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Decapitated cakes, Rahul's swears and a conspiracy: GBBO

Updated / Wednesday, 17 Oct 2018 10:33
Screaming, crying and swearing: GBBO got very Viking
Screaming, crying and swearing: GBBO got very Viking

Coming at the point in the competition when contestants start falling to pieces with stress, Danish week was an fitting emotional roller coaster, with most bakers descending into tears and many flaking like delicate pastry as they rushed to master Nordic baking. 

The spirit of the Viking was alive and well in the tent, despite each contestant wearing a Hawaiian shirt in honour of Jon, who was eliminated last week. 

The challenges this week were smørrebrød, or open sandwiches, Æbleskiver, spherical pastries similar to pancakes, and kagekone, a birthday cake traditionally made to resemble someone you know and enjoyed by cutting of the head while the people around you scream - typical Viking stuff. 

Rahul finally came down to the level of us humans, the much-loved humble and sweet persona somewhat eroded by stress. Swearing, muttering and essentially a ball of frustration, Rahul somehow made it through to next week despite none of his bakes going well and his Showstopper pastries burning. 

No one can judge Rahul more than he does, though, as he said "I don’t deserve to be here anymore. I just need to be kicked out". 

In the end, Ruby was named Star Baker, righting herself again after last week's toppling cake disaster, knocking out asparagus and tandoori smørrebrød, as well as winning Æbleskiver, and kagekone. Given this bout of success, it's not surprising that Ruby was the only baker to not cry this week. Small victories. 

In a move that has sparked serious Twitter debate, Manon was eliminated from the tent. Her fatal flaw, it turned out, was her Frenchenss. It seems the French can't be anything but French when it comes to baking, as she managed to make a French loaf out of her rye bread and included a literal pain au chocolat on her Danish Showstopper.

It was a blow to many viewers who had come to respect her work over weeks of consistently strong baking and inventive flavours. Still, with the semi final next week, judging is about to get much more severe so try not to get too attached to anyone in the tent... 

Next week sees the bakers tackle Patisserie Week, and we don't want to cry "conspiracy" or anything, but wouldn't Manon have wowed with that theme? Hmm. 

As always, Twitter was heating up last night and we picked out the best bits for you... 

A blue-eyed shark

Rahul, the dating mascot

We all have Kim-Sad days

Worse than Brexit?

Et tu, Ben?

Disney's next project

Justice for Manon

Keep your hands to yourself, then

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