11 “Great British Bake Off” Moments From German Week That Were Stressful, And 20 That Were So Pure

Welcome to this week's stressful/delightful recap of The Great British Bake Off!

the title card for the show

You can read last week's recap here.

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This week, our bakers faced the tent's first ever German Week, and maybe someone else besides Jürgen will be Star Baker? Probably not, though. Anyway, here are 20 absolutely wonderful moments from the episode, plus 11 extremely stressful ones.

Warning: Spoilers (and potential emotional turmoil) ahead.

1.DELIGHTFUL: Noel and Matt's ode to...German techno, I think? I'm not entirely sure what's going on here, but it's my favorite intro in a while.

Noel and Matt in red dress shirts and slicked back hair sing in monotone voices about it being German week
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I did some research (aka I googled "German band red shirt???") and found out this intro is an homage to Kraftwerk, a German electronic music group that the Guardian describes as "the world's most influential band."

Kraftwerk posing in their matching red shirts and black ties
Kraftwerk / Redferns / via Getty

Okay, the music history portion of this post has concluded. Let's get back to baking.

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Signature Challenge: German Biscuits

the sketch for Jurgen's German biscuits
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2.DELIGHTFUL: Lizzie's good-spirited acknowledgment of the German in the tent (which is now what I'll be saying instead of "elephant in the room").

Lizzie says: Jurgen's weeks. Just another one of Jurgen's weeks. We're just here for the ride, aren't we
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3.STRESSFUL: Crystelle pointing out how vague a challenge "German biscuits" is. Prue tells us that Germans usually make biscuits for Christmas, but Prue, so does everyone else.

Crystelle says, I don't really know what I'm doing, I'm just baking a biscuit I think is relatively German. But we'll see!
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4.DELIGHTFUL: George's fancy rolling pin.

George's engraved wooden rolling pin
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5.STRESSFUL: The encroaching despair of the non-Jürgen bakers.

Noel tells George, you got this! Not as much as Jurgen, but you have got it
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6.STRESSFUL: Showing Giuseppe's thick, dribble-proof jam right before cutting to Amanda's more watery version.

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7.DELIGHTFUL: Giuseppe's aesthetically pleasing (and, according to the judges, absolutely delicious) biscuits. Also, the fact that he was able to get the word "Italian" into the descriptor of a German biscuit. Bravo, Giuseppe.

Giuseppe's Italian Linzer Augen
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8.DELIGHTFUL: Lizzie seeing through Paul's tricks and empty handshake promises.

Paul tells Lizzie everything she needed to do to get a handshake, she replies, "so if I'd just done it completely different"
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9.DELIGHTFUL: Paul learning anatomy with Noel.

While Paul holds a heart shaped biscuit, Noel explains that most normal people have hearts
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10.DELIGHTFUL: Folks, the moment we've all been waiting for, the main event, straight from the oven of the Baking Terminator himself: Jürgen's biscuits.

Jurgen's perfect biscuits
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Do I even need to include a picture of Jürgen getting a handshake? As far as inevitability goes, there's death, taxes, and this. But here you go: the third Hollywood Handshake? of the season.

Jurgen gets a handshake for his biscuits
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Technical Challenge: Prinzregententorte

A shiny chocolate cake
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11.STRESSFUL: The dreaded mini fans on the bakers' benches that signify a tent that's too damn hot.

The bakers benches with mini fans
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12.DELIGHTFUL: When Chigs was pleasantly surprised by his amount of baking know-how.

Chigs says: You got to be gentle when you're folding because if you knock all the air out, the sponge is not gonna rise when you bake it. Wow, I actually seriously sound like I know what I'm talking about, don't I?
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13.DELIGHTFUL: Giuseppe's perfect Einstein impression.

Giuseppe sticks his tongue out
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Spot the difference, if you can:

Einstein's tongue portrait, and Giuseppe doing the same expression
Bettmann / via Getty / Love Productions

14.STRESSFUL: Amanda's filling not being "anywhere near" the "silky smooth" texture it's supposed to be.

Amanda spreads a grainy filling
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15.DELIGHTFUL: The fact that the show keeps cutting to Jürgen saying "sponge, cream, sponge, cream" to himself, like it's an austere German lullaby.

Jurgen saying sponge, cream, sponge, cream
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16.DELIGHTFUL: Giuseppe's baking stance.

Giuseppe with a very wide stance while icing
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17.STRESSFUL: Anytime anyone has to glaze anything, honestly.

Glaze glopping onto a cake
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18.STRESSFUL: One of Crystelle's icing rosettes sliding right off her cake because, as previously mentioned, it's too damn hot in this tent.

The rose sliding off
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19.DELIGHTFUL: Giuseppe placing first in the technical, most likely due to that killer baking stance.

Giuseppe's cake
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Showstopper Challenge: Yeast Leavened Cake

Jürgen's sketch of his beer soaked bake
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20.DELIGHTFUL: Lizzie's big bowl of food coloring, which I like to think she brings with her everywhere she goes.

Lizzie says, look at all these colors. it's gonna be a color explosion
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21.DELIGHTFUL: Jürgen's aggressive approach to his dough.

Jurgen says he has quite a powerful kneading method
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22.DELIGHTFUL: The revelation that Jürgen has been sharing his German wisdom with the other bakers behind the scenes.

Guiseppe says Jürgen gave everyone private tutoring lessons for German
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23.DELIGHTFUL: Knowing that whatever happens with Freya's showstopper, she definitely has a ride home.

Freya tells Noel that her mum offered to have her dad come pick her up
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Though I was hoping she'd ride her horse home.

Freya riding a horse on the beach

Love you, Winnie the Horse.

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24.STRESSFUL: Lizzie's cake holding onto its bundt pan for dear life.

half of Lizzie's cake stuck in the pan
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25.DELIGHTFUL: Lizzie pulling through with an adorable (and delicious) cake, despite the aforementioned bundt pan scandal.

Lizzie's bavarian fairy tale bake
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26.DELIGHTFUL: Crystelle's pristine showstopper, which wouldn't be out of place as the centerpiece of a German wedding. Not that I've ever been to a German wedding, but I'm guessing this would be a hit.

Crystelle's cake, with a climbing flower decoration across all three tiers
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27.STRESSFUL: Paul telling George, who pulled his bake out of the oven sooner than everyone else, that his cake is raw in the middle.

Paul shows that the dough is still raw
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28.DELIGHTFUL: Matt catching the top tier of Giuseppe's cake when Paul accidentally dropped it, then holding it above his head in victory.

Matt holding the cake above his head while Paul and Prue applaud
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29.STRESSFUL: Paul saying that he likes, but doesn't love, Jürgen's showstopper.

Jurgen's bake, which looks like a pile of pretzels
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Final Results

The bakers lined up

Warning: Spoilers below!

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30.DELIGHTFUL: Giuseppe, against all odds (by which I mean the presence of Jürgen), being named Star Baker.

Giuseppe reacts to being named star baker
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31.STRESSFUL: Saying goodbye to Freya, a result I'm truly surprised by. But lasting as long as she did, especially as the youngest baker and one who insisted on challenging herself even more by sticking to vegan ingredients, is a true achievement.

Freya is hugged by Crystelle

You'll always be a star baker in my eyes, Freya!

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This concludes our German Week recap! What were your favorite moments from this episode? Tell us about them in the comments!

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