Paul Hollywood repeatedly mentioned that he thought this year’s “Bread Week” was actually “one of the best ‘Bread Weeks’” in Great British Baking Show history — and we’re inclined to actually agree! This year’s batch of bakers is not only proving to be incredibly talented, but incandescently charming. Hosts Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond have perfectly balanced humor with humanity, making sure to not only roll with the bakers’ gags but to also check in on them when they’re in trouble. Most exciting, however, is that Netflix‘s The Great British Baking Show seems to have dampened down the chaos that defined Season 12’s first two weeks. No one quit, no one fainted, and even Paul’s Technical Challenge seven-strand plait tutorial felt like a welcome tweak to the usual rules of the reality competition show.
Nevertheless, there still was drama on The Great British Baking Show Season 12 Episode 3 “Bread Week.” No fewer than three bakers cried in the tent this week. One was crying tears of joy, while the other two were overcome with the pressure of Showstopper Challenges gone awry. It was the type of earnest human drama that has long defined The Great British Baking Show and it’s proof again that this season is shaping up to be one of the most dramatic installments of the Netflix hit yet.
**Spoilers for The Great British Baking Show Season 12 Episode 3 “Bread Week,” now streaming on Netflix**
The Great British Baking Show “Bread Week” has a reputation for undoing even the most steadfast bakers in the tent. Paul Hollywood is renowned as one of the greatest bread bakers in the world and he knows it. The bakers know it, too. It’s why they panic more than usual when old “blue eyes” casts his icy gaze upon them in the tent. You can’t escape Paul’s judgment on a normal week in the Bake Off tent; during “Bread Week,” he’s like a shark waiting for a single drop of blood to pool in the water.
The flip side of this, of course, is that Paul’s praise means even more during “Bread Week.” If you can eke one compliment out of Paul, let alone earn a “Hollywood Handshake,” it really solidifies you as a truly great baker. It’s why Georgie was overwhelmed by the first ever “Paul Pat,” aka an acknowledgement that she almost got a Handshake. (Her one mistake? Not grating parmesan cheese on her buns!)
So it should go without saying that we totally understand why Slovakian-born baker Nelly teared up when Paul awarded her compliments on her plaiting in addition to the honor of First Place in this week’s Technical Challenge. Nelly had been cheekily bragging that she was going to get Paul to praise her yet, but it still exhilarated her to the point of tears.
“It’s very hard for me to take compliments because all my life I wasn’t good enough,” Nelly admitted during her confessional interview. “And from Paul, the King of Bread, it’s the biggest compliment I ever could have.”
We love good tears!
But Nelly wasn’t the only baker to shed some tears during “Bread Week.” Two early fan favorites, John and Andy, were both absolutely frazzled by mistakes during the Showstopper Challenge.
John was the first Star Baker of the season, wowing Paul and Prue Leith with his bakes during “Cake Week.” After a successful “Biscuit Week,” it seemed that he would and should be an early favorite to go all the way to the end of the season. However, John had, as he put it himself, “a bad week.” He made a fatal mistake with his bun fillings during the Signature Challenge, creating an empty pocket of air inside. He then was second-to-last during the Technical Challenge. Ergo, John knew he had to have a spectacular Showstopper to save his skin.
Everything seemed to be going according to plan for John until he tried to boil his cinnamon raisin bagels. The bagels sunk to the bottom of the pot, which immediately sent John into despair. “I make bagels all the time and they’ve never sank, ever,” he lamented. Alison Hammond was immediately at his side to provide a shoulder to lean on.
John leaves the tent — just for a minute! — and Alison follows. She not only continues to offer him space to collect his emotions, but encourages him not to give up. Alison shares her own experiences on the British reality competition show Strictly Come Dancing. There was one week she was certain she’d be eliminated, but someone reminded her someone else could fall.
Then, as though Alison had cursed him, parts of Andy’s bread cornucopia began to fall apart in the oven. The cheeky mechanic had already joked with Alison that he might have jinxed himself for elimination by only packing three hats for the whole season. Were the dark jokes coming true? Would Andy manage to save his American-themed* Showstopper? As soon as time was called on the challenge, the camera lingered on poor Andy slumped over his bench, seemingly crying.
*Between Jeff’s early departure and this star-spangled disaster, I am truly beginning to feel like everything American is cursed on The Great British Baking Show.
So how did it all turn out? Was Andy’s messy cornucopia bad enough to spare first Star Baker John? Alas, it seemed that Andy’s strong Signature was enough to save him. John was eliminated for his poor, unimaginative bakes, reminding us all that anyone can be eliminated at any time. Even Star Bakers.
This week of The Great British Baking Show renewed my faith in the season simply because it was a great blend of old school joy and reality TV drama. If nothing else, the chaos has died down from last week’s utter insanity. And this new batch of bakers is one that I’ve already fallen madly in love with.
