'The Great British Baking Show' Collection 9 Quarterfinals Recap: "Free-From"

The Great British Baking Show quarterfinals have always been a bit of a muddle in terms of theme and contestant skill. Unlike the opening rounds and the Semi-final themes, which have rarely varied, the quarterfinals have been everything from generalized "Desserts" to funkier ideas like "Advanced Dough" and "Forgotten Bakes." (It was even Biscuit Week once, though that was in the very early years.) The only thing that stays consistent: no matter the theme, the show always makes the challenges hard.

Likewise, it's never a guarantee the five best bakers will make the quarters, though it's always a sign that the season has gone well when they do. The final three years the show was on the BBC (Series 5-7 aka Collections 1, 3, and 4) notably landed their five best bakers in the quarters all three years, as did Series 9 (Collection 6), which, up until now, was the best Channel 4 season so far. That this season's group is so strong — Jürgen and Giuseppe in the lead, Chigs and Crystelle nipping at their heels, and adorable Lizzie doing her thing — is a testament to how well GBBO has managed in this second Bake Off Bubble year.

As for the theme, despite the cutesy "Free From" name, Noel's ignorance, and Paul's faux Hulk-rage, this is not the first time the series has done a dietary theme. Series 4 (Collection 2) had this same theme for the quarterfinals, though the production gave it the far more straightforward name of "Alternative Ingredients." The series has also done a straight Vegan Week before, in the aforementioned Series 9, and though that was not the quarterfinal, it fell just one week prior, making it one of the final rounds. But the new name means Noel and Matt admitted they were free from comedy, which may be the funniest they've been yet.

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