'The Great British Baking Show' Collection 9 Semi-Finals Recap: Pâtisserie

With The Great British Baking Show reaching the final four, it's time for one of the mainstay themes of the series, Pâtisserie. Like Cakes, Biscuits, and Bread, this theme has occurred every season the show's been on the air (and nearly always as the penultimate semi-final round) save the very first Series 1 (which Americans have never seen). It has been renamed once, Series 4 (Collection 2) called it "French Week," and swapped places to the quarterfinal once, Series 6 (Collection 3), when Chocolate was the semi-final instead.

But the point of this round is, if the season is working correctly, it is the most complex set of challenges the bakers face before the finale. (And sometimes it's more challenging than the finale.) Luckily for us, this season has produced the most robust crop of semi-finalists since the show moved from the BBC. Jürgen and Giuseppe have led the pack from the first "On your marks, get set, bake!" Crystelle has been a dark horse nearly all season, mostly unnoticed by those dazzled by Giuseppe and Jürgen. And Chigs! The man who only just started baking in 2020 during lockdown! When the show first introduced him, he seemed a mushy-middler, but the man is peaking at the right time.

And peaking at the right time is the name of the game in reality competitions. Never forget people, Adam Lambert peaked four weeks early on American Idol Season 8, and now he's doing karaoke as the lead singer of Queen instead of the male answer to Kelly Clarkson. At least he fronts the band better than Matt Lucas would in that awful outfit. (And Noel, let's not blame Bowie for last year's fly incident.)

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