The Great British Bake Off was nothing if not unusual and certainly innovative enough to stop it going stale. After such retro oddities as Wagon Wheels and blancmange, the show’s first ‘Spice Week’ represented a radical foray into the realm of ‘diversity’ featuring pastries from the Middle East even Prue Leith confessed she’d never heard of. Whether sampling all the contestants’ rather half-baked maamouls was the reason she couldn’t judge the round that followed de to ‘illness’ we’ll never know. Spice week: The Great British Bake Off was nothing if not unusual and certainly innovative enough to stop it going stale The most revolutionary thing about the Showstopper Challenge was not so much that the ‘spiced biscuit structures’ had to be ‘breathtakingly beautiful, deliciously fragrant, and hang upside down like chandeliers.’ It was more that one of the contestants FINALLY came out and said what we had all been thinking for years. ‘It’s a ridiculous idea Paul - no offence!’ stated Dan simply when Hollywood suggested the apple icing jeopardised the chances of Dan’s ‘Biscuit Chandelier’ hanging properly. Biscuit chandeliers! One of the contestants FINALLY came out and said what we had all been thinking for years. ‘It’s a ridiculous idea Paul - no offence!’ stated Dan simply ‘Hang on a minute!’ Hollywood spluttered, slowly. ‘Are you saying the challenge ITSELF is a ridiculous idea? !’ Call me crazy but...yes. Aren’t they all? ! Ruby put it even better, shrugging elegantly: ‘it’s not the easiest thing in the world funnily enough - to make biscuits hang.’ Even more funnily, it actually was easy for some of them. Manon’s ‘Great Gatsby-styled Art Deco spiced biscuit chandelier was ‘beautiful’ thanks mostly to a chequerboard made of ‘tonka bean’ (no, me neither). Dan’s didn’t have enough flavour, complained Paul. Which hardly seemed important considering the ‘exquisite’ patterns on his spinning biscuit butterflies. The theme of Rahul’s cardamom chandelier was ‘Durga Puja’ (a Hindu festival) and predictably stunning – to look at and eat, according to Hollywood. Judge: ‘Hang on a minute!’ Hollywood spluttered, slowly. ‘Are you saying the challenge ITSELF is a ridiculous idea? !’ Rahul could have been Star Baker again but Kim-Joy deserved it, for her consistently bonkers ideas and outlook if nothing else. ‘I really like miniature things!’ she enthused, revealing her Technical Challenge would include a tiny gingerbread house on top of a gingerstem spongecake topped with poached pears. ‘Ginger is homely and makes you think of being at home,’ she explained. ‘You can picture yourself in the house. Plus there are pears in the background and they’re kind of like trees!’ Two contestants needed to be sent home because none were last week (when Terry missed the show through illness). ‘Clearly I’m one of them. I am going home. Of course,’ concluded Karen correctly, as she joined him. It was no great surprise that making a Showstopper Challenge that was effectively upside down proved beyond them. In truth they had struggled throughout the series even when they weren’t. Bonkers: Rahul could have been Star Baker again but Kim-Joy deserved it, for her consistently bonkers ideas and outlook if nothing else Favourite: The theme of Rahul’s cardamom chandelier was ‘Durga Puja’ (a Hindu festival) and predictably stunning – to look at and eat, according to Hollywood. Here they managed to make a mess of the Signature Challenge too. ‘Ginger is my favourite Spice,’ declared Prue, indicating the type of cake the Bakers were making. (‘Scary’ would surely have been more appropriate.) It was safe to say the Bakers’ creations bore little resemblance to the ginger cake we all knew. Jon’s for example had a little family of gingerbread children (his own) and lemon-flavoured glitter balls that made their gingerbread house more like a psychedelic gingerbread disco. It wasn’t just the orange mascarpone toffee drizzle, ginger snaps, and triple ginger flavour of the ginger stem, ground ginger, and stem ginger syrup that made Ruby’s Jamaican ginger cake different from McVitie’s. Ruby’s actually tasted of rum. ‘Why bother baking if you can’t make it boozy?’ she purred, landing on the one philosophy that could make her even more appealing to the viewers. We knew Karen was doomed when even the same tactic of plying Prue with brandy rebounded on her. Being from Pontefract, Karen had plumped for a traditional Yorkshire Parkin cake ‘with brandy in the sponge AND in the cream cheese frosting’ - too much as it turned out, incredibly. In trouble: We knew Karen was doomed when even the same tactic of plying Prue with brandy rebounded on her ’I’ve never heard Prue say anything was ‘too boozy’!’ cried Noel, summing up the gravity of the situation. ‘I never thought I’d hear me say that either!’ agreed Prue with a hearty cheer (possibly drunk on the frosting). ‘And that’s quite hard cake!’ added Paul - something that should have been more important but no one really cared about as much as the brandy. As for Terry’s Caramelised Pear & Stem Ginger version of an upside cake, Hollywood growled ‘it looks a mess’ (which it did), with a texture he described as ‘interesting’ (which sounded ominous). Sure enough Prue Leith declared it ‘very gluey’ (even worse than we expected). Sandi Toksvig announced the Spice Week Technical Challenge as ‘twice as mysterious as any the Bakers have faced before,’ elaborating: ‘Paul and Prue want two batches of six maamoul (a Middle Eastern pastry). One batch must be filled with walnut and shaped with a mould. The other must be filled with a date paste and decorated by pinching the pastry with the maamoul tongs.’ ‘I’ve got no idea what they look like! No idea what they taste like!’ expanded Briony. She does now. It was quickly obvious who had risen to the Challenge and who hadn’t. ‘Bakers! Your time is up!’ Noel Fielding announced, the cue for Terry to immediately provide the one-word assessment of his efforts: ‘rubbish!’ Karen meanwhile sighed miserably: ‘that’s so disappointing. My fault entirely!’ ‘Exquisite!’ wowed Paul. ‘Your piping is phenomenal! The spices really work together too. They have a lovely warmth. That is very, very, well thought through!’ She was right about this too, having failed to adhere to the task’s most basic requirement by making the date-flavoured maamouls using the mould and the walnut with the tongs - instead of vice versa. A case of ‘you had one job’... ‘Wrong shape, quite dry, and the filling coming through!’ Paul Hollywood summed up succinctly. Not what you’re looking for in a maamoul. The only person who objected when Karen finished 9th was Terry. ‘I didn’t come last. I should have come last,’ he reflected, accurately perhaps after Hollywood tutted that Terry’s maamouls ‘have serious problems with the pastry. It’s just fallen to pieces. That’s poor pastry!’ ‘I’ll have to have a corking great Showstopper to pull anything back from this!’ concluded Karen but she didn’t. Terry’s Spiced Biscuit Chandelier had a ‘Twelve Days Of Christmas’ theme that involved making 78 ‘characters’ (i.e. biscuits) and by halfway he approved: ‘I’m down to my Maids-A-Milking!’ If his chandelier had meant to resemble a Christmas tree it looked withered. ‘Did you finish it?’ asked Hollywood. ‘No,’ admitted Terry, accepting his fate. The award for Star Baker proved rather more difficult, almost controversial, when Rahul was denied a hat trick of titles as Paul Hollywood in favour of Kim-Joy. Even by Hollywood’s own criteria and judgement(s) it looked unlikely. He and Leith had placed Rahul third in the Technical Challenge, one place above Kim-Joy. Losing out: The award for Star Baker proved rather more difficult, almost controversial, when Rahul was denied a hat trick of titles as Paul Hollywood in favour of Kim-Joy As for Rahul’s Cardamom Chandelier, Hollywood declared: ‘it’s a fantastic biscuit!’ Or rather a ‘fantastic’ 150 biscuits... ‘The flavour as it melts in the mouth is just beautiful!’ he swooned. Earlier, before the Signature Challenge, Rahul had explained that the whole concept of ginger cake was new to him as in India (where he’d grown up) ginger had only been an ingredient in savoury dishes.<doc-sep>GBBO: Terry in TEARS as he leaves the competition FREE now for the biggest moments from morning TV SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow for the biggest moments from morning TV When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Great British Bake Off contestants Karen and Terry were booted from the Channel 4 tent by judge Paul Hollywood. Prue Leith was missing for the final judgements due to falling ill earlier in the show, leaving the final decision to just one judge. Host Sandi Toksvig offered to help Paul make his decision along with Noel Fielding, but he refused. Star Baker went to Kim-Joy, before the upsetting news of two eliminations were revealed. Halfway through, what a crazy few weeks I’ve had here! Karen Wright Sandi announced: “It’s a really unusual week this week as we’re sending home two people this week. “The two people going home this week are Karen and Terry.” Wiping away her tears, Karen cried: “Halfway through, what a crazy few weeks I’ve had here!” Karen admitted that she is more of a savoury baker than one with a sweet tooth but conceded to liking both. The contestant had revealed she took part in Bake Off as a dare to herself on her 60th birthday and put the application together with a little help from her daughters. Emotional about his exit, Terry sobbed: “I said I wouldn’t get upset. It’s funny when you’re on your own! “My wife and I were very happy, and that was a massive loss. “This has filled the void and I’ve met some lovely people and I’m sure we’ll keep in touch.” Great British Bake Off 2018: Terry and Karen break down after double elimination Terry revealed he was thankful for being allowed to return to the tent to be judged on merit. The baker