A 'Great British Bake Off' finalist fended off online bullies after a fan-favorite competitor was eliminated

• Fans of "The Great British Baking Show," or "The Great British Bake-Off" in the UK, are rallying behind Hermine, a season eight contestant who was eliminated ahead of the finals.
• Many fans of the show, which involves competitors who are amateur bakers, said online they feel that Hermine's track record was stronger than that of contestant Laura Adlington.
• Others said they're not interested in watching the show now that Hermine is gone, and that they wish the finalists were more diverse.
• Adlington has since become the target of online bullying and has clapped back at critics, writing on Twitter: "It's ok to be sad your favourite person didn't go through, but please remember it's not my fault. I don't make the decisions."
• Former competitor Hermine and a judge from the show, celebrity chef Paul Hollywood, have both taken to social media to discourage fans of the show from harassing Adlington.

A recent elimination on "The Great British Baking Show" has sparked a major outcry, a dedicated hashtag, and cyberbullying targeted at one of the series' finalists.

In the latest episode of the series' eighth season, known as the "The Great British Bake Off" in the UK, the contestant Hermine — one of the season's semi-finalists — was eliminated. In turn, the contestant Laura Adlington made it through to the competition's finals.

Hermine was widely considered a fan-favorite competitor on the show. Following her elimination, the series' Twitter account paid tribute to the former contestant, sharing a heartfelt letter Hermine wrote reflecting on her time on "Bake Off."

"We're so sad to see Hermine leave the Bake Off Tent after so many wonderful creations throughout the series - and much laughter too. A very bright future lies ahead!" read a post from the show's Twitter account on Tuesday.

Similar to other competition reality TV shows, where fans are often partial to certain contestants and may feel strongly about judges' decisions, viewers of "The Great British Baking Show" took to Twitter, with many using the hashtag #JusticeForHermine, to express who they think should've been eliminated in episode nine.

Many fans expressed disappointment that due to Hermine's elimination, none of the show's three finalists are people of color. Others compared Hermine's track record on the baking show to Adlington's performance, saying that they don't feel Adlington should have stayed.

Some viewers hinted that they are no longer interested in watching the rest of the season.

The hotly debated elimination has led people to bully Adlington — but a 'Bake Off' judge and Hermine have discouraged the online harassment

The elimination of Hermine has led some viewers to verbally bully Adlington online. Adlington addressed critics in a tweet on Wednesday, tweeting: "It's ok to be sad your favourite person didn't go through, but please remember it's not my fault. I don't make the decisions."

"It's easy to sit there on your sofa and judge," Adlington wrote. "But I am a real person with feelings. Please take a moment to consider your words before you judge someone you've never met and whose food you've never tasted."

One of the show's judges, celebrity chef Paul Hollywood, stepped in via Instagram to tell fans to "stop trolling" the bakers.

The judge wrote that "each week stands on its own" and that "it never matters what any baker has done in previous weeks," addressing criticism from fans on social media who expressed that Hermine had a stronger record of success throughout the season.

Hermine also did her part to shut down fans of the show who targeted Adlington. The former contestant shared an Instagram post that encouraged positivity, not bullying.

"Ask yourself if you would like to be at the receiving end of it and how it will make you feel if you were," Hermine wrote. "Please let's make a conscious and collective effort to stop cyberbullying."

It's not the first time that this season of "The Great British Baking Show" has sparked controversy among its fans.

The series faced criticism earlier for its "Japanese Week" episode, which was released October 30 on Netflix in the US. Viewers of the show took to Twitter to express disappointment in how the series represented Japanese baking. As Insider's Debanjali Bose reported, many viewers said on Twitter they felt that the episode "conflated different types of Asian cuisine, echoing the racist stereotype that all Asian cultures are the same."

The baking competition show is available on Netflix in the US and Channel 4 in the UK.

Representatives for Netflix did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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