Bake Off fans furious as beloved baker Jessika is eliminated in school-themed week

Great British Bake Off fans were furious after the elimination of a beloved baker during a school-themed week in the tent. Nine remaining bakers were asked to rustle up flapjacks, then tackle a traditional school cake in the technical round, with a twist: they had to make their own sprinkles. The pressure mounted as the episode built toward a showstopper centerpiece shaped like a school fete, packed with nostalgic treats. In the end, drag king Jessika was the latest contestant to leave the tent, ending a run that had drawn praise for creativity and daring.

Judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith reflected on Jessika's time in the competition. Leith said, "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." After her exit, Jessika told the cameras she felt content with reaching the tent and that she would have liked to return next year. "This was going to be my last year to apply and I feel chuffed that I made it to the tent," she said, adding she had met talented bakers who inspired her.

Social media lit up with fans expressing disappointment. Comments ranged from "Not Jessika! She was such a fun watch" to calls that she had been robbed. Some viewers suggested she could have been a finalist, while others acknowledged the difficulty of the school-themed tasks and the high bar set by the other bakers.

Earlier in the episode, the handmade sprinkles segment drew particular disbelief on social media and among the contestants. Aaron remarked, "This should just be the challenge, to make sprinkles!" and viewers online gushed at the sight of sprinkles being made from scratch. Others joked that the ability to make sprinkles was a sign the show had pushed contestants too far. At the end of the night, the judges even joked that "No one's going to make their own sprinkles ever again."

Great British Bake Off airs on Tuesdays on Channel 4 and is available to stream on Channel4.com. The show continues to showcase bakers' risk-taking and creativity as they navigate the friendly but fiercely competitive environment of the famous white tent.