Anonymous wrote:I absolutely love Noel. He was fantastic with Sandy, so I was so sad to see her go. Matt was better this season, but that’s not saying much. Hope they will replace him, but doubtful.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked Noel and Sandy, esp. given how big the shoes they had to fill with Mel & Sue's departure. But Sandy's down-to-earth Scandi demeanor was so helpful to balance out Noel's weirdness, whereas with Matt*, the two just tip over into actual creepiness (recalling the whole Peter season, yikes).

*I really dislike Matt, to the point that even I have to acknowledge it has to be a little irrational.

There have been a lot of great seasons. I loved the final with Nadiya, Ian, and Tamil.

The first season I ever watched was the one with Nancy, Paul, and Luis and that one will always be dear to me (plus it had Norman, who was just memorably fun, even if he didn't last long).

Anonymous wrote:Season 7 was my favorite with Henry, Michael, Stef, David etc. Great chemistry with that group and Sandy and Noel were hilarious.

Same!! That group was like a family. I miss Sandy with Noel so much. They were, BY FAR, my favorite presenters.

Noel and Matt both annoy me. Every time they talk to a baker is who clearly stressed out, I want to scream at them to scram! At least Sandy was witty.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone else find it weird how the show focused so much on Giuseppe’s parents during this last episode? I get the emotional aspect of his Dad being sick etc makes for emotional TV, but there was not one mention of his wife or kids in this episode even after he won. No congratulatory phone call - nothing.

Maybe his wife was shy? Maybe they didn't want the kids to be on tv either.

In the very first episode when we meet all the bakers, we had a brief camera shot of Giuseppe baking with his boys. But otherwise, yes, I was surprised there was no footage of his wife or kids talking about Giuseppe. They clearly kept the focus on his father. Giuseppe probably requested it and his wife may have been camera shy. I can understand why, I wouldn't want to be on camera either and nor would I be wild about my young children being on national television and exposed to angry internet trolls who'll forever hate Giuseppe for "stealing" the victory from their hero Jurgen.

Anonymous wrote:I hate that we aren’t able to see the all the special editions of GBBO - would love to see the Stand Up To Cancer shows with the celebs. Hopefully, we’ll at least get to see the Christmas special!

I found some of the special episodes on youtube and daily motion. There is also an after show called Extra Slice that can be found online. I thought I saw that Netflix will have new Christmas episodes, but those will be from last Christmas.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I absolutely love Noel. He was fantastic with Sandy, so I was so sad to see her go. Matt was better this season, but that’s not saying much. Hope they will replace him, but doubtful.

I love Noel, too, and really enjoyed him with Sandy. Matt isn't my favorite - I feel like Noel needs someone who's more of a straight man to balance him out, and he and Matt are too chaotic forces together. Noel has to be the straight man some of the time! I liked Matt better this season than laast, though. Maybe I'm just getting used to him.

Noel is straight.

I don't mean straight like sexual orientation - I mean straight man like how most comedy duos have one wacky person and one whose job is to be the foil to the wacky person, the straight man.

Noel and Matt don’t work well together. I wish they’d bring in someone like Judi Love. Matt isn’t very funny one on one with the bakers either. The show got away with it this season bc the baker casting was fantastic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I absolutely love Noel. He was fantastic with Sandy, so I was so sad to see her go. Matt was better this season, but that’s not saying much. Hope they will replace him, but doubtful.

I love Noel, too, and really enjoyed him with Sandy. Matt isn't my favorite - I feel like Noel needs someone who's more of a straight man to balance him out, and he and Matt are too chaotic forces together. Noel has to be the straight man some of the time! I liked Matt better this season than laast, though. Maybe I'm just getting used to him.

Noel is straight.

I don't mean straight like sexual orientation - I mean straight man like how most comedy duos have one wacky person and one whose job is to be the foil to the wacky person, the straight man.

I think the big mistakes during the final episode (Giuseppe burning the Belgian buns, and Crystelle's focaccia) were a reflection of being in the bubble the whole time and just not thinking very clearly. So different than seasons where the contestants go home between filming episodes. I think by the end it had gotten to them a bit. Even as both things were happening, you'd see the bakers talking about it and they just sounded tired and a little out of it. Giuseppe, in particular, seemed out of sorts during the last episode. It's actually impressive what he pulled together given the strain he was under.

I don't think either of them would have made those mistakes in an earlier week.

I think Chigs wasn't as impacted because he's a lower stress person in general and perhaps just less susceptible. I also think that throughout the show, one way he succeeded was by keeping his bakes relatively simple but executing well. It is a good approach but it makes sense he was not really in the running for the top prize because while I think he did phenomenally given how recently he started baking, I don't think he was as ambitious or innovative as Giuseppe or Crystelle and perhaps a less defined identity as a baker.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate that we aren’t able to see the all the special editions of GBBO - would love to see the Stand Up To Cancer shows with the celebs. Hopefully, we’ll at least get to see the Christmas special!

We usually do get the Christmas special. If obsessed (who me?) you can VPN to watch the others.

Can we please talk about Crystelle's sisters names?!?

Oh my goodness! Corelle and Chanel(le)?! They’re all kind of pretty but just too similar.

Exactly! Mom yelling up the stairs for one of them but never knowing which one she is saying.

Some really good genes though. Crystelle is gorgeous.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate that we aren’t able to see the all the special editions of GBBO - would love to see the Stand Up To Cancer shows with the celebs. Hopefully, we’ll at least get to see the Christmas special!

We usually do get the Christmas special. If obsessed (who me?) you can VPN to watch the others.

Can we please talk about Crystelle's sisters names?!?

Oh my goodness! Corelle and Chanel(le)?! They’re all kind of pretty but just too similar.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I absolutely love Noel. He was fantastic with Sandy, so I was so sad to see her go. Matt was better this season, but that’s not saying much. Hope they will replace him, but doubtful.

I love Noel, too, and really enjoyed him with Sandy. Matt isn't my favorite - I feel like Noel needs someone who's more of a straight man to balance him out, and he and Matt are too chaotic forces together. Noel has to be the straight man some of the time! I liked Matt better this season than laast, though. Maybe I'm just getting used to him.

Noel is straight.

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone else find it weird how the show focused so much on Giuseppe’s parents during this last episode? I get the emotional aspect of his Dad being sick etc makes for emotional TV, but there was not one mention of his wife or kids in this episode even after he won. No congratulatory phone call - nothing.

Maybe his wife was shy? Maybe they didn't want the kids to be on tv either.

Anonymous wrote:I hate that we aren’t able to see the all the special editions of GBBO - would love to see the Stand Up To Cancer shows with the celebs. Hopefully, we’ll at least get to see the Christmas special!

We usually do get the Christmas special. If obsessed (who me?) you can VPN to watch the others.

Can we please talk about Crystelle's sisters names?!?

Anonymous wrote:I absolutely love Noel. He was fantastic with Sandy, so I was so sad to see her go. Matt was better this season, but that’s not saying much. Hope they will replace him, but doubtful.

I love Noel, too, and really enjoyed him with Sandy. Matt isn't my favorite - I feel like Noel needs someone who's more of a straight man to balance him out, and he and Matt are too chaotic forces together. Noel has to be the straight man some of the time! I liked Matt better this season than laast, though. Maybe I'm just getting used to him.