It’s the most coveted treat in the Bake Off tent – an approving handshake from Paul Hollywood.
But fans of the show have suggested the notoriously tough to please judge – once regarded as the Simon Cowell of the baking world – has gone as soft as the proverbial soggy bottom.
On Tuesday night, the Liverpudlian celebrity chef, 52, extended a hand to not one but three contestants while tasting the results of the very first challenge with fellow judge Prue Leith.
For their signature bake in spice week, the contestants were tasked with whipping up a ginger cake, and Rahul, Kim Joy and Manon’s efforts all prompted Paul to pump their hands in delight.
While the bakers were thrilled, long-time fans of the show complained that the value of the Hollywood Handshake was plummeting ‘faster than the pound’ on Twitter, with one quipping: ‘Just seen Paul Hollywood’s handshake on eBay for 50p’.
Fan favourite Rahul looked overwhelmed when Paul enthusiastically shook his hand after tasting his Bonfire Night caramel ginger cake on Tuesday night’s show. The judge called him a ‘little genius’
The judge thrust his hand out once again after tasting a forkful of Kim Joy’s stem ginger cake with poached pears, which he deemed ‘beautiful’. She was later crowned star baker
Manon’s Italian meringue ginger cake also won her a Hollywood Handshake from Paul, who said it reminded him of his nan’s baking
Fan favourite Rahul was first in line for effusive praise from Paul on Tuesday’s show, who dubbed him a ‘little genius’ after tasting a forkful of his Bonfire Night caramel ginger cake.
‘You surprise me every week,’ said Paul, after delivering an enthusiastic handshake for the ‘perfect’ sponge and ‘awesome’ stem ginger.
He went on to say the level of Rahul’s skill was ‘quite annoying, really’.
Next up for a handshake was Kim Joy, whose stem ginger cake with poached pears was praised for its attention to detail and ‘beautifully balanced’ flavours.
‘Beautiful,’ Paul repeated, as he thrust his hand out for a shake.
When Manon’s ‘very elegant’ Italian meringue ginger cake inspired a third Hollywood Handshake from Paul – who said it reminded him of his nan’s – it sparked a flurry of memes on Twitter posted by fans who complained that the judge’s once rare seal of approval had ‘lost its pizzazz’.
Gone soft? Viewers are complaining that Bake Off judge Paul’s famous Hollywood Handshake has ‘lost its meaning’, after he doled out three in a single challenge during the Spice Week episode, which aired on Channel 4 on Tuesday night
Underwhelmed Bake Off fans said the Liverpudlian celebrity chef was ‘out of control’ on Tuesday night’s show – with one insisting ‘he never gave out this many handshakes on the BBC’
Viewers joked that the gesture had been ‘recklessly’ devalued through overuse.
One fan insisted Paul had never dished out as many handshakes on the BBC, referring to the hit show’s former home before its move to Channel 4 two seasons ago.
Another claimed it would never mean as much as ‘a Mary Berry wink’, a nod to the popular judge who left the show along with former hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins when it moved from the BBC.
Later in the show the bakers were required to try their hand at making ma’amouls, an Arabic filled pastry, for their technical challenge, followed by biscuit chandeliers as their ‘showstopper’.
In a surprise twist two contestants – Karen and Terry – were eliminated from the tent, while Kim Joy was crowned star baker thanks to that ‘beautiful’ stem ginger cake and her ‘well thought through’ biscuit chandelier.