One of the most heartbreaking moments in The Great British Baking Show history happened during this year’s Semi-Finals. Four outstanding bakers entered the tent and one baker was forced to go home. Judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith decided that after weeks of dominating the competition, Jürgen Krauss had been edged out by Chigs Parmar, Crystelle Pereira, and eventual winner Giuseppe Dell’Anno. Jürgen was out. It was truly shocking. Moreover, the judges gave no real reason why the axe fell on Jürgen, prompting questions from fans.
However, Jürgen was in The Great British Baking Show finale. In spirit, at least. During the final Showstopper Challenge, Chigs revealed to host Matt Lucas that one of his Mad Hatter Tea Party bakes â the pastry mushrooms â were “all thanks to Jürgen” because the German baker had taught Chigs that method. It was a small moment, but it reverberated immensely for me. One of the hallmarks of The Great British Baking Show is how the bakers form a sort of found family, but Chigs’s comment went one step further. He revealed that his own success was in huge part thanks to help to the Teutonic titan. And personally? I loved that.
Ever since this season of The Great British Baking Show premiered back in September, it was clear that Jürgen was one of the most talented bakers to ever grace the Bake Off tent. He attacked bakes with a combination of glee and precision. As the season went on, it also became clear that Jürgen was wildly beloved by his fellow bakers. When “German Week” rolled around, just about everyone sang Jürgen’s praises because he helped them all out in the Practice Tent. While “German Week” might not have been totally fair to good old Jürgen, he was more than sportsmanlike. He was a star.
Jürgen might not have won this season of The Great British Baking Show, but his performance as a baker has won him legend-status. He’s already penned a letter confirming that he is OKAY with the way everything shook out (and seeing that he has management linked on his IG page, I’m certain we’ll be seeing and hearing more from the baker in the future). Jürgen’s future is bright.
Nevertheless, I was profoundly moved to see his presence in the tent during the finale of The Great British Baking Show. When Chigs explained how Jürgen helped him with his big Showstopper, it was kind of like Jürgen’s talent was still in the mix. Jürgen might not have been baking that day, but his talent was still being showcased. His knowledge was being celebrated. His work was lauded.
The fact that Chigs was able to give Jürgen that shoutout showed how great both bakers, and indeed all of the bakers, were this season. Jürgen’s influence on the competition was way more than just his bakes. Jürgen’s Bake Off legacy is his knowledge, his kindness, and his spirit. Jürgen might not have made it officially to the finals, but he was still there. And while he didn’t win the cake stand, he is still our baking champion.
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