Friday's Unscientific Poll (on a Monday): Bake Off take two

[nanila]

I was too ill last Friday to string together enough coherent thoughts to make a post, so the Unscientific Poll is coming to you at the very odd time of Monday.

I find myself a lot less invested in this series of Bake Off than I was in the previous one. One contributing factor is knowing that this will be the last series to air on the BBC, and the last with this set of four presenters. All three of the female presenters are leaving (Mary Berry, Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins), meaning that not only will the show move to a channel with adverts, it will also retain only the intractably orange and bearded Paul Hollywood. Channel 4 will have to come up with some startlingly spectacular replacements for me to have any desire to continue watching.

Another is that, although I am charmed and delighted by Selasi's insouciance, Benjamina's understated wit and Candice's inexhaustible range of goth lipsticks, I get the feeling that any of last year's finalists - Nadiya, Tamal, and even the so-dull-I-had-to-look-up-his-name-Ian - would wipe the floor with all of this year's contestants, including Jane, whom I must reluctantly admit is probably the most accomplished baker even if she is my least favourite. None of them seem to be upping their game at the pace that last year's contestants had on reaching Week 7. Perhaps Wednesday will change my mind.

Anyway, enough from me. Which of the remaining contestants are your favourites? I shall place the poll behind a cut in case there are readers who haven't yet seen the latest episode(s).

So while we're here, can I just say how gutted I am that Rav went? He was adorable, even if he wasn't good enough at the frilly bits to win Bake Off. Also, I got a lot of chuckles out of Tom's little pink fan, although I wasn't sorry to see him go as the hipster madness had to be stopped.

Poll #17697 Bake Off 2016: Take Two

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 16

View Respondents

Who are your favourite remaining Bake Off contestants?

View Answers

Selasi
6 (37.5%)

Benjamina
14 (87.5%)

Candice
7 (43.8%)

Jane
2 (12.5%)

Andrew
6 (37.5%)

Comments

[coughingbear]

I don't feel as invested this year either and I think you may be right that it's partly that no one is emerging as such a good baker. Candice's gingerbread pub was very promising, but that and Kate's corn maiden are the only bakes I immediately bring to mind, whereas I can still remember quite a few of last year's.

[nanila]

The pub was ACE. Mary's "I'll have a bit of carpet": also unforgettable.

[coughingbear]

I loved the pub. (Just tried to find some good photos but they all seem to be in the Sun.)

[sfred]

I agree that none of them are as outstandingly good as last year. I'd be surprised if neither Andrew nor Jane were in the final, because neither of them have messed up very much.

[nanila]

I think you're right. I suspect Selasi, who has saved himself with awesome showstoppers more than once, will go before the final. I just hope he does it incredibly stylishly.

[liseuse]

I'm not as invested this season either, and it's annoying me. I want to be more invested in my silly baking show! A coworker and I were idly wondering if the problem is that everyone is competent with flashes of brilliance rather than brilliant with flashes of WTF?. I struggle to remember what everyone baked whereas I can still remember loads of the bakes from last year's series. Also, I think the overuse of new theme weeks is wearing on me.

[nanila]

As coughingbear pointed out, the only big standouts have been Kate's corn maiden and Candice's pub. The themes are getting tedious, yes.

[miss_s_b]

I too have lost much of my impetus to watch now Rav is gone. And I really detest Andrew (probably unfairly)

[nanila]

Andrew is very sweet. Some people find this endearing. Others find it cloyingly irritating. I'm not seeing a lot of indifference to him, at least not on Twitter!