The Great British Bake Off finally crowned its 2022 winner last night (November 15), after 10 weeks of showstoppers and Hollywood Handshakes. But some viewers weren't impressed with the final tasks, thinking they were too complex for the time-limits set.
Last year's winner Giuseppe Dell'Anno agreed, suggesting the final maybe didn't show the finalists skills in the best was it could have.
"The last episode of the season felt like an odd final for an odd series," he told Radio Times. "The Signature, with a full picnic basket of treats, was very ambitious, and probably closer to the level of complexity of a Showstopper.
"The Technical had a bit of trap with the vegetable gelatine, that, if you had never used before, like Sandro hadn’t, you wouldn’t have known how to use.
"I would have failed the Technical completely as I had no idea up to last night that you had to boil veggie gelatine to make it work – that little detail felt a bit like a sneaky trap for the bakers, so not exactly pleasant to watch."
He continued: "And the Showstopper challenge simply did not give enough time to the bakers to produce one of the masterpieces that they have produced in the past, so the result was slightly underwhelming, especially knowing what those three are really capable of.
Related: Bake Off's Janusz reveals hidden meaning in his outfits
"I have said this already, but the Showstopper in general left me with a bittersweet aftertaste.
"You could see that our lovely bakers gave it their best shot, but none of them managed to squeeze, within the time given, a truly final-worthy Showstopper."
Defending the bakers, Giuseppe added: "Let’s not forget that these are the people who gave us a spherical cake on Custard Week, a massive rocket-shaped Krokan and an entire DNA helix made out of biscuit!
"They certainly have the skills to deliver, so I can only think that perhaps the timing was not adequate."
The Great British Bake Off airs on Channel 4 in the UK. In the US, it's known as The Great British Baking Show, and streams on Netflix. Bake Off: An Extra Slice, hosted by Tom Allen and Jo Brand, airs on Fridays at 8pm on Channel 4.
