Meet The Great British Bake Off 2018 final three

Kim-Joy, Rahul and Ruby have made it all the way – but who is favourite to win the Bake Off 2018 final?

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• The Great British Bake Off 2018 final to feature bakers cooking OUTSIDE the tent for first time ever
• Bake Off contestant Terry writes emotional letter thanking fans ahead of 2018 final

Here’s everything you need to know about the final three Bake Off contestants.

Kim-Joy Hewlett

Age: 27

Job: Mental health specialist

From: Leeds

Star Baker: Twice – Week 5 and Week 7

Having been born on World Baking Day, Kim-Joy seemed destined to make it to the Bake Off final.

Raised in London by an English father and Malaysian-Chinese mother, Kim-Joy says she’s the only baking enthusiast in her family, and previously admitted not having the confidence to take part on the show.

“My friends have always wanted me to apply, but I didn’t feel confident enough to apply until this year,” she says. “I went into the tent mostly for myself to see if I could do it!”

It’s just as well she did, as Kim-Joy has established herself as a firm favourite among fans for her quirky bakes.

Kim-Joy's Bake Off highlight

Kim-Joy became a firm fan favourite in the very first week when she pointed out that fellow baker Dan’s ‘New Dad in Palm Springs’ baby design looked… well… phallic.

But it was her breathtaking work in Spice Week which saw Kim-Joy emerge as a real contender in the competition, with her lovingly designed and eye-wateringly intricate spiced biscuit chandelier putting her firmly in the sights of Paul and Prue.

Let’s also not forget Kim-Joy’s “I’m not an animal person” amazing fox birthday cake she conjured up in Vegan Week.

Rahul Mandal

Age: 30

Job: Research Scientist

From: Rotherham

Star Baker: Twice – Week 2 and Week 3

The adorable Rahul won the nation’s hearts when it was revealed that he started baking to try and make friends when he first moved over to the UK.

But despite proving himself to be highly talented in the tent of dreams, the 30-year-old lacked the confidence to really show his bakes off.

He explained, “One of my colleagues kind of pushed me to apply for Bake Off. He kept sending me the application link, until I said to him that I have started applying.

“I think pretty much everybody I know will be surprised. They know I bake, but not to the scale that I could enter the tent.”

Rahul's Bake Off highlight

Just being so damn likeable. Rahul instantly made himself a fan favourite when he showed genuine excitement at seeing a pheasant while outside the tent.

He earned himself a series of Hollywood handshakes in Week 2, when he absolutely nailed his Chocolate Orange Layer Cake, and impressed Paul and Prue again with his mango and cranberry Chelsea buns.

Rahul continued as a frontrunner for much of the competition, with his stellar bakes being praised by the judges every week until the final two weeks of the competition, where he started to slip down the leaderboard.

Bake Off host Sandi Toksvig has since defended the star, saying he “lacked confidence”. Could winning Bake Off give him the boost he needs?

Ruby Bhogal

Age: 29

Job: Project Manager

From: London

Star Baker: Twice – Week 8 and Week 9

A dark horse in the competition, Ruby was not considered much of a front-runner after constantly scraping through week after week.

But the 29-year-old flipped her fortunes in the last two weeks of Bake Off, landing the coveted star baker position twice in a row.

Ruby learned to bake when she was at university, sticking on sweet treats for her housemates, but her memories of baking date back to when she was a young girl helping her mother make jalebis, a traditional Indian sweet.

“Because I am so new to baking there are going to be so many people that will be shocked. I don’t really post about my baking on social media, so I am sure my friends are going to be surprised,” she says.

Ruby's Bake Off highlight

She impressed in week 8 with her kagekone human-shaped pastry, but it was her exquisite Parisian pastries in patisserie week which marked her as stand out.

Her “clever” strawberry and mint millefeuille, sweet pâté sucrée and chocolate and hazelnut St. Honoré choux pastries were devoured by the judeges and saw her sail into the final.

The Great British Bake Off concludes tonight at 8pm on Channel 4.

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