Bake Off fans left DEVASTATED at this week's elimination
WARNING - major spoilers ahead 🚨
Last updated 13th Oct 2021
As Great British Bake Off fans will know, we have seen plenty of aspiring bakers come and go from the famous tent - however, this week's elimination cut just that little bit deeper, with fans left devastated with the recent verdict, which was revealed last night (Tuesday, 12th October).
As we entered dessert week, bakers were prepared to impress judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith with their pavlovian signatures, sticky toffee technicals and a multi-layered jaconde showstoppers. For one contestant, however, the proof really was in the pudding...
WARNING - for those of you who are yet to catch up on this week's show, you may want to look away now, as there are some major spoilers coming your way.
So yes, it's true, 70-year-old retired midwife Maggie has officially hung up her Bake Off apron and left the tent for the final time, after a series of mishaps during last night's episode.
From using the wrong flour in her sticky toffee puddings - leading to some very flat puds - to having her joconde sponge split due to taking it out of the oven too soon, it's safe to say that Maggie put on a brave face and still brought joy to her situation.
After coming last in the technical, Maggie faced another blunder with her showstopper, leading to her elimination from the competition, and fans across the country are gutted to see her go. Especially after her heart-warming reaction to the news.
Following the devastating verdict, Maggie told viewers: "The whole thing has been so fun and just to be part of it is a complete joy.
"Nothing can beat delivering a baby and bringing a new life into the world but it comes second!"
Fans took to Twitter to share in their sorrow, with one writing: 'NOT MAGGIE 😭she'll always be my winner #gbbo' and other Tweeting: 'I knew that Maggie was going to be leaving but I'm still so sad #GBBO'.
Another viewer gushed: 'I thought Maggie dealt so brilliantly with disaster after disaster today. Well done for walking out of #GBBO still smiling!'
Following suit from previous contestants who found their time in the tent cut short, Maggie left a sweet letter that Bake Off to share. Captioning the letter on Twitter, Bake Off bosses wrote: '“Who would have thought that at my time of life I would have been picked to have the time of my life?” Here’s marvellous Maggie’s letter to all you Bake Off fans… #GBBO'.
But, hey, Maggie left the tent smiling, and it's fair to say we've got some great memes out of it.
After Tom's elimination in Week One, Jairzeno's elimination in Week Two, Rochica's elimination in Week Three and Maggie's sad departure last night, the remaining contestants head into Week Five to tackle German week.
Check out these Great British Bake Off facts:
1. Anyone can apply for Bake Off
Except professional bakers or chefs!
Applications are open to any UK resident over the age of 16. However they cannot make their main source of income from commercial baking and entrants can't have worked as a professional chef or baker at any point. Plus, applicants cannot have acquired any professional catering qualifications in the last ten years.
2. The GBBO application form is VERY LONG
It's seven pages long, asks a LOT of questions, and demands you reveal the truth about your previous successes and failures in the kitchen.
You can find it here.
3. The Great British Bake Off application process doesn’t stop there!
If they like what they see on your application form, a researcher will call you and give you a 45 minute interview over the phone.
Then, if you pass THAT test, they'll have you whip up two baked treats, bring them to London, have an interview with a producer, and go through a screen test.
Think you're done? Nope!
You then have to try out a Technical Challenge set by the GBBO judges - in front of the camera. They also ask that you bring another bake along (presumably the producers are taste testing these / big fans of cake).
If you're still in the running, you'll then be interviewed by the show's psychologist to make sure they can handle the pressure of filming.
4. GBBO filming is intense
The show is filmed over a 10-week period between April and June, with contestants spending up to 16 hours a day filming.
They manage to package up a whole session of baking into one hour, which means that a lot of it ends up on the cutting room floor.
5... but at least it’s contained to weekends
That's right, contestants only do their GBBO stuff on weekends, which means that they can keep working their normal 9-to-5 jobs in the week.
However they are picked up from their hotels at 9am each Saturday and Sunday morning, to ensure they get as much filming time in as possible.
No rest for the wicked, eh?
6. GBBO contestants don’t do the washing up themselves
There's no dishwasher on Bake Off, because the noise would disrupt filming. Instead, home economists spend 160 hours washing up everything by hand. We hope they all get given a free hand lotion each…
7. GBBO contestants pay for ingredients themselves
Yes, that's right. They only get their ingredients provided when they reach the finals - which makes things pretty expensive. Particularly as they use between 12-20 ingredients per bake.
8. A lot of people are involved in the production of GBBO
There are around 50 crew members on set - and, yes, they all get to tuck into the cakes and goodies after the judges give their verdict.
9. GBBO contestants are encouraged to become friends
Producers take all contestants out for dinner together on the first night, and they usually become good pals over time; they often stay at the same hotel, so dinners and drinks and socialising become pretty regular.
Which means that, yes, they really DO mean it when they say they're happy for the overall winner - they're pretty much all besties by that point!
10. They make more cakes than you’d ever dreamed of
They bake a Victoria Sponge in each oven every single morning of filming, to make sure everything is ship-shape and ready to go. We imagine everyone gets a bit sick of tucking into that particular type of cake come the end of filming!
11. The show is LITERALLY based on village fetes
That's right; Anna Beattie, the show's creator, really believed that village fete baking competitions would suit TV. Anna, judging by the viewing figures, was 100% correct!
12. Mel and Sue recommended Mary Berry
The duo were approached to present the show together - and they were quick to suggest that Mary Berry should be a judge back when GBBO was on BBC One. The show moved to Channel 4 in 2017 without Mary Berry.
13. It’s not a disaster if someone forgets an ingredient
In fact, producers are well and truly prepared if this happens; they have a runner on standby at a local supermarket every morning in case a contestant realises overnight that they've forgotten an ingredient.
14. Oven time is crucial
So much so that contestants aren't allowed to put anything in - or take anything out of - the oven without flagging a producer down first. They want to make sure that they have a camera on standby to film those big baking moments.
15. The Bake Off challenges are NOT surprises
If you make it through to the Bake Off finals, you will be told what the challenges are going to be - and you'll have to submit your recipes for approval. No pressure, eh?
16. Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood were off limits
Back when the show was on BBC One, they preferred to keep things professional with contestants, and wouldn't usually speak to them outside of the Bake Off tent.
17. … but Mel and Sue weren't
The duo were happy to chat to contestants away from the cameras - and Sue even said that she likes to stay in touch with them via email once the show is all over. N'aww.
The Great British Bake Off continues every Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4.
Now read:
Your ultimate guide to The Great British Bake Off 2021 🧁
7 tear-jerking moments from 2020's Bake Off final 🍰