Great British Bake Off final: who is going to win?
Richard may be the bookie's favourite, but he 'shouldn't count his cookies before they've baked'
Richard Burr is the bookie's favourite to win tonight's Great British Bake Off final, but commentators believe Nancy Birtwhistle and Luis Troyano are still in with a chance.
The fifth season of the baking show reaches a conclusion tonight as the three remaining contestants show off their Viennoiserie making skills in the finale.
Burr, a 38-year-old builder from North London is a firm favourite after winning a record five star baker awards and has even been endorsed by last year's winner Frances Quinn.
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"His light touch with pastry and flair for éclairs – always baked with a signature pencil perched behind his ear- have won over the hearts and taste buds of the Great British Bake Off judges," writes The Guardian's Hannah Ellis-Petersen.
"I hope we've turned over some stereotypes," Burr told The Independent. "Builders aren't particularly known for their cooking abilities, but I think more fellas should bake."
Others, however, are hesitant to predict a one horse race. Despite being the popular choice, "there's always a chance that he'll screw up and implode at the last hurdle," says The Guardian's Stuart Heritage.
The Daily Mirror's Frankie Goodway warns that Richard "shouldn't count his cookies before they've baked", pointing out that the contestant with the most star baker wins has never won the final.
The Independent's Jess Denhem argues that retiree Nancy Birtwhistle from Lincolnshire deserves the Bake Off crown.
"Nancy is one cool gran, and the only female in the final," writes Denhem. "She's proved herself more than capable of fighting off the men and is, in her own words, 'traditional with a contemporary twist'. She's given us the most laughs this series and for that alone deserves the title."
And then there is Luis Troyano, the Spanish-bred, Stockport-raised graphic designer described as the dark horse of the competition. He blew the judges away during bread week, with Paul Hollywood describing his bakes as "pure alchemy" but has remained under the radar ever since.
"The precision, creativity and melding of flavours from his Latin roots, such as 'Cage on the Rocky Hill' during European cake week, place him far above his more pedestrian competitors," writes Matilda Battersby, also in the Independent.
A round-up of this season's most memorable moments:
Bingate
The infamous 'bingate' episode caused outrage across social media, with viewers accusing 70-year-old Diana Beard of sabotage after she appeared to remove fellow contestant Iain Watters' baked Alaska from the freezer. Beard accused the BBC of "misleading" editing after she left the show for unrelated reasons.
"Smutty" innuendo
"From 'hot baps' to 'erect biscuits', the innuendos are what makes the contest such enjoyable watching," writes the Independent's Jess Denhem. But not everyone was amused, with a handful of viewers complaining to the BBC about the "constant smutty remarks" made by hosts Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc.
The cliches
The Daily Mirror has produced a GBBO bingo card to help viewers keep track of all the usual cliches tonight including the presence of "soggy bottoms", the hosts' penchant for matching blazers and the squirrels.
The Great British Bake Off final airs tonight Wednesday 8 October at 8pm on BBC2
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