Panic! At the Pastries in 'The Great British Baking Show's Quarterfinals

It's the Quarterfinal round of The Great British Baking Show, one of my favorite weeks of the competition. Mainly because what other competition show gives itself the kind of airs that they call their Top Five Week "The Quarterfinals," like it's a major sporting event? Even American Idol, in its ratings death star heyday, never dared. But I don't just love this week for its bold upper-crust stylings. I also love it because it's the most challenging week ahead of the traditional Pâtisserie semi-final.

Week 8's Quarterfinal round is the last of the weeks where the challenge isn't traditionally set in stone. Quarterfinals have covered everything from classic episodes like "Tudor Week" to a more complex version of Dessert Week to something genuinely challenging like Alternative Ingredients. (I refuse to call it "Freeform.") It's been a while since Pastry landed so late, but there may be a reason the show chose to return to it. The last time Pastry landed as the Quarterfinal round was in 2019's 10th anniversary season, the last one filmed pre-pandemic.

Since this is the show's return to pre-pandemic form, they want to return to the last time they were here. (Well, they've mostly gone back. The tent moved back, and everyone gets to go home on weekdays anyway. The lack of sending camera crews to contestants' homes is still glaring.) So let's see how flaky our contestants can get.