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Bake Off viewers have accused show bosses of prioritising personality over pastry after a series of disastrous bakes in the tent.
Last week's episode saw judge Paul Hollywood deliver a brutal verdict on the flatbread technical, branding it the worst he had seen in 17 years.
But the baking catastrophe came as little surprise to viewers after contestant Mo admitted he had never made bread before, dismissing the staple bake as 'boring'.
Fans were left scratching their heads over how Mo had secured a place in the Channel 4 tent without attempting one of the show's most fundamental bakes.
And he wasn't the only one in a sticky situation, with several contestants serving up thick, raw flatbreads that were a far cry from the delicate, golden offerings expected at the gingham altar.
Viewers have been discussing the calibre of contestants online, with many suggesting that the talent is not as strong as it has been in previous years.
Bake Off viewers have accused show bosses of prioritising personality over pastry after a series of disastrous bakes in the tent
Last week's episode saw judge Paul Hollywood deliver a brutal verdict on the flatbread technical, branding it the worst he had seen in 17 years
One person on Reddit claimed that they 'aren't as capable as previous years', and that producers have prioritised personalities that will be watchable on television.
They said: 'I will preface by saying I am a trained baker and chocolatier, and have had previous workplaces approached for Professionals, so I am very critical of normal bake off. That being said, I don't feel that all this year's contestants are as capable as previous years.
'Kinda feels like the producers have gone more for the personality-hire vibes of the contestants than their actual baking ability, but perhaps that is just the editing and filming choices.
'But when I look back at previous winners and contestants, I don't feel that they were all fighting for the 'quirky' or 'unique' contestant role, like how I feel this year's are.
'Maybe the fact that most contestants over the past 5-ish years have gone on to a book deal, social media side hustle, if not career/influencer status, etc might have something to do with it.
'I am not saying the bakers are untalented, or that Bake Off is easy; it must be extremely nerve-racking, BUT I am having a hard time believing that this round of contestants were the best 12 bakers of all applicants, based on baking talent alone.l
Another user replied saying 'hard agree', and the original Reddit commenter added: 'Glad to know I'm not alone! I do wonder how many go on now with the intent/hope of a social media following/potential influencer career afterwards, but sadly there just isn't the audience and space for amateur ex bake off contestants on socials or for book deals, especially those without the 'it factor'.
'They just don't have the skills or experience to write decent cookbooks in the way that professional chefs and bakers do. I recently saw Freya, the vegan baker contestant from circa 2020/21, making IG content about her second book sales flopping, and it feels disingenous to call it a shock.'
But the baking catastrophe came as little surprise to viewers after contestant Mo admitted he had never made bread before, dismissing the staple bake as 'boring'
Yannis struggled to impress the judges across the challenges and was ultimately eliminated
Viewers have been discussing the calibre of contestants online, with many suggesting that the talent is not as strong as it has been in previous years
Others said: 'Definitely less talent in the tent this year. And more whacky personalities'; 'Hard agree. It's more 'wacky personality reality show' than 'cosy home baking experience'. I don't love the vibe now.
'My parents and I were discussing this and that's exactly what they said. It's like the producers/casting people chose the bakers based on personality rather than skill alone. Where are all the 'boring' grandma baker types?';
'Yes to this! I almost feel like it's the casting style, now it's more aligned with finding trad wife reality TV show personalities which I deeply dislike'; 'Yeah it definitely feels a lot more like a cast of almost all personality hires this year';
However, not everyone agreed, with some suggesting they prefer the feel of 'home bakers', arguing that the standard had become too high in recent years.
They said: 'The contestants are supposed to be home bakers. Honestly that is what all of us viewers want'; 'I prefer it this way, it feels more like the earlier seasons. I feel like the past few have been too advanced. Part of the original charm of the show is that the bakers are more relatable, they are just home bakers and not always professionals';
'I wonder if people in the last couple of years about all the bakers being 'too good' from the off- I'm sure I saw a few comments to that effect, but they might have been outliers! I definitely noticed some people saying it didn't have the vibe of 'amateur home baking' anymore but was more fancy and felt more professional even though the contestants obviously aren't allowed to be professional bakers. It occurred to me that maybe they dialled down the skill level in their choice this year to try and make it feel more relatable and it just fell flat instead.'
This week, the bakers faced self-saucing puddings, a classic dessert technical and a retro-pudding showstopper.
However, not everyone agreed, with some suggesting they prefer the feel of 'home bakers', arguing that the standard had become too high in recent years
Clara's self-saucing pudding fell flat with the judges. Nigella joked that it was less a self-saucing pudding and more a sauce with a bit of cake on top, while Paul described it as a 'heated liquid'.
Mo's gateau suffered a particularly unappetising mishap when the cream split and turned sour. His sticky toffee pudding was also criticised for being too dense. Not exactly a dessert trolley triumph.
Yannis struggled to impress the judges across the challenges and was ultimately eliminated. It was a disappointing end for the paediatric doctor, who later admitted the competition's exhausting filming schedule had taken its toll.
During the episode, there was an awkward moment where Yannis brought up that he would be using former judge Mary Berry's recipe for sticky toffee pudding.
Fans were overjoyed at the mention of Mary Berry as they took to Twitter to remark that Paul looked 'fuming' that a baker was using her recipe over his own.
They wrote: 'Using Mary Berry's recipe and Paul is furious. Hahaha! In your face Paul'; 'Paul is fuming he’s using Mary Berry’s recipe'; 'MARY BERRYS RECIPE IS HILARIOUS'; 'not Yannis using Mary Berry’s recipe instead of Paul or Nigellas'; 'MARY BERRY MENTION'.
After it was revealed Yannis would be leaving the tent another fan joked: 'Despite getting the boot from the tent, a certain someone would be very proud of you for doing their recipe Yannis.'
Dessert Week was arguably much more successful than last week's Bread Week which turbulent Technical challenge saw all of the remaining bakers' attempts fall short.
Even judge Nigella joked they should be forced to eat their creations as a punishment.
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