Was Rahul Mandal's Bake Off win teased on social media from the start?

The series concluded on Tuesday night - but fans claim they always knew the result
Winner: Rahul Mandal was crowned Bake Off 2018 champion
Channel 4 / Love Productions
Natasha Sporn31 October 2018

The Great British Bake Off crowned Rahul Mandal the 2018 winner last night – but some fans think his win was obvious from the series opener.

Rahul emerged victorious after a gruelling final, during which a glass jar shattered and caused a 15 minute delay to his Showstopper bake.

But some fans believe they already knew he had won, claiming his social media blackout was a clue.

A search for Rahul on Twitter and Instagram returned zero results, while many of his fellow contestants were on the platform throughout the series- including fellow finalists Kim-Joy and Ruby Bhogal.

One fan tweeted: “Right.. my own conspiracy theory. Rahul wins #gbbo as he is not on social media as he didn't trust himself to keep the secret.”

Another posted: “Rahul is the only #GBBO finalist not on twitter. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?”

A third commented: “@BritishBakeOff so where is Rahul's twitter account? oh wait, the winner cannot be on yet...I forgot.”

Viewers were left furious when an emotional Rahul took the title on Tuesday night after receiving the ultimate accolade from Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith.

Hollywood described him as “magic” while Leith applauded him for always pushing himself.

But some viewers failed to agree, with many accusing the judges of favouring Rahul who they deemed an unworthy winner.

Others slammed the “bullies” attacking the baking enthusiast, deeming him “too pure” for this world.

On winning, Rahul said: “This is probably the first time I got something like this like a trophy," he said. "I talk so much loads of the time but I don't know what to say now. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.”

The Great British Bake Off 2018 - Meet the contestants

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