I was surprised by the result to be honest. If he hadn't cut his hand badly a few weeks ago he probably wouldn't even have been in the final. Still, he did really well last night.
I was glad to see Cathryn and Sarah Jane are working together. They both seemed really nice.
By the way, I presume Mel was joking when she said she was 30 this year??
I agree that there were weeks when John wasn't brilliant but then that is just the way the competition goes, and surely improving week by week is what the programme is all about. I think Paul summed up Brendan when he said that he was brilliant when it came to baking things that he could practice at home but when it came to the technical side he just couldn't pull it off. I'm not denying Brendan, and James, are both creative good bakers but the final is exactly what it is, it's a final and John played it better than both of them and deserved to win on the day. I don't think you have to be blinding week in week out to win a competition like this, I think they look at the whole journey, and also the improvements they have made. Brendan did some stunning creations but the technical bake is a huge part of the show and he let himself down in this area which is why I don't think they could let him win and James was also great all the way through but had a disaster in the final so they couldn't really justify making him winner, especially as Paul had stated that his final celebration cake wasn't really valid as it didn't meet the criteria. I don't really agree with the people who are saying that John won for the marketing side because I didn't think they particularly marketed them when the programme finished - unless they are planning to do a follow up series on his patisserie course in France! I was pleased he won in the end because I think he did really well and I nearly cried when his family were dissing him saying he never achieved anything and were putting him down - and he managed to get a first in Law at the same time!!
The show is an elimination of the worst baker on the day . That how elimination goes , the poorest one on the day goes and so on .John was never the worst , maybe not the best but that not the point .He hung on and was the best when it mattered on the day .James IMO blew it big time with that showstopper .
The show is an elimination of the worst baker on the day . That how elimination goes , the poorest one on the day goes and so on .John was never the worst , maybe not the best but that not the point .He hung on and was the best when it mattered on the day .James IMO blew it big time with that showstopper .
I completely agree witht his. Although I didn't have a real favourite, I had a soft spot for James, and would have been very happy to see him win. He could not based on last night's performance.
John was level pegging with Brendan until the last bake. If it tasted as good as it looked, then it was a real treat.
I completely agree witht his. Although I didn't have a real favourite, I had a soft spot for James, and would have been very happy to see him win. He could not based on last night's performance.
John was level pegging with Brendan until the last bake. If it tasted as good as it looked, then it was a real treat.
I would have trampled over the sheep and the squirrels and the frog for a slice of the shiney chocolate one last night .!!
Can we all agree that we are really going to miss it and that all 3 finalists have given us a lot of baking and viewing pleasure.
Certainly agree with that! I liked all three finalists but I did think Brendan deserved to win - he was consistent all through. As someone else remarked - no point having a comp over 9 weeks if you're not taking any of it into account. John was arguably the best in the final but not overall.
However, he's lovely and I hope he achieves his goals in future.
My OH just emailed me his application form...I shall show you parts of it..............:rolleyes::D
How long have you been baking for? I haven’t
What’s your experience level and how often do you bake each of these?
Cakes Never baked a cake
Tarts Gave them up when I met my OH :eek:
Desserts Ice cream. The plastic label at the side is sometimes difficult to take off and you have to leave it for 5 mins so you can actually scoop the ice cream- Straight from the freezer is too hard.
Do you have a signature bake?
Wall’s Cornish pasty with brown sauce. Squeezing out the right amount of brown sauce is key to this meal. Too much and you lose the taste of reformed meat.
If so, why is it special? How did it become your signature bake? Any background / stories connected with it?
It is so special because it only takes 15 mins and is really cheap.
Just saw it in Tesco’s, it was reduced to 40p and had to be eaten that day.
Do you have any family stories about baking? eg. memories, family favourites, recipes handed down the generations, baking anecdotes
My mum was partial to curry in a tin that she used to leave us in the cupboard when she went to work. Wouldn’t say it was a favourite, just a memory.
Have you ever had any baking disasters?
Yes, My lasagne was legendary. I forgot to cook the pasta once.
I burn toast all of the time. I can never get the right blend between beans and toast and get a bit stressed out mid lunch if there is too much left of either on my plate. Nothing worse than having too much beans and not enough toast.
