Bake Off champion Frances Quinn has said she hopes her favourite Iain Watters could still win the current series, despite his elimination last week.
The bearded hipster was ejected from Wednesday's show after his baked Alaska went horribly wrong.
Some have accused his fellow Great British Bake Off contestant Diana Beard of sabotaging his pud by taking it out of the freezer for 40 critical seconds.
The dramatic episode led to more than 800 complaints to the BBC, despite neither contestant thinking the 40 unfrozen seconds had caused the catastrophe. Diana, speaking to her local BBC radio station this week blamed the editing of the show.
At the end of Wednesday's show Iain was eliminated after presenting the judges with his baked Alaska in the bottom of a bin.
But it emerged that 69-year-old Diana had also appeared in her last show due to health reasons, having had a fall before episode five was filmed that had left her with no sense of smell or taste.
Now Frances, of Market Harborough, hopes Iain could make a return.
She said: "The programme was filmed several months ago but I don't know how it ends, although everyone seems to think I must.
"When the programme started I thought Iain could be the dark horse who could win it.
"I think Iain could come back now Diana's gone because they're one person short."
She said she had been surprised by the level of controversy about the show.
"As the show gets bigger so does the reaction to it.
"Who would have thought cake and ice cream could cause so much drama?
"Everyone's reactions are just fanning the flames.
"When we go on the show we go there to bake. It's the downside to the popularity of the show if it affects people's lives in bad ways."
Frances, who said the only negative affect from taking part for her was on her blood sugar levels, said she did not blame Diana for Iain's exit.
"The real enemy in that situation was just time and lack of freezer space," she said.
"Baked Alaska isn't easy when it's 30C outside and people don't normally have to make their own ice cream when they do it.
"But the show keeps on raising the bar and I suppose next year they'll make the contestants bring their own chickens to lay their eggs!"
After the media storm erupted the BBC released a statement from Iain, saying: "I have seen all the controversy and I don't hold Diana responsible in any way."
Co-host Sue Perkins said the situation was "getting a little inflamed for my liking", adding: "This is a show about cakes. Let's save the ire for real stuff."
The next episode will be shown at 8pm on Wednesday on BBC One.
