Major British Bake Off fans reject judges’ decision to send Cristy home as Matty receives Star Baker and his first Hollywood Handshake in the quarter-finals
Major British Bake Off fans rejected the judges’ decision to send Cristy home during Tuesday night’s quarter-final.
But luckily it wasn’t all doom and gloom as Matty received Star Baker and his first Hollywood Handshake for his impressive bakes, leaving viewers delighted.
In Party Week, the bakers were given a classic party treat, a ‘multi-legged’ technique and a show-stopping spread in a bid to impress the judges.
The Signature challenge saw the participants make 12 sausage rolls with a filling of their choice, while the technical challenge tasked them with making a classic chocolate caterpillar cake.
The baker then had to impress for the Showstopper with an ‘anything but beige buffet’ consisting of a mix of savory and sweet snacks.
Oh no! Major British Bake Off fans rejected the judges’ decision to send Cristy home during Tuesday night’s quarter-final
Well done! But luckily it wasn’t all doom and gloom as Matty received Star Baker and his first Hollywood Handshake for his impressive bakes, leaving viewers delighted.
During the episode, the contestants were tasked with making sausage rolls for the first time, with Matty earning his first handshake from Paul.
Cristy struggled to finish her dish in time and was left with a soggy pastry, while Dan’s risky oriental-inspired flavors weren’t worth the effort.
Next up was the Technical, where the baker created an iconic chocolate caterpillar cake, covered in ganache and decorated with meringue details.
During the task, both Dan and Cristy suffered another disaster, with Dan cutting his cake incorrectly and Cristy being forced to make another one.
Matty tried to hide his ‘ugly caterpillar’ under layers of chocolate ganache, while Tasha joked that she looked ‘terrifying’.
Tasha came in first place, while Dan’s disastrous fry put him in last place, meaning it was between Tasha and Matty for Star Baker as they took on the final challenge.
For their Showstopper they had to create an ‘everything but beige buffet’ with a whopping four and a half hours to create both savory and sweet snacks.
Paul said Cristy’s buffet ‘didn’t look the prettiest’ but complimented the flavours, while Matty’s sports-inspired menu impressed.
Thoughts: While fans at home were thrilled with the judges’ choice to award Star Baker to Matty, many felt that Dan should have been sent home instead of Cristy.
The judges were ‘disappointed’ by Tasha’s spread, claiming it was ‘a bit too beige’ as Dan was also bothered by his colours.
Josh presented some ‘perfect looking’ snowmen with Christmas pudding desserts and cake wreaths, leaving both Prue and Paul impressed.
Paul and Prue debated between sending Dan and Cristy home from the tent and ultimately decided to say goodbye to Cristy.
She said: ‘It was such an insanely fast experience. Now I’m going to sit back and think about how far I’ve come. I’m so proud of myself for making it this far.’
Upon receipt, star baker Matty added: ‘I hope this gives me the confidence I needed to tackle the semi-finals and hopefully beyond.’
While fans at home were thrilled with the judges’ choice to award Star Baker to Matty, many felt that Dan should have been sent home instead of Cristy.
One shared: ‘Yay Matty!! But surely Dan should have been sent home?!”
Another agreed: ‘Well done Matty, the wrong person went through it.’
‘Cristy was robbed. Happy, happy boy Dan,” a third wrote, while someone else added: “I’m not sure this was the right thing to do going home.”
One viewer wondered: ‘How did Dan stay with Cristy??? He had 2 bad days and 5/6 of his ‘non-beige’ buffet was brown!!’
The Great British Bake Off returns to Channel 4 on Tuesday at 8pm.
GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF 2023: WHO ARE THE PARTICIPANTS?
Tasha
Age: 27
Occupation: Employee participation
By: Bristol
Bake Off presenters have learned sign language as the show welcomes its first ever deaf contestant.
Tasha, 27, is a participation officer from Bristol and will be at the show with her BSL interpreter, Daryl.
She said: “When I got the Zoom call to tell me I was one of 12, I cried. Daryl was crying too. We were a mess.”
Amos
Age: 43
Occupation: Deli and supermarket manager
By: North London
Amos describes his baking as a labor of love: his style is colorful and chic with great attention to detail, and he loves to explore different flavor profiles.
He compares his baking style to the converted church he now lives in, calling both his style and his home ‘traditional with a modern twist’.
Rowan
Age: 21
Occupation: student at university
By: West Yorkshire
‘Go big, or go home’ is student Rowan’s motto, which he has always applied to his baking.
As a student of English Literature, when not writing, Rowan is also an enthusiastic host, applying his creative eye to his cooking.
Abbi
Age: 27
Occupation: Vegetable grower and delivery person
By: Cumbria
She loves the outdoors, searches for seasonal ingredients and makes good use of her home-grown vegetables.
Abbi’s bakes aim to combine comfort and familiarity with a strong nod to nature and the feeling of creating something magical – bakes with a touch of fairytale.
Cristy
Age: 33
Occupation: FATHER
FRom: East London
For Cristy, life with four kids means there’s always a birthday to bake for and an exciting party to plan.
She describes her baking style as enchanted and beautiful – baking that evokes a childish feeling.
Than
Age: 42
Occupation: Civil engineering resource planner
By: Cheshire
Perfectionist Dan loves a baking challenge and often finds the most difficult bake in one of his 300 cookbooks.
When he’s not baking, he enjoys playing football with his two young sons or foraging for edible treats in the countryside.
Dana
Age: 25
Occupation: Database Administrator
By: Essex
She likes a semi-naked cake with clean lines, beautiful piping and minimalist decoration; and while she likes to keep her flavors safe, Dana will often add a few twists, adding familiar spices linked to her Indian heritage.
Josh
Age: 27
Occupation: Postdoctoral Research Associate
By: Leicestershire
Postdoctoral Research Associate Josh is a chemist by trade and brings his scientist’s precision and willingness to experiment to the kitchen, taking careful notes on every part of the baking process.
Keet
Age: 60
Occupation: Chartered accountant
By: Hampshire
Keith has a fondness for apple pies and fairy cakes, which he learned to bake with his mother.
The treats form the baking background of Keith’s childhood, along with his mother’s love of traditional dishes from her home in Malta.
Matty
Age: 28
Occupation: PE and science teacher
By: Cambridgeshire
He describes his style as rustic but neat, and his taste preferences as quite traditional – he especially likes chocolate, citrus and nuts.
Once his days in the tent are over, his next challenge will be making his own wedding cake.
Nicky
Age: 52
Occupation: Retired cabin crew and volunteer
By: West Midlands
Her favorite bakes are pastries, but she also enjoys making fun birthday cakes for her niece and grandchildren.
When she’s not baking, Nicky volunteers for a pet therapy charity with her dog Bracken. She loves skiing, which she has been doing since she was just three years old.
Saku
Age: 50
Occupation: Intelligence analyst
By: Herefordshire
In her childhood home in Sri Lanka, Saku did not have an oven until the age of 18, so she did not take up baking until she moved to Britain with her husband in 2003.
She is self-taught and likes to use home-grown ingredients from her vegetable garden.