Fans Were Pretty Underwhelmed By GBBO's Finale

Season 13 of "The Great British Bake Off" has been a roller coaster of controversy and hilarity, from outrage over the Mexican Week episode to the internet's collective confusion over watching Carole's strange way of peeling an avocado. However, it became clear in the final episodes, as the remaining bakers took their places in the tent for the last few times, that many of the reasons fans love GBBO still stand. For one, the camaraderie and friendships formed among the bakers are a key draw for many Americans, who find the show more relaxing than cut-throat competitions like "Hell's Kitchen" (via BBC). Watching contestants succeed, fail, and help each other in the tent, many viewers end up feeling close to the bakers, even through the television screen.

That's presumably why the finale drew such strong reactions from fans as the last three bakers completed their challenges. Sandro managed to laugh through the pain in the technical round when his gelatin didn't set, and Syabira and Abdul's end products weren't too much better (via Channel 4). Judge Paul Hollywood commented that Abdul, who won the technical, could have used an "extra half hour" for his bake, which caused Reddit users to air their frustration. One viewer said Hollywood's response "enraged" them, arguing that all of the bakers should have been given more time. "If one baker messes up it's their mistake. But if every baker's technical looks like THAT, there's an issue with the challenge itself." And when it came time for the showstopper challenge, fans' disappointment continued. 

Many GBBO fans thought the quality of this finale's showstoppers was not up to par in comparison to other seasons. On the show's official Twitter page, viewers commented rather unkind things on the photos of the sustainability-themed showstopper bakes, calling this "the poorest year yet for contestants." One user posted a zoomed-in photo of Syabira's rather childlike orangutan cake with the caption, "I don't want to say that was a poor final....but this has just won Bake off." Even Syabira herself laughed at her creation while she was putting it together in the tent. "This is hilarious! Ugly," she said as she piped on the creature's face. When the finalists presented their showstoppers to the judges, Hollywood agreed that their visuals were "messy" and "not the neatest." However, Prue Leith said the flavors of all three were "perfect."

Spoiler alert: Ultimately, the winner of Season 13 of "The Great British Bake Off" was announced as Syabira. She said about the win, "It's unbelievable. This is the biggest achievement in my life." Not only were the other bakers, her friends, and family thrilled, but fans also took to the internet to express how pleased they were. Twitter user @__Anastazia__ posted a photo of Syabira beside Season 6 winner Nadiya Hussain saying, "My favorite Bake Off-winning queens," and @tracey_jones tweeted, "Syabira is incredibly talented. She was my favourite from the start. I will miss this show so much. It's wholesome and kind and good natured and genuinely sweet."