Great British Bake Off semi-final technical challenge stumbles with all contestants struggling

The semi-final technical challenge on The Great British Bake Off 2025, featuring a framboisier cake with pistachio mousseline and a delicate sugar dome, proved disastrous for most contestants. Three of the four semi-finalists—Toby, Aaron, and Tom—failed to produce successful bakes, with cakes collapsing or missing the crucial sugar dome, while only Jasmine delivered a relatively safe version. Judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith described the challenge as a disaster, marking it as an unprecedented "car crash" technical round at this late stage of the competition. Fans and viewers echoed this sentiment on social media, criticizing the difficulty and feasibility of the task, with many calling it "ridiculous" and "too challenging" for home bakers. Despite the chaos, Toby was eliminated, Jasmine became Star Baker, and the other contestants advanced to the final, where the showstopper challenge would be decisive. Presenters Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding also remarked on the challenge's complexity, highlighting its status as the toughest technical challenge so far in the series.