fell victim to almond extract, which, I literally do not know why any baking show contestant ever dares to touch almond extract for any reason, anymore, and the judges said it didn’t taste that great. Bummer all around. I guess if I had to pick one from this episode I’d go with Tom’s gothic-looking black sesame basque cheesecake, just for the vibes.

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Contains Spoilers for this episode, as well as for Series 8 (2017) and series 12 (2021)!

Is it just me, or was this week massively disappointing? So much freaking sausage! I can deal with the occasional savory challenge here and there, but two in a single episode? Gross! I come to this show to ogle sweets, not for lard and pork and hard-boiled eggs. I feel like either the signature or the technical should have been a sweet pastry. I’d never even heard of a Gala Pie, but it did seem like an incredibly dated dish. Noel kept making jokes about how retro these dishes are, referring to little postwar 1950s kids in shorts eating lard sandwiches (“please, guvnor!”). Give a Gala Pie to any Gen Z, he said, and watch them start to weep and wail about “trauma.” Lol. I mean, to be fair, this show is supposed to be about classic British baking, which includes a whole lot of meat pies. It just turned my poor vegetarian stomach, watching all that leaky ground meat.

Which was why I was rooting for dear little Iain in the signature, out there representing for us herbivores! His tofu-broccoli “claddagh ring” pie looked and sounded really good. I just wish Paul had liked it more; apparently it was flavorless. (C’mon, you can’t serve flavorless tofu on TV! Don’t perpetuate the false stereotype!) It would have been nice if Paul’d been proven wrong about tofu twice in a row. Apparently the last time a contestant wowed him with tofu it was some actor from the show “Friends,” who I guess appeared on Celebrity Bake-Off at some point; I didn’t watch that one.

On the bright side, though, Aaron pulled through! (Again with the avant garde flavors, Aaron! Jasmine, ginger, and peach gel?! He’s so imaginative; I love to see it.) I was so sure he would be going home; even though his signature spicy Jamaican beef curry dish got rave reviews, he was last in technical, and made the mistake of using jasmine extract in his showstopper. How do people on these shows keep on making this mistake, lol? 99% of the time, in a baking show, if someone uses any extract other than vanilla, it bites them in the butt. Whenever you see someone using this that or the other extract, just know you’re about to watch them get chewed out about it. I was prepared to lament the loss of yet another favorite.

But it ended up being Nataliia instead. Which is fair, I guess – her chicken kyiv in the signature was too liquidy, she was fifth of seven in technical, and, like Aaron, she was personally victimized by artificial flavorings in the showstopper. I’m bummed! She was such a delight. This season will be a lot less fun without her, going forward. And anyway, I still thought her showstopper looked and sounded amazing, regardless of the raspberry extract. Paired with pistachio praline, chocolate ganache, and crème diplomat: yes, please. Speaking of baking show tropes: what a shame that she went out right after playing the formidable Dead Grandparent Card!

I am curious, though, and maybe someone can enlighten me: what was up with Tom’s rivalry with Toby going into the technical? Why was Tom like “I just want to beat Toby”? Looking back over the previous episodes, Toby won the technical in weeks one and two, whereas Tom was last in the technical in episode one and sixth in two. In episodes three and four, Toby was a few places ahead of Tom. Last week, though, Tom was in spot number four and Toby in number five, so it’s not like Tom’s never beat Toby before. Do they have some sort of frenemy thing going on behind the scenes, lol? In any case, this week Tom was sixth and Toby ahead of him in fourth, so I guess the battle rages on, if there is one.

Tom did do great in the showstopper, though. “Tom’s back in the tent,” Paul proclaimed, upon tasting that beautiful “risalamande”-flavored, Connect Four (ahem, “Four in a Row”) game-shaped tart. That was super impressive, and sounded delicious – you know I love cherry-almond flavors. If only he hadn’t used kirsch, this probably would have been my favorite bake this week.

Other stand-out bakes in the showstopper (because honestly none of the signature bakes nor gala pies stood out to me, blegh): Lesley’s gorgeous honey-glazed pecan pie covered in those precious little painted bumblebees. It’s so good to see her come out of the woodwork lately and start to really shine! And of course, we can’t not mention Iaian’s “Giant’s Causeway” tart. He’s such an artist. I’ve had the privilege of visiting the actual Giant’s Causeway, so this was really fun for me personally. What a bummer that he drenched it in so much whiskey, though. Too much booze even for Prue!

And in other news, guess who won again (yawn). I’m seriously getting bored of seeing Jasmine do everything perfectly every single challenge, lol. Can she just crash and burn once? Just kidding, of course. Huge congratulations to her, she is an absolute force of nature! It’s giving Sophie Faldo. Y’all remember how Sophie also just sailed through every challenge with a poker face, and never seemed even slightly shook? I’d like to see her and Jasmine in a bake-off, honestly.

Other than Tom and Jasmine in the final, I really have no idea what could happen in the coming weeks. I was pretty sure it’d be Toby or Lesley going home today; shows how much I know! It’s nice that this show can still surprise me.

And so far this season, the judging has seemed really fair; not once yet have I exclaimed “what tha hail?!” when the judgment’s been called, like I did when they eliminated Juergen in series 12 for example (seriously, though, I still wonder what the hail that was about). I appreciate that they’re looking at each contestant’s performance in each challenge throughout the show; they’ve been perfectly logical with their decisions, rewarding consistency. I have no complaints yet. What are your thoughts? Leave me a comment!

“Claggy” count: 0 (running total: 5)

“Concertina” count: 0 (running total: 1)

High point: “Oh, wow! Finn MacCool!” – Iain, with elfish delight, setting up his little decorated “giant” pastry figurines on his Giant’s Causeway-themed tart; immediate cut to a rather harried and grumpy Toby, glaring, muttering “no matter how stressful it is, you can always hear Iain having a nice time.”

Low point: Paul’s little temper tantrum at Toby while judging his signature. Not even a single word of congratulations for making the full puff pastry work, after being explicity told “it’s not possible”? Paul even dropped the word “bloody” in there (which, if I understand correctly, is a pretty vicious word to use, over in the UK). Is it just me, or did it seem like Paul was kind of mad that Toby proved him wrong? His thing wasn’t even that bad! To me, this kind of set a sour tone for the whole rest of the episode.

The bake that I would most have liked to eat: Toby’s burnt honey and mascarpone tart with blackberry reduction. Such a bummer that he didn’t have time to finish the little goat decorations (he thought had 4.5 hours but it was actually only four; I felt so bad for him, because that’s the exact same kind of dumb mistake that I make in my own life on the daily), but, the judges still loved the flavors. It sounded awesome! Toby was apparently my hero this week.

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