Great British Bake Off sends home first contestant as viewers say they "deserved to go"

The Great British Bake Off sent home its first contestant on Tuesday (29 September) night, and viewers had a lot to say about it. Week Two saw the bakers tackle Biscuit Week with one contestant seeing their dreams crumble.

The 17th season of the much-loved Channel 4 show kicked off last week, with an array of new hopefuls desperate to impress Paul Hollywood and new judge Nigella Lawson, who has replaced Prue Leith after she quit earlier this year.

Sadly, despite their best efforts, it was Danni who was the first to leave The Great British Bake Off this year.

Upon learning their fate, Danni said: "I'm really happy that I was the first one out," before claiming that there were much better bakers in the running.

"But I think I've learnt a lot," they added, fighting back tears.

GBBO fans were quick to take to X and share their thoughts on the result, as one person said: "Danni showed how to leave with class and dignity."

Another wrote: "Danni wasn't the best baker and deserved to go but that exit speech broke me heart a little bit."

A third person added: "Such a lovely, funny and vibrant person. Unlucky Danni but thank you for entertaining us so much."

And a fourth person posted: "Oh Danni. You are a fabulous individual and it has been a delight to have you beamed into my front room, albeit too briefly. Onwards, and most definitely upwards."

Tonight's episode kicked off with the bakers being tasked with making 30 American-style cookies in just two hours. The cookies had to be "crisp to the bite with a chewy centre".

Clara nearly got the coveted Hollywood Handshake for her Tiramisu cookies, however Paul found that there was just "too much of everything," flavour wise.

For the Technical challenge, Paul wanted the bakers to go back to their childhood and create 24 Iced Gems. The orange shortbread biscuit would have to be topped with rainbow coloured icing in the shape of a star.

Paul and Nigella ended up awarding Tom with the title of Star Baker, despite the fact that he broke down in tears when he didn't have enough time to finish his mosaic showstopper.

Danni's exit comes after it was revealed by GBBO host Alison Hammond during the first episode that no one would be going home during week one of the competition.

This was due to the fact that contestant Shannon was absent during the Showstopper Challenge, as she left the tent after saying she felt unwell.

Speaking about the surprise decision, Nigella said: "We had a big decision to make due to Shannon's withdrawal. We thought the fairest thing was to bring everybody back next week, and go from there."

Meanwhile, it's been claimed by other GBBO host Noel Fielding that Paul and Nigella have been having "sparky" disagreements during filming.

Noel admitted that sometimes the pair don't see eye-to-eye on the bakes, which makes "quite exciting television".

The Great British Bake Off airs Tuesdays on Channel 4 at 8:00pm.

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Kirsty is a freelance writer and editor specialising in all things entertainment. Over the past 16 years, she has worked on showbiz desks at various national newspaper websites in London, including Express.co.uk, The Sun, and MailOnline.

More recently, she spent three years living in New York City writing celebrity and lifestyle news for DailyMail.com, The Mirror US, and Daily Express US. Kirsty graduated from Southampton Solent with a BA in Magazine Journalism and Feature Writing. When she's not watching reruns of Sex and the City, you'll find her listening to David Bowie and daydreaming about an espresso martini.