The Great British Baking Show‘s finales often come with one last, brutal twist. Maybe judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith have an extra maniacal Technical Challenge up their sleeve, or perhaps the Showstopper is literally insane. Worst of all, there’s a chance that a consistent fan favorite fumbles when they arrive so close to the finish line. This year’s final installment of the Netflix hit brought all three to the tent, with an afternoon tea Technical, gravity-defying Showstopper, and the wild implosion of the season’s most talented baker.
**Spoilers for The Great British Baking Show 2024 finale, now streaming on Netflix**
As a long-time Great British Baking Show devotee, I can’t remember any baker melting down in the final quite like 20-year-old Dylan Bachelet did. A week ago, I was musing that it seemed all but obvious that Paul and Prue would crown the wunderkind as this year’s ultimate winner. However, from the moment he stepped foot in the tent, Dylan struggled. His Signature Challenge stones were an absolute mess. Then he came in last place in a Technical Challenge that left him cursing, flailing, and declaring, “I’m losing my mind!” His Showstopper missed the mark with sloppy layering and a genoise sponge dotted with clumps of flour.
The pressure to deliver three final bakes simply caught up to Dylan, paving the way for dark horse Georgie Grasso to win with a sublimely beautiful Showstopper. So what exactly went wrong? And why am I still confident that Dylan’s still on course to eventually be one of The Great British Baking Show‘s most successful alums?
Even in the earliest moments of this year’s Great British Baking Show final, there were subtle red flags that Dylan was venturing into trouble. A recap of his time on the show emphasized that he is a big risk-taker, which has usually worked in his favor. Emphasis on “usually.” During his confessional interview, a clearly anxious and excited Dylan admits he’d love to win the whole thing, but he notes, “If I feel nerves, that’s when things go wrong.” Uh-oh.
I think it’s a given that all three bakers in The Great British Baking Show finale felt nervous. How could anyone not? The key difference I saw, though, between Dylan and fellow finalists Georgie and Christiaan de Vries was that the older bakers funneled their adrenaline into positive chaotic energy. Georgie, who almost left the tent after her own recent meltdown, seemed to have just embraced the attitude of having fun and enjoying this final moment in the tent. Dylan, on the other hand, seemed to be stuck in an avalanche of snowballing crises.
During the Signature Challenge, both Dylan and Georgie had to remake a whole batch of scones, but Dylan was ever-so-slightly more stressed out about it. He was cursing, nearly dropping his scones on the ground, and even calling on Christiaan to help him finish. When Paul and Prue sidled up to his bench for judging, they were blunt about how messy the final product appeared.
Then before the Technical Challenge began, Prue Leith gave the bakers the sage advice to plan carefully. The challenge she walloped them with was to create the three exquisite bakes you’d find on an Afternoon Tea tray. While Christiaan and Georgie carefully planned the order they worked in, opting to not only make their pastry (which had to chill) before their cakes, but to also bake the sponges in smaller, specifically weighed out batches, Dylan appeared to be free-styling. He had to remake his sponge thanks to its cupcake-like outcome and came under fire for multiple mistakes. As the stress mounted, Dylan unraveled. Lost was the laser focus that defined his earlier wins. Chaos reigned in his heart and soul. He came last in judging.
However, all was not lost. Paul and Prue emphasized to hosts Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding that anyone could win with a fab Showstopper. Considering how poorly Dylan did during Day One, I couldn’t help but think Paul and Prue were still secretly rooting for the 20-year-old to dazzle them one last time. Alas, he struggled once more, specifically with a poorly chosen sponge that was peppered with gross-looking clumps of flour. His final suspended cake lacked the finesse of Georgie’s or Christiaan’s. It was clear he would only be winning that coveted cake stand if Paul and Prue ignored what actually went down during that finale and judged the bakers on the whole season.
Ultimately, The Great British Baking Show ends with Dylan winning in his own way. We’re told during the closing credits that he’s recently earned a gig at a Michelin starred restaurant. For a young man who was supposed to be pursuing a career in biomedical engineering, this is bigger than a cakestand. He mentioned earlier in the season that his dream was to instead be a chef. Being on Great British Baking Show was his way of “proving” he could do it. Well, he’s doing it now!
Dylan might have spiraled during his final three bakes in The Great British Baking Show tent, but we’re honestly more likely to remember all the times he blew Paul and Prue away. This is a kid who had Paul Hollywood admitting he wasn’t as good with bread at his age. This is a creative genius who constantly kept Prue Leith on her toes. He might not have won The Great British Baking Show, but Dylan Bachelet is still on top of the world.
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