Have you ever studied any aspect of food / cookery / bakery at any level? If so, please give details and dates
I sometimes look at Wikipedia for food that I have not heard of. I enjoy watching Nigella.
Have you ever worked in a food / cookery related field, past or present? If so, please give details (your exact role, was it full-time or part-time, please gives dates)
I was a full time chef in a beefeater. I did spend a lot of the time drunk in the kitchen either because it was early in the morning and I had been drinking all night or it was an evening shift where I had been drinking all day. Can’t remember the dates as it was all a bit of a blur.
Have you been on TV before? If so, please give details
Yes several times, Oasis live at Wembley, Paul Weller at Finsbury park, loads of football matches, various gigs.
ITV, I once got hit on the head by Jim Roshethal’s umbrella whilst eating a cheese burger as he walked past,
Anything else you would like to add?
If I achieve my goal and become a Jesus like figure, I could feed thousands with loaves. Which even Brendan probably couldn’t do.
I was pleased he won in the end because I think he did really well and I nearly cried when his family were dissing him saying he never achieved anything and were putting him down - and he managed to get a first in Law at the same time!!
It might have been a family 'in-joke' because he obviously has achieved plenty. The trouble is the 'joke' didn't come across well on tv - I'm sure most of us were a bit about their comments.
It might have been a family 'in-joke' because he obviously has achieved plenty. The trouble is the 'joke' didn't come across well on tv - I'm sure most of us were a bit about their comments.
I just started watching this back and I saw that and thought... huh?
Maybe because he started at Oxford and came home to complete at Manchester???
Even so - a first in Law anywhere is a pretty damn amazing achievement.
I came home from tennis about half way through Brendan's VT ... so will watch all of it back later and then probably post more coherantly! (then again... p'raps not!)
Can I just say I thoroughly enjoyed the series as always, it's one of my favourite programmes and am really pleased it got 7 million viewers. Now to the moaning.
I was really disappointed with the final. First round they all baked what was essentially a pie reasonably well. Second round they all made an absolute dogs dinner of the technical challenge. Third round was the show-stopper and I don't feel anyone's cake was particularly impressive, John the eventual winner made a chocolate cake with some wonky coconut towers plonked on one side of it.
I think part of the show is watching the contestants learn and grow as bakers, but I felt all the finalists could have performed equally as well in week one as they did in the final. Although saying that I do think all the finalist have come a long way, they just didn't show it in the final.
The judges said they didn't take previous weeks into consideration but still thought to mention Brendan was strong when baking his own recipes but weak in the technical bakes. I must admit I was puzzled at this, I can't remember Brendan being particularly weak in the technical challenges, especially compared to the other finalists.
I do think James was being groomed as the winner and won star baker on a couple of occasions when it should have gone to Brendan. Even though James royally f*cked up in the final I did think at one point they were still going to award him the win.
Well done to John for winning but I do think he got to the final by the skin of his teeth.
It might have been a family 'in-joke' because he obviously has achieved plenty. The trouble is the 'joke' didn't come across well on tv - I'm sure most of us were a bit about their comments.
My son (bit older than John) has a 2:1 in Law from Durham; I know what hard work that took and I was bursting with pride!
I was certainly :eek: but I think it was a joke, although it didn't come across that way and John himself seemed to think he hadn't made his mum proud until now, which is a bit sad.
Some families are just like that, a bit dry and acerbic. The dynamics of other people's families can sometimes seems strange. I'm sure they all love him!
Some families are just like that, a bit dry and acerbic. The dynamics of other people's families can sometimes seems strange. I'm sure they all love him!
I agree , what his Mum actually said was he hadnt won anything , not that she wasnt proud of him .
And just as an aside although I would support mine and hope they are doing the right thing I would be a bit put out if I had invested a lot into a law degree they may not use .
My son (bit older than John) has a 2:1 in Law from Durham; I know what hard work that took and I was bursting with pride!
I was certainly :eek: but I think it was a joke, although it didn't come across that way and John himself seemed to think he hadn't made his mum proud until now, which is a bit sad.
From what I could glean and assume...from the few seconds we saw...:D perhaps law was what his mum wanted....when he won, he did start to well up and said finally he had made his mum proud with something 'that he wanted to do'.
That was quite sweet, I am sure she has come round to the idea now of him being a Patissier in Paris!
