Day 285/365: Friday’s Unscientific Poll: The Great British Bake Off predictions

[nanila]

I had feared, when GBBO moved from the Beeb to Channel 4, that it would somehow become less compelling viewing. I’m pleased to have been proven wrong. Noel and Sandi aren’t Mel and Sue but they’re also weirdly wonderful together.

There was this beautiful moment when they were having a summing-up cuppa with Paul. Prue was off ill. Paul had just finished speaking.

“God, you’re handsome,” said Sandi.
“I was just thinking that,” replied Noel.
“I’m on the turn,” lamented Sandi. “You too! We’re both on the turn now.”

So, now we’re down to five, I want to know your picks for the top three, and who your favourite of the remaining bakers is. I’ll put the poll behind a cut for those who aren’t able to watch yet.

Poll #20560 GBBO Favourites

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 21

Who are your picks for the final three?

Rahul
21 (100.0%)

Kim-Joy
15 (71.4%)

Manon
7 (33.3%)

Ruby
13 (61.9%)

Briony
8 (38.1%)

And who is your favourite baker?

Rahul
10 (55.6%)

Kim-Joy
2 (11.1%)

Manon
1 (5.6%)

Ruby
2 (11.1%)

Briony
3 (16.7%)

I reckon it's Rahul v. Kim-Joy for the winner, and third place is almost a non-issue. The other contenders are, at this point, far too inconsistent to challenge the top two. Manon makes beautiful cakes that don't taste very nice. Ruby has good flavours but variable luck with presentation. Briony has only once managed to maintain a run of three good dishes and that was the week she won star baker.

I'm Team Kim-Joy, btw, though I suspect Rahul will probably win it.

Comments

[highlyeccentric]

I have not read this post on account of being unable to watch until Sundays (every tuesday, around 7.45 pm, our TV signal cuts out and doesn't come back until halfway through bakeoff - so I can't even record it), but yes! I am delighted by Noel and Sandi and I regret having avoided the first of their seasons.

[nanila]

Hooray! Well, I hope you come back to it when you've seen it to vote, to improve the statistics. ;)

[sfred]

I think Rahul will win, but at this point I don't have a favourite: I think they're all lovely.

[nanila]

That is one of the defining characteristics - and strengths - of Bake Off, I feel. The bakers are all really nice people from a variety of places and walks of life, and they become friends on the show. It gives you hope, when you watch it.

[sfred]

Yes.

[ironymaiden]

I was rooting for a Rahul/Kim-Joy/Jon final. Damn vegan week.

[nanila]

Vegan week was a particularly cruel thing to inflict on Jon, I felt. :/

[antisoppist]

I don't have a favourite this series. No-one has particularly grabbed me and I quite like most of them. I put Briony in the top three because she upped her game massively last week but it depends whether she carries on doing that and whether Manon manages to make things that taste as good as they look and whether Ruby doesn't have unexpected disasters.

[nanila]

Yes, I think of all the bakers, Kim-Joy and Briony have taken the most away from the feedback they've been given.

[ursajoanna]

I can't pick a favourite. In my daydreams, I'm super best friends with Briony, Ruby, and Manon, and we often meet up for hot chocolates and laughs. I do also love Rahul. I found Kim-Joy so annoying the first few episodes, but I can't deny that she has incredible skills!

[nanila]

You can tell that Briony, Ruby, and Manon have become quite close over the past few weeks, and that's another one of those things that lovely to see, because it's difficult to imagine other circumstances that would have brought the three of them together.

The bloke is not a big fan of Kim-Joy. I quite like her for being super awkward on camera, because that is totally me. I'm pretty relaxed and easy to engage with in real life, I think, but put me in front of a television camera and I turn into a gigantic doofus. So I empathise with her.

[liseuse]

I like all of them but am on the verge of finding Rahul's "someone just whipped my dog in front of me woe is me and my ice cream has melted" entire self a little frustrating. It was fine for a few weeks, but now it's just annoying me. Which is mean, and he's a fantastic baker, but come on dude, I'm not expecting you to start proclaiming you are the best of the best but do you think you could perk up a smidgen?!

[nanila]

Confession: I'm not a Rahul fan. This may be deeply cynical of me, but I can't shake the feeling that at least 50% of that kicked-puppy thing is a put-on.

ETA: On reflection, I think what's colouring this is knowing that he's a postdoctoral scientist, and I have met very few men who get to that point in their scientific careers without having a considerable amount of confidence.

[liseuse]

Yes! That's what I was trying to explain to people at work when I was defending how irritating I find his entire displayed personality. You don't usually get to that point as a man, in that kind of field, without being considerably more (over, ahem) convinced of your own self-worth! I just keep trying to picture him in a job interview and failing massively.

[uninvitedcat]

I think Rahul is going to be in the final - at this point it would take a couple of weeks of disasters for him to not make it. I think Kim-Joy is also going to be in the final, and is a strong contender for the surprise-winner. The third place is a toss-up between Ruby and Briony, but I picked Ruby because I think she’s had a slightly steadier output (could be wrong on that though). Which is a shame because I’ve loved Briony from the start!

[nanila]

I like both Ruby and Briony and I don't really want to have to choose between them. I'm glad the judges are the ones that have to do it!

[uninvitedcat]

Me too! Imagine trying to pick between any 2 of them really..!

(In all honesty, I don’t want Rahul to win - if only because he doesn’t seem to have one on the same journey of improvement that some of the other bakers have)

[st_aurafina]

Kim-Joy is delightfully batty, she's like the contestant that came from the internet. I love her. But I also love Rahul who is like the Eeyore of baking. He's my bet for winning.

Noel and Sandi are an unexpected delight - I think they got even better this season.

[nanila]

The "turtles all the way down" cake was, I think, Kim-Joy's little shout-out to all her fellow internet fan-girls. <3