was eliminated due to his performance, rather than for being ill. Viewers will remember the 56-year-old was not on the show last week due to sickness, meaning he missed Dessert Week. Terry has been a fan-favourite in the competition and was allowed to return to the show under the agreement of Paul and Prue. Noel revealed: “The person who is going home this week is nobody. The judges felt it wouldn't be fair to send someone home with Terry not being here. “But the downside to that means that next week there is a strong possibility two people might be going home.” Great British Bake Off 2018: Terry Hartill GBBO: Sandi reveals Prue is 'under the weather' Great British Bake Off 2018: Terry and Karen are eliminated<doc-sep>Time to whip out the cayenne pepper and cumin; it’s spice week and our contestants were tasked with creating ‘a tricky Arabian pastry’<doc-sep>
✕ Close Great British Bake Off: No one gets sent home during dessert week Britain’s most beloved and pastel-hued baking show continued as this year's batch of Great British Bake Off contestants attempted to get Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith’s tastebuds a-tingling. This week's episode saw not one, but two contestants eliminated as they did battle in the show's first ever Spice Week. Paul Hollywood dished out just as many handshakes to Rahul and Kim-Joy with the judge awarding the latter as this week's Star Baker. It was time up for Karen and Terry, however, who both struggled in tasks which saw the bakers make ginger cake, maamoul and a chandelier made out of biscuits, something which saw them leave the tent. Great British Bake Off contestants 2018 Show all 12 1 /12 Great British Bake Off contestants 2018 Great British Bake Off contestants 2018 Rahul, 30, research scientist Born in India, Rahul moved to the UK aged 23 on a university scholarship. Now living in Rotherham, he hopes his East-meets-West style of cooking will win over the judges. PA Great British Bake Off contestants 2018 Kim-Joy, 27, Mental health specialist Born in Belgium, Kim-Joy has an English mother and Malaysian-Chinese father, saying her heritage is reflected in her baking. She now lives in Leeds and applied for the competition to boost her confidence. PA Great British Bake Off contestants 2018 Luke, 30, Civil servant/House and Techno DJ Hailing from Sheffield, Luke has been cooking since he was just 10 and wants to put those 20 years of experience to good use. PA Great British Bake Off contestants 2018 Imelda, 33. Countryside recreation officer Coming from Northern Ireland, Imelda's mother taught her to cook. PA Great British Bake Off contestants 2018 Dan, 36, Full-time parent Dan decided to apply for Bake Off for "selfish reasons". He says: "'I've been at home looking after the kids for the last six years, so it was a chance to do something for myself. With my youngest starting school, I'm now ready to rejoin the world of adults." PA Great British Bake Off contestants 2018 Ruby, 29, Project manager Ruby grew up in an Indian family and now lives in London. Inspired by her mother's Indian sweets, she makes cakes, pastries and "boozy treats" for her friends to enjoy. PA Great British Bake Off contestants 2018 Antony, 30, Banker The self-described "Bollywood baker" learnt to Bake with his father. Now living in London, he says: "My friends back home in India will be really surprised. They have known me to be a singer in a choir, a two-piece band but never as a baker, so it will be interesting to see their reaction." PA Great British Bake Off contestants 2018 Briony, 33, Full-time parent Briony, who comes from Bristol, learnt her baking skills from YouTube tutorials. PA Great British Bake Off contestants 2018 Terry, 56, Retired Terry will be bringing items from his microbrewery and allotment with him to the Bake Off tent, hoping they give him that winning edge. PA Great British Bake Off contestants 2018 Jon, 47, Blood courier The father of four says: "'I bake as often as I can, several times a week, mainly in the day while my wife and children are at school as I get some peace that way! The tent is far easier than my kitchen." PA Great British Bake Off contestants 2018 Manon, 26, Software project manager Having moved from France to England, Manon says: "When me and my best friend came to England, Bake Off was one of the first shows we watched together on TV. My closest girlfriends have always rooted for me and supported me throughout my baking journey." PA Great British Bake Off contestants 2018 Karen, 60, In-store sampling assistant Karen developed a love for baking after buying a house in France 15 years ago. She was encouraged to go on the show by her daughter: "I want to be more free and flamboyant. I really want to do this for me and I thought it was the right time to step up and have fun." PA Follow all the action as it happened below (please allow a moment for it to load). The Great British Bake Off airs on Channel 4 every Tuesday 8pm