The Great British Bake Off: A culinary competition masterpiece
Everyone has that one person in their life: the friend, family member, or mild acquaintance that is foaming at the mouth for the upcoming season of The Great British Bake Off (GBBO). As episodes roll out each Friday, we are graced with familiar, comforting episodes as contestants participate in weekly challenges for the title of Britain's Best Amateur Baker.
GBBO, on the surface, is a cooking competition like any other. Contestants are expected to bake each week to the best of their ability. Every episode a “Star Baker” is picked from the participants as the person who was most skilled that week, and someone is sent home. This system is often used in culinary shows like Top Chef or Masterchef, two other examples of widespread culinary competition shows.
Like most cooking television shows, GBBO is hosted by known tv personalities and judged by masters of their given culinary field. The show is co-hosted by famous British personalities Noel Fielding, who has been a host on GBBO since 2017, and Alison Hammond, who just joined the show this most recent season. The “bakes” are judged by Prue Leith, a well-known restaurateur and cookery writer/novelist, and Paul Hollywood, a renowned baker known as “the king of bread.”
Each episode is separated by a weekly categorical theme. The first three episodes are often the same from season to season: Week 1 being “Cake Week,” followed by “Biscuit Week,” and “Bread Week.” The weekly theme dictates the three challenges. The first is always a signature challenge, where according to the Great British Bake Off website, “[tests] the bakers' personality, creative flair and baking ability, the main challenge here is to produce something cute, rustic and altogether home-made-looking.” Next is the technical challenge. Judged blind, bakers must all complete the same bake with the exact same ