"You'll be missed" — The Great British Bake Off fans react to Mike's elimination

The Great British Bake Off released its latest episode on Tuesday, October 15, 2024. The segment, titled Caramel Week, bids farewell to Mike Wilkins, the fourth contestant to leave the tent.

In the latest episode, the remaining nine contestants competed against one another for the honor of Star Baker. They had to champion three rounds — Signature, Technical, and Showstopper — to leave a lasting impression on the judges and evade elimination.

After an eventful competition, Georgie Grasso was crowned Star Baker, while Mike found himself with the shorter end of the stick. At the end of the episode, host Noel Fielding announced that Mike was the baker to be eliminated.

The Great British Bake Off fans took to X to express their views on the baker's exit. While many were upset to see Mike leave the competition series, others said they would miss his humorous personality.

"NOOOOOOOOO not my Mike keep on baking Mike!!! You'll be missed," a fan wrote.

"Would still die for Mike and his infectious laugh," another fan commented.

Many The Great British Bake Off fans were unhappy with the elimination results. One netizen claimed the process to finalize the contestant to be evicted was flawed.

"I’m sorry what?! Definitely feels like playing favourites - surely the decision of who goes should be based solely off that week’s challenges not “who is going to do better going forward”," a user reacted.

"The tent said goodbye to the absolute icon today, @mikesqw everyone loves you soooooo much," a person commented.

"Have we reached the point where we have to sacrifice Mike to keep Nelly? I’m not happy," a netizen tweeted.

"Noooooo! I shall miss Mike!" another fan wrote.

At the same time, many The Great British Bake Off fans complimented Mike's personality, downhearted that they would not be able to see him in the following weeks.

"Mike has been the source of ALL the original humour on #GBBO this year. From “it looks a bit pollocks” to “I’m going to come out now. I’m gay”," a user tweeted.

"Absolutely loved watching Mike. Lovely guy with a mischievous and hilarious sense of humour. On the plus side he'll be hilarious on Extra Slice with Jo Brand and Tom Allen," another person reacted.

"Sad Mike has gone. He was a lovely addition to the tent. I found the way he laughed at his own jokes all the time quite endearing," a netizen commented.

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What led to Mike's elimination from The Great British Bake Off?

For the signature round in episode 4, the contestants were tasked with making caramel biscuits. They could either take inspiration from existing biscuits or create new ones to wow the judges. However, the bakers had to ensure that the dominant flavor was caramel.

Mike chose to make "Dad's Favorite" caramel biscuits, which featured homegrown flowers from his farm. Although the judges appreciated its taste, they criticized the "bulging" shape of the biscuits.

For the technical round, Judge Prue Leith challenged the bakers to make a crisp and flaky pear tart tatin. She also asked them to pair their tarts with a walnut caramel ice cream. With two critical elements, many bakers struggled to master the "timing and temperature" of creating a perfect tart. While Georgie emerged at the top of the list with a noteworthy cook, Mike secured the seventh place towards the bottom of the pile.

The Great British Bake Off contestants had to make a caramel mousse cake for the third and final showstopper round. The judges also expected the bakers to have "spectacular sugar work creations" with at least two types of caramel alongside their cakes.

Mike baked a coffee popcorn mousse cake inspired by his favorite cocktail for the showstopper challenge. Although the cake looked beautiful, Judge Prue was unimpressed by the lack of mousse in the cake.

"A mousse cake should be at least half mousse," she said.

Disappointed by his sub-par performance in the final round, the judges eliminated Mike. During a confessional, The Great British Bake Off evictee confessed that it was his time to go.

"I'm just a little farmhand who does a bit of baking in the kitchen. Everybody else was so incredible. I feel like the quality of what everyone else is doing is just breathtaking. I'm going to miss everyone," Mike added.

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The Great British Bake Off will release a new episode in the UK on October 22, 2024, at 8 pm.