‘The Great British Baking Show’ “Biscuit Week” Recap: Jeff Quits, Illiyin Faints, and Noel Faces the Judgment of Paul and Prue

Traditionally, the worst thing that could befall a baker on The Great British Baking Show “Biscuit Week” is their cookies could literally crumble. Architectural feats of gingerbread engineering could crack under pressure or frosted decorations might fail to make it neatly onto a Showstopper plate. However, The Great British Baking Show Season 12 Episode 2 “Biscuit Week” on Netflix devolved into chaos over and over again. Bakers were literally “dropping like flies,” prompting cheeky contestant Andy to quip that he wondered if he was in a murder mystery storyline. There was quitting, fainting, falling, and even Noel Fielding subbing in for an ailing contestant during judging. “I’ve had nightmares about this,” he giggled, nervously. Bakers took over time calls and chased the hosts around the tent. Paul Hollywood gave someone a handshake during the Showstopper and they still didn’t win Star Baker. The Great British Baking Show went off the rails and it was shocking, dramatic, and — I’ll begrudgingly admit — entertaining.

So what exactly went down and why will I have a hard time believing any episode of The Great British Baking Show could be any more insane? Here’s what went down in The Great British Baking Show Season 12 Episode 2 “Biscuit Week” on Netflix…

**Spoilers for The Great British Baking Show Season 12 Episode 2 “Biscuit Week,” now streaming on Netflix**

If you caught last week’s big 2024 Great British Baking Show premiere, you’ll already know that Love Productions, the production company behind the cozy reality competition show, had obviously abandoned last season’s mandate to get back to (boring) basics. Last week gave us a lavish Barbie-themed cold open, a bananas re-write of the Technical Challenge rules, and the very first American contestant on the proper British version of Bake Off. Jeff, a 67-year-old ex-pat from the Bronx, had to sit out half the episode due to illness, which led to the very first Great British Baking Show premiere where judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith eliminated…no one.

This week, Jeff continued to usher in drama in the Bake Off tent as he was once again under the weather. Although he battled through the Signature Challenge, he was too dizzy and unwell to participate in the Technical Challenge. So he walked out. He quit Bake Off. Something that doesn’t happen all that often, even when illness crops up.

After that, the cosmic floodgates were open and all sorts of pandemonium took over The Great British Baking Show. Slovakian-born Nelly began chasing her crush, Noel, around the tent, the top bakers from the Signature Challenge flailed during the Technical, and Alison said they’d miss Jeff’s “Brooklyn energy” even though he’s from the Bronx! (Okay, that last part was just proof that the Brits aren’t up on keeping the five boroughs straight.)

During the Showstopper Challenge, Nelly opened up about her five deceased infants, whom she was immortalizing in star-shaped biscuits, while Dylan struggled to get his biscuit Chinese puppet theater pulled together. These are moments that would have been hyper memorable in a normal episode of The Great British Baking Show. However, as soon as time was called, another baker found themselves in physical trouble. Poor Illiyin fainted!

Because the show must go on, Paul and Prue proceeded with judging the bakers’ complex biscuit builds — including Illiyin’s. So how did The Great British Baking Show handle the fact that Illiyin was too ill to offer her Showstopper up for judging? Noel stepped in. In a Bake Off first, Noel carried a Showstopper alone to the judges and stood in for the absent baker. Paul and Prue laid into all of Illiyin’s mistakes as Noel sheepishly held her photograph.

Just when it seemed that the bakers were out of danger, Dylan fell off his stool! The good news? He was totally fine. He just slipped reaching awkwardly for his bottle of water. The bad news? This is all just getting to be too much! Like, as if to ignore how chaotic the mood is, Paul goes ahead and gives away one of the rarest of Hollywood handshakes; one for a Showstopper.

There was one place where The Great British Baking Show felt predictable this week, though. Charming teenager Soumayah won Star Baker for her consistently elegant creations, while the tent’s oldest baker, Hazel, was eliminated. Soumayah may have responded to the honor gasping like Taylor Swift at an awards show, but she was the most consistently great this week. Hazel aptly expected her elimination. After all, as she put it, not one of her bakes went right.

So where does that leave us? The American interloper Jeff is gone, the baker with the most mistakes so far was sent home, and previews for “Bread Week” reveal Illiyin returns in good health. Maybe everything will calm down in the weeks ahead, returning us to The Great British Baking Show’s usual laid-back rhythm. Or maybe this is all just a heads up that the whole season is destined to go off the rails.