"No gimmicks. No fuss. No massive egos and childish rows. No phone votes. This is why #GBBO has been such a great show to watch."
That just about sums it up for me
If they could just drop the pause before giving the result, it is the only gimmicky part. I can just imagine the producer watching a stopwatch to ensure they wait for exactly the right time.
If they could just drop the pause before giving the result, it is the only gimmicky part. I can just imagine the producer watching a stopwatch to ensure they wait for exactly the right time.
Yes !! I said the same last night , far too X factor like for me the longggggg pause before the winnners name makes me squirm
Comments
Born: June 15, 1968
I completely agree witht his. Although I didn't have a real favourite, I had a soft spot for James, and would have been very happy to see him win. He could not based on last night's performance.
John was level pegging with Brendan until the last bake. If it tasted as good as it looked, then it was a real treat.
I would have trampled over the sheep and the squirrels and the frog for a slice of the shiney chocolate one last night .!!
Certainly agree with that! I liked all three finalists but I did think Brendan deserved to win - he was consistent all through. As someone else remarked - no point having a comp over 9 weeks if you're not taking any of it into account. John was arguably the best in the final but not overall.
However, he's lovely and I hope he achieves his goals in future.
It might have been a family 'in-joke' because he obviously has achieved plenty. The trouble is the 'joke' didn't come across well on tv - I'm sure most of us were a bit
I just started watching this back and I saw that and thought... huh?
Maybe because he started at Oxford and came home to complete at Manchester???
Even so - a first in Law anywhere is a pretty damn amazing achievement.
I came home from tennis about half way through Brendan's VT ... so will watch all of it back later and then probably post more coherantly! (then again... p'raps not!)
I was really disappointed with the final. First round they all baked what was essentially a pie reasonably well. Second round they all made an absolute dogs dinner of the technical challenge. Third round was the show-stopper and I don't feel anyone's cake was particularly impressive, John the eventual winner made a chocolate cake with some wonky coconut towers plonked on one side of it.
I think part of the show is watching the contestants learn and grow as bakers, but I felt all the finalists could have performed equally as well in week one as they did in the final. Although saying that I do think all the finalist have come a long way, they just didn't show it in the final.
The judges said they didn't take previous weeks into consideration but still thought to mention Brendan was strong when baking his own recipes but weak in the technical bakes. I must admit I was puzzled at this, I can't remember Brendan being particularly weak in the technical challenges, especially compared to the other finalists.
I do think James was being groomed as the winner and won star baker on a couple of occasions when it should have gone to Brendan. Even though James royally f*cked up in the final I did think at one point they were still going to award him the win.
Well done to John for winning but I do think he got to the final by the skin of his teeth.
Rant over.:D
My son (bit older than John) has a 2:1 in Law from Durham; I know what hard work that took and I was bursting with pride!
I was certainly :eek: but I think it was a joke, although it didn't come across that way and John himself seemed to think he hadn't made his mum proud until now, which is a bit sad.
I agree , what his Mum actually said was he hadnt won anything , not that she wasnt proud of him .
And just as an aside although I would support mine and hope they are doing the right thing I would be a bit put out if I had invested a lot into a law degree they may not use .
From what I could glean and assume...from the few seconds we saw...:D perhaps law was what his mum wanted....when he won, he did start to well up and said finally he had made his mum proud with something 'that he wanted to do'.
That was quite sweet, I am sure she has come round to the idea now of him being a Patissier in Paris!
This post was from week 2, I didn't start watching this wonderful programme until week 4! So I am reading back.
Thanks Sue, had to dash off before this was shown. He speaks well in this, doesn't he?
James, while taking risks, failed to deliver on at least one occassion
Thanks so much for this Sue, I didn't catch it this morning either.
He speaks so very well and his hair looks grrrreat.
Well done, John!
And with the most followers I guess James can say he won round.
If they could just drop the pause before giving the result, it is the only gimmicky part. I can just imagine the producer watching a stopwatch to ensure they wait for exactly the right time.
Yes !! I said the same last night , far too X factor like for me the longggggg pause before the winnners name makes me squirm
Thanks for the link.
Anyone know what his blog is? Wouldn't mind following it.
http://johnwhaite.tumblr.com
He's not updated since 23 September