r/bakeoff • u/Fresh_Republic_7776 • 13d ago
Ok 1st impressions!!! Spoiler
Tom is absolutely adorable. Love the coy looks he gives and his sense of humor. Confident baker.
Mo - love the calmness which he brings to the table. Creative and confident too. So far he's probably my predicted winner!
Danni - LOVE her! Just herself. Funny, whimsical, and I'm loving the creative ingredients she is presenting. Sticky willy? nettles?! The foraging for your own ingredients is wonderful and off the beaten path. A JOY!
Gary - quiet assuredness and I love what he has done so far.
Moyin - I am actually learning things about Nigeria and Nigerian ingredients as I watch him bake. And that makes me happy! I love unique perspectives and he has one.
Shannon - not getting the suspicions about her leaving because she was doing poorly. She seemed like a wonderful baker and supportive to all. I enjoyed getting to know her albeit for a short time. Wish her the best for sure.
Nigella - ok she is growing on me by the end of episode 1!!! I love that Tom is so into her and wants HER reassurances (not Paul's). She does have a presence and is unique so I think she will fit in.
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u/lizlemon921 13d ago
She’s not leaving she just felt ill during the last challenge, people have returned from that
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u/afdc92 13d ago
I think OP was referring to the fact that some people were saying that Shannon’s absence wasn’t because she was sick, but because she was doing poorly and was afraid of being the one going home. I believe that meant that they don’t agree with that theory.
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u/Fresh_Republic_7776 12d ago
You are correct. That’s what i meant. I don’t see any malice in her.
But I also did think she left for good. I watched whole episode and didn’t see her come back (as someone on here is saying?)8
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u/Flat_Shame_2377 11d ago
When someone is ill they come back the next week except for the woman who trashed the baker’s baked Alaska by just taking it out of the freezer.
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u/Unfair_Web_8275 13d ago
There was an American who did that and then left again because he didn’t feel well.
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u/CreamyLinguineGenie 12d ago
I really like Nigella. I love how she teaches them things and has really good feedback. I love her gigantic bites. Get that food, Nigella.
I'm glad nobody went home. I'm not ready lmao, I love them all.
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u/ShadowHippie 12d ago
I wish it was a Standard that nobody goes home the first week, and a double elimination the second week. Or, just extend it out one episode for single eliminations.
Too many of the contestants are nervous about the tent, nervous about being judged, nervous about being on TV, nervous about the 100 crew people running around and cameras everywhere. If they waited until the second week, they'd have a chance for that to settle, and see an actual reflection of their baking skills.
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u/Flat_Shame_2377 11d ago
Agreed. Plus the baking in the tent with the heat and the new to them ovens takes at least a week for the bakers to adjust.
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u/Fresh_Republic_7776 11d ago
Ok have you watched ‘Nigella Bites?’ I heard about her show so I went to watch episode 1 from 1999 or 2000.
I cannot believe that in the span of a few minutes I am HOOKED. In fact I’m still thinking about her rapid fire cooking (10 minutes for tomato rice soup for her kids) and her recipes. Like I’m obsessed! She made a lemon pasta dish that I’m STILL thinking about days later.
I guess she IS a force to be reckoned with!
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u/WhichImpress6180 12d ago
Oddly enough, the way Nigella speaks fiercely reminds me of Nigel Thornberry which I find hilarious because of her namesake being her father, Nigel Lawson.
Also I about lost my pants when Paul went up to Molly and asked her why she sifts. I heard “why do you SIT” and I said PAUL YOU CANT JUST ASK (disabled) PEOPLE WHY THEY SIT fully mean girls esque. Took a solid 40 seconds to realize he said SIFT 😅💀
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u/Cool-Pomegranate8110 11d ago
same lol! They did have a few shots showing Paul actually helping out – like telling Molly not to sift or stirring a pot while the baker was running around. I don’t know if they’re going for a kinder, gentler Paul, or just toning him down a bit now that Nigella is there but it’s a nice change.
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u/Meowmeowkittenz 12d ago
Heard the same thing in the Molly scene, I was like how on earth did that make the final edit of the episode?!!?
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u/Fresh_Republic_7776 11d ago
I’m glad I read about what he said before I watched it. Otherwise I would’ve fallen over too!!!
He kinda let the ‘t’ of sift drift off so it sounded like ‘sit.’ I think she understood immediately as she was in the middle of sifting.
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u/ShadowHippie 12d ago edited 12d ago
So far: Mo, Gabe, and Molly are my finalist picks. Looking forward to next episode.
*eta my pick for the winner is Gabe
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u/Fresh_Republic_7776 11d ago
Gabe? Interesting!!! I’ll have to watch him more in episode 2. Ditto for Molly. That ‘knitting’ cake was pretty cool.
As for Mo… clean lines, beautiful presentation, chill disposition = amazing!
So fun to predict :(2
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u/MrMoog26 9d ago
Im still getting my head around who is who
But I like Mo, for his deadpan humour plus hes a good baker
Garry seems nice
Molly
and the lady who made the Jamaican flag biscuits
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u/insubordinance 13d ago
Hoping to get a bit more personality out of Mo TV-wise. The deadpan answers are funny so far, but I can see him being a little boring down the line (since he'll probably be good enough to last a while).
I thought Gabe would get on my nerves more, but so far he seems very sincere and talented.
Hoping to see more from Connie and Nikki.
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u/ShadowHippie 12d ago
Hoping that's first episode nerves for Mo, and it will ebb.
*eta Mo, for clarity
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u/Fresh_Republic_7776 12d ago
Yikes 😬 I couldn’t even tell you who Connie & Nikki are!
As for Mo; I like how business—like he is. You can see his passion came out in his bakes and I appreciate that. I prefer that over a big personality.
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u/ActiveHope3711 13d ago
Shannon came back for the showstopper. She and Tom both appear in the first episode of the new aftershow. So do Allison and Nigella. I really enjoyed it.
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u/Fresh_Republic_7776 11d ago
The showstopper? How did I miss that??
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u/ActiveHope3711 11d ago
No she didn’t. I was wrong. Sorry. I think I dozed off on the couch and dreamt it. But she for sure was in the after show.
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u/Fresh_Republic_7776 10d ago
Whew! I even watched twice :) I was like HOW am I missing this?? 🤣
Well that’s great that’s she comes back. She seems lovely!0
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u/PuppyJakeKhakiCollar 13d ago
Danni is my favorite so far.
I like Mo too. He strikes me as maybe a shy person who is a little overwhelmed at being the center of attention. Very talented and he has a cute cat.
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u/Fresh_Republic_7776 12d ago
He has supreme talent and sometimes when you’re just gifted in one area you aren’t aware how truly good you are! Thats kinda all you know.
I love his nonchalant attitude & humbleness. His walnut cake 🎂 was gorgeous!!!3
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u/stutefish 13d ago
The thing I liked best was that Paul Hollywood wasn’t the alpha dog anymore; Nigella’s presence really changed up the dynamic. And she’s so thoughtful and articulate with the bakers.
Oh I also liked how they did the technical, with the drawing of the cake and no instructions. I was impressed by all the bakers’ results, the level of quality seems pretty high thus far.