Great British Bake Off thrown into chaos as desserts ‘wilt and collapse’ in huge technical challenge shake-up – before shaky showstopper sees Nadia eliminated from the show

The Great British Bake Off was hit by an unlikely shake-up on Tuesday night, with some desserts left ‘wilted and collapsing’ by the dramatic change.

Each week, bakers are typically set a Technical Challenge by Paul Hollywood or Prue Leith, using only the assigned ingredients and a pared-back recipe to finish the bake.

But in a surprise twist, Chocolate Week saw the bakers given the challenge of making a white chocolate tart without a recipe, and they could only finish their creation with ingredients chosen from a vast table, dubbed ‘The Gingham Pantry’.

This meant a vast array of different tarts on offer for judging, and without a recipe to follow, it garnered mixed results.

For Nadia Mercuri, it was the end of the road, as a lacklustre technical, followed by a shaky showstopper, saw her become the latest baker to be eliminated. 

While Paul and Prue were unimpressed by some of the ‘wilting’ creations in the Technical Challenge, things took an even more disastrous turn for Iain, as his shortbread base crumbled while he guided his tart onto the display dish.

The Great British Bake Off was hit by an unlikely shake-up on Tuesday night, with some desserts ‘collapsing’ following the dramatic change

For Nadia Mercuri, it was the end of the road, as a lacklustre technical, followed by a shaky showstopper, saw her become the latest baker to be eliminated

Chocolate Week saw the bakers given the challenge of making a white chocolate tart, and they could only finish their creation with ingredients from a table, dubbed ‘The Gingham Pantry’

The technical twist earned a mixed reaction from fans, with some branding the move ‘cruel,’ while others lauded the ‘chaotic’ addition. 

Posts on X included: ‘Can’t decide whether I like the idea of the Gingham Pantry – or not. Cruel, or creative? Talk about the survival of the fittest. #GBBO #BakeOff @BritishBakeOff;

‘An entire pantry is available for this technical?! It’s quite exciting but also nerve-wracking because you don’t want to lose the chocolate flavour!;

‘The gingham pantry is chaotic….I love it .’

Along with the technical creation, bakers were tasked with making chocolate mousse cups for their Signature, followed by a chocolate fondue display in the Showstopper.

For Aaron, it was a successful day, as he impressed with his piano-inspired Showstopper, and he was awarded Star Baker.

But Nadia fell short, coming last in the technical before failing to impress with her shaky Showstopper, meaning she was sadly eliminated.

Discussing her exit, she said: ‘I’ve had the best time, made some amazing friends, it’s been unreal.’

Things took an even more disastrous turn for Iain, as his shortbread base crumbled while he guided his tart onto the display dish

The technical twist earned a mixed reaction from fans, with some branding the move ‘cruel,’ while others lauded the ‘chaotic’ addition

Last week, fans were left furious by the decision to eliminate drag king Jessika, complaining she’d ‘been robbed.’

In a school-themed week, the nine remaining bakers were first asked by judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith to rustle up flapjacks before tackling a traditional school cake in the technical round.

But there was a catch that left both contestants and fans stunned, as the bakers were required to make their own sprinkles.

Alongside the sprinkle saga, the week’s showstopper challenge called on the bakers to whip up a spectacular school fete centrepiece, filled with nostalgic favourites.

But the pressure and heat proved too much for drag king Jessika, who became the latest contestant to leave the tent.

Jessika had earned praise throughout the competition for her creativity and daring approach, but this week her adventurous streak proved her undoing.

Prue Leith reflected: ‘The thing I have loved about Jessika all the way through is that she is very creative and she takes risks every single week. And I think she took the risk too far this week.’

Speaking after her exit, Jessika remained upbeat, saying: ‘This was going to be my last year to apply and I feel chuffed that I made it to the tent.

‘I have met some incredibly talented inspiring bakers so it’s not all bad.’

But viewers at home were not impressed, and took to social media to air their frustration.

Last week, fans were left furious by the decision to eliminate drag king Jessika, complaining she’d ‘been robbed’ 

Speaking after her exit, Jessika remained upbeat, saying: ‘This was going to be my last year to apply and I feel chuffed that I made it to the tent’

One wrote: ‘Not Jessika! She was such a fun watch,’ while another added: ‘Not Jessika. Our star.’

‘Sad to see Jessika go,’ one commenter lamented, and another chimed in: ‘Jessika was lowkey robbed, I don’t think anyone else deserved to go either though!’

Others felt Jessika was a sure face for the final, with one writing: ‘Jessika was so finalist coded! Omng, she can’t be going home.’

Jessika also revealed that her time in the famous white tent included striking up a cheeky bond with host Alison Hammond.

‘I know she loves hard-boiled sweets, so I got her a giant hard-boiled diamond ring and asked her in Spanish if she’d marry me,’ Jessika laughed.

‘She was playing hard to get and, maybe out of kindness, said “yes”. I think Alison and I might technically be engaged now.’

Great British Bake Off airs on Tuesdays on Channel 4 and is available to stream on Channel4.com