'Bake Off' week 5: Fans are furious at double eviction

It’s finally happened – the double Bake Off eviction that Paul Hollywood threatens every single episode has taken place, and both decisions were incredibly unpopular with fans.

The early favourite to win Michelle and the viewers’ favourite goth baker Helena were the unlucky pair, and many fans felt the wrong two contestants had been ousted.

They were furious because the axe fell despite Helena winning the Technical Challenge and despite two other bakers seemingly having a much worse week than Michelle.

Some weeks it feels like The Great British Bake Off is really wringing every drop out of the concept of themed weeks, and the Roaring 20s theme was definitely one of those times.

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One baker took the executive decision that the theme was definitely not for her, and resolutely chose Halloween as a fitting replacement – we’re talking, of course, about Helena.

To be fair, her loose reasoning as to why Halloween was definitely 1920s-appropriate made as much sense to us as anything else about the episode, and she certainly seemed to enjoy it more than anyone else.

It may not go down in history as one of the classic Bake Off inspirations, but there were certainly some great moments in this week’s episode, including a Hollywood Handshake, more Michael-based heartbreak and some truly deserving winners.

One person who really was loving the bizarre 20s theme was host Noel Fielding, who said he’d “never felt more alive” than when he dressed as a flapper girl for Matt Lucas’s 30th birthday party.

Gossip fans, if you’ve been keeping up with the latest Bake Off hot rumours (aka Alice and Henry sitting in a tree, K.I.S.S.I.N.G.), check out the extra-jazzy shirt and tie combo on Henry this week... Trying to impress anyone?

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The Signature Bake

First up, the bakers were tasked with making some 1920s custard pies – yes, that sounded a pretty tenuous connection to the theme to us, too.

The disasters began early in the episode this week as unlucky Rosie dropped one of her tarts quite spectacularly on the floor just minutes before the deadline.

However, she just about pulled things back by her novel use of a horse vaccine syringe to create some tiny, delicate jellies as decoration.

This week, the tent was treated to peak Helena, as she took the ‘20s theme and ran with it under her own Halloween interpretation.

If you were wondering how on earth Helena was going to manage to shoehorn Halloween into a custard tart challenge, her answer came in the form of an ancient Greek sea creature that looked like a gorgon.

She explained: “Originally I had them in the shape of lemons, and then I thought, ‘It’s just not me - I’m going with a monster.’”

But the moment of the challenge went to David, who earned a Hollywood Handshake from Paul for his stylishly decorated tarts, and we all melted as the other bakers cheered him on.

Who won the Technical Challenge?

Surely things couldn’t get any worse than last week’s Technical Challenge, the worst in the show’s history.

Well, this one could easily have gone the same way, with the bakers asked to make beignets souffles, a delicious deep-fried delicacy none of them had ever heard of.

Our nerves could barely take the strain as Michael reached meltdown point over his runny beignet mix, with Noel imploring him to go out for a five-minute walk.

But as a jangled Michael said: “If I’d gone for a walk I never would have come back.”

His beignets weren’t in last place, though – that dubious honour went to David, who understandably couldn’t get too upset about it as he was still riding high on his Hollywood Handshake.

Cheers went up in the tent and in graveyards up and down the land as Halloween queen Helena was crowned the Technical winner, a moment that clearly made her week.

The Showstopper

Can we just take a moment to help Michael get #realmencry and #mantears trending?

He is unashamedly emotional about his bakes, and why wouldn’t he be when the competition clearly means so much to him?

Luckily for Michael, he had an ace up his sleeve in his Showstopper: a Prohibition-era cocktail-flavoured cake that was delicious and stunningly decorated.

Helena was still stubbornly rebranding Roaring 20s week as Halloween week, with a bat cake inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula made of a blood-coloured sponge flavoured with raspberry vodka from a bat-topped bottle.

She agreed with judge Prue Leith’s comment that it was both “sinister and pretty”, claiming it as an accurate description of herself, but was less impressed with the remark: “If you shut your eyes, it’s a nice sponge cake.”

The challenge boasted no fewer than four piña colada cakes, all with varying degrees of success.

As well as peak Helena, we also witnessed classic Henry, when he said: “This is the strongest coffee I could find in the world. Well, in Waitrose.”

Who won Star Baker?

Well done, Steph!

Second week in a row as Star Baker, and this time there was no suggestion that she was just the best of a bad bunch.

Of all the bakers, she’s kept things fairly low-key but is now quietly storming up to the front of the pack.

Who was sent home?

Huge shock this week – not only were two bakers sent home, but they were absolutely not who we were expecting on either count.

Despite Rosie and Priya both having a fairly dreadful week, somehow favourites Michelle and Helena were named as the pair leaving the tent.

No more Halloween? No more Welsh-themed treats? No more HALLOWEEN??

This one’s going to take some getting over... Next week’s Showstoppers had better be extra delicious.

The Great British Bake Off continues on Tuesdays at 8pm on Channel 4