Bake Off 2024 chooses the shock winner by favorite fall at the last hurdle

Watch: Georgie is crowned 2024 Bake Off champion

What did you miss?

The Great British Bake Off 2024 named surprise winner Georgie after favorite Dylan crumbled under the pressure.

The 15th series of the cookery competition has served up its final batch of showstoppers and the crystal cake stand trophy has been handed to Welsh pediatric nurse Georgie Grasso from Carmarthenshire. She is the first Bake Off winner to come from Wales.

Her victory came after a nail-biting final in which viewers were left convinced Dutch-born menswear designer Christiaan de Vries would come out on top after aspiring chef Dylan Bachelet botched his final baked goods.

Even new Bake Off champion Georgie said: “I can’t believe I’ve won.”

What, how and why?

Trailing in the final were 20-year-old aspiring chef Dylan Bachelet from Buckinghamshire, Dutch-born menswear designer Christiaan de Vries, 33, from London and 34-year-old Welsh pediatric nurse Georgie Grasso from Carmarthenshire.

For the final showstopper, the bakers had to create gravity-defying hanging cakes for a summer garden party. Christiaan’s marble cake effect went wrong, so he decided to cover it with a ganache at the last minute.

Dylan ran out of time and put his cake in a hurry, while Georgie was so worried about hanging her cake that she sipped champagne from the bottle to help calm her nerves.

Dylan’s Earl Gray tea cake was inspired by the crumbling houses in Murano, Italy. Leith said: “It’s quite abstract, isn’t it? You’ll have to explain to everyone what it is.” Hollywood called it “fascinating work” and stuck out its blue tongue, stained by the glaze.

Georgie’s elderflower cake was covered in piped, stenciled and sculpted icing flowers and the judges called it “stunning” and “absolutely delicious”.

Christiaan’s hammock was olive oil, orange, poppy seeds, lemon, thyme and licorice. Leith told him: “I’ve never tasted anything like this before, I never thought I’d say this because I always ask for stronger flavors but I think they’re too strong.”

After she won, Georgie said: “I can’t believe I’ve won. I can’t believe I’ve won it.

“It just means – it’s just incredible. I can’t believe I’ve won the Great British Bake Off. Oh my God, it just means everything. Like I’ve always been so self-doubting. “I’ve got this . .. I feel bad about me, I can’t do it.’

“And you make excuses and for once I just thought, ‘No, I’m going to go for it and I’m going to put my all into it, work all the hours. You know, I’ve sacrificed things with the kids and my family and I are just so proud of myself because I just proved that I couldn’t do anything and now I’m here today.

Dylan was the bookies’ favorite to win the competition going into the semi-finals, having already been Star Baker twice. Fashion designer Christiaan was the bookies’ favorite to win the competition at the start of the series, but he was not named Star Baker until Patisserie Week in the semi-finals.

Read more: Bake Off

What did viewers say?

Bake Off fans were shocked by the result and many still felt Dylan deserved to win.

One viewer wrote on social media platform X: “Dylan should have won, he was the most consistent.”

Another said: “Dylan fell at the last hurdle, I still think he should have won it”.

Another submitted: “Can’t believe I just witnessed the biggest Dylan meltdown in #GBBO history.”

And another one shared on Blue Sky: “As much as I wanted Dylan to win at the start, Christiaan was robbed of a much deserved win! Georgie should have gone last week, the absolute audacity of them picking their favorite to win! I’m sure it was rigged!!”

But others thought Georgie was a deserving winner, with one comment: “Awww Georgie is surprised she won at all. After all the self doubt for the last few weeks, it’s great to see her come out on top. An amazing win!.”

Another declared: “Deserved win for Georgie, she excelled on the day but I’m so into Dylan.”

Another gushed: “Congratulations Georgie! You deserved this! First ever Welsh winner! So proud of you! Congratulations Wales.”

Many of Dylan’s fans had a hard time seeing him crumble. One regretted: “I’m so stressed for dylan, my heart is breaking”.

While another shared: “My God, my heart breaks for poor Dylan! You can clearly see how upset and depressed he is, because the nerves are getting the better of him.”

What else happened on The Great British Bake Off?

Among the returning contestants who joined the finalists for the winner announcement was fan favorite Nelly, a straightforward palliative care assistant from Slovakia.

One viewer tweeted along with a teary gif: “Seeing Nelly again #GBBO” Another gushed: “my mother Nelly is back on my screen”. And another one fabled: “Nelly’s pretty in pink.”

For the signature challenge, the finalists had to bake 20 scones: 10 sweet and 10 savory. Judge Prue Leith was put off by how much chilli she saw Christiaan put in his cheese and curry scones. But ended up saying she liked them as they gave her a “comforting warm feeling.” Christiaan confessed: “I had never made a scone before I started practicing.”

Dylan failed to finish his salmon scones in time and served up what he himself described as a “mess” to judges Paul Hollywood and Leith, who declared: “It’s really messy.” They liked the flavor of the lightness of the salmon scones, but said there wasn’t enough flavor in his chamomile and strawberry batch.

Dylan said of their comments: “Brutal. They just weren’t good at them and it’s just annoying. You’re not doing justice to what you spent a week trying to perfect.”

Georgie’s scones were also criticized for being misshapen.

For the technical part, the bakers had to produce an afternoon tea with strawberry tarts, sponge cakes and plaited egg and cress rolls.

Dylan struggled and had to be comforted by host Alison Hammond, who said: “I don’t like seeing my Dylan down.” He moaned, “I’m just so bad today.” He came last in the challenge, with Hollywood laughing that his roll braid was “terrible”.

Applications are now open for The Great British Bake Off 2025.