'The Great British Baking Show' Season 4 Episode 8: Tudor Week

The tent looked rather empty as the five remaining competitors reported to their stations for the Great British Baking Show quarterfinals. Our shrinking band of bakers would need plenty of elbow room in order to attempt the three Tudor-era based challenges set for them by Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood this week. We’re talking intricate, decorative and rich bakes worthy of the Renaissance period.

But before we go back to the age of Shakespeare and Henry the VIII, let’s review the results of last week’s delectable dessert round. Andrew’s engineering precision finally paid off. While his tropical flavored roulade looked and tasted good and his marjolaine cake was neat and well-constructed, it was Andrew’s enchanting Ferris wheel of mini-mousse cakes that put him over the top for his first Star Baker title.

On the other hand, twice crowned Star Baker Tom was dismissed last week for a less than thrilling roulade, a near the bottom technical finish and a poorly executed hipster picnic showstopper that Paul and Mary agreed really didn’t fit the mini-mousse cake brief. In seven seasons of the competition this is the first time the champion of bread week didn’t make it to the final.