Bake Off is only two days away and I’m going to do something that I’ve not done for a while which is write some predictions for the series! In the past when I have done this, I have been completely wrong so let’s see if I can do better this year!
Seeing as we’ve not seen a single episode of Bake Off yet, you might like to know that these predictions are based on absolutely nothing of merit honestly. Well that’s a bit of a lie. I’ve followed all 13 of this year’s bakers on Instagram and 12 of them on Twitter (Henry doesn’t have Twitter as far as I am aware) and this means there have been many Instagram photos and tweets for me to dissect and scrutinise. We’ve also had the first trailer for Cake Week which I have watched multiple times and that didn’t really change much in my rankings but some fun things from there happened!
And of course I’d like to preface my predictions with the fact that this is just a bit of harmless fun and not meant to offend. We’ll see in 10 weeks time if my predictions are right!
13th: Alice (IG: alice.fevronia)
Can we firstly just talk about the amazing face that Alice makes in the trailer. I call it a teacher stare. Her bio says that she uses cakes in her geography lessons to demonstrate coastal erosion. I don’t know about you but that screams a bit style over substance to me, something that has been the downfall of many a Bake Off baker. Instagram-wise, there’s only a handful of baking photos so I can’t really judge her baking skills so sorry Alice, you’re down here with…
12th: Steph (IG: stephiblackwell)
So while Steph is busy hosting Strictly on Saturdays, she’s finishing 12th in my list. Claudia Winkleman comparisons aside, well the mention of wellness in her bio grinds my gears. Steph tries to lower the refined sugar content and make her bakes healthier. Sorry Steph, you lost me there. Based on her Instagram, she’s a bread baker but of course, the limited time in the tent can challenge even good bread bakers.
11th: Jamie (IG: jamiepfinn)
Jamie is one of two bakers in the tent who is younger than me – the first time this has ever happened in Bake Off history. He got into baking after watching the plaited loaf technical challenge from Series 3… that’s definitely one way to get yourself interested in baking! He followed me back on Instagram so gets points for that. Unfortunately, those points were lost when he said “just inedible” in the trailer, what is inedible, we will have to see! I also have no bakes on social media to judge Jamie on either.
10th: Dan (IG: dancbakes)
I really don’t have all that much to say about Dan honestly and that’s not an insult. His bakes on Instagram look great but his bio is surprisingly lacking for me so I can’t justify this placement on anything other than 10th was the only free spot on the list. But I also have a feeling that given how wrong my predictions have been historically, Dan will probably end up making it to like the final 5 and I could see this happening.
9th: Helena (IG: helenagarciafp)
So by this point, we would be in Week 4 and it’s probably pastry week or the token slightly different week (recently we’ve had Caramel Week and Batter Week) and that seems to suit Helena given her varied background! Her American and Spanish influence on flavours sound right up my street but they could be too much by Week 4. Social-wise, she has some Kim-Joy-esque bakes on her feed but at this point, others are just ahead for me… although you’ll see being ahead is nothing other than a feeling! Helena does seem like she’ll be a great character though, as does…
8th: Phil (IG: philsburybakes)
Phil is the oldest baker this year but the youngest oldest baker since Series 1. Phil’s Instagram is full of surprisingly delicate and amazing bakes and honestly I think people have written Phil off already which is a shame because I’m getting Jon vibes from last year, who made it to the final 6. And with age comes experience and I think this could carry Phil through. But Week 5 is usually when the challenges begin to get harder and it’s where we’ve seen Norman, Val, Karen and Terry all stumble.
7th: Rosie (IG: rosiebrandreth)
Rosie gives me Sarah-Jane vibes from Series 3, a great home baker who is just a good all-rounder. She can probably whip up a wonderfully decorated cake and then wow you with a showstopping dessert but get stumbled by a tricky technical. I would have put Rosie lower but she loves patisserie and that means she will have some skills. Rosie is in the top 3 favourites to win with the bookies though which is very interesting!!
6th: Amelia (IG: amelialebruin)
Amelia would have been higher but she made a banana cake on her Instagram stories that went a bit wrong. That is all. Jokes aside, Amelia gives off strong all-round good baker vibes and honestly that goes a long way in Bake Off… that’s probably why she is the favourite to win Bake Off with the bookies!
5th: Henry (IG: henryfabird)
Henry is the second of this year’s baker who I am older than so he loses points. He gains a huge number of points for his intricate chocolate piping on his Instagram feed, that takes skill and dedication and I was blown away. Henry is currently at university and given the time of filming, would he have had time to practice his bakes or not (because I know I probably wouldn’t have) and we know that can be risky.
4th: Priya (IG: priyaoshea)
Priya has that vibe you know. Not only does she make an awesome face in the trailer but she already has 2 fan accounts on Instagram both of whom follow me… now I don’t know who is running them but that sounds like to me that a certain someone has done a bit well… also Priya managed to make 24 cupcakes with 10 minutes to spare before she had to pick up her kids so she’s super good at baking under a time limit. #TeamPriya #Prioche
3rd: Michael (IG: mschakraverty)
Michael also has that vibe. He’s clearly a Bake Off fan when he calls the tray-flap-cool method “the Bake Off thing” in the trailer and that earns points! His Instagram is also full of personality and some really nice bakes like his Opera Cake. That’s literally all I have to say about Michael. Like the vibe and stuff. I will be so disappointed if Michael doesn’t come in the top half.
2nd: Michelle (IG: bakesbymichelle)
So I am slightly biased here about my liking towards Michelle because I’ve followed her Instagram for well over a year and she’s produced some wonders! Her bakes are super pretty and “precise and finessed” according to her bio and Michelle honestly just gives off that vibe of someone who will do great in every week and fly just under the radar before doing amazingly at the end. On a separate note, I know Michelle has applied a few times and she’s finally there and this gives me hope!
1st: David (IG: nomadbakerdavid)
David’s bio says that “he’s not into fancy, colourful icings but prefers robust flavours and good, solid bakes”. This is how David won me over. To me, David seems unflappable like he would be completely unfazed by the pressure in the tent. He won’t let negative criticism from Paul affect him. I can now just imagine him smashing every single challenge and being in the final three, bringing his A-game in the final and winning the whole thing. Don’t mess with David.
So there we have it, those were my official Bake Off predictions for 2019. I hope you took this mix of light-hearted and serious predictions with a sprinkle of salt (or should that be sugar) because I will probably return in 10 weeks saying how wrong I was…
If you’ve also written up a list of predictions, let me know how different our lists are or perhaps you agree with my picks? Are David, Michelle and Michael your top 3 favourites too, do you agree with the bookies and have Amelia as your favourite or are you #TeamPriya? Let me know in the comments below!
(Photos from Love Productions/Channel 4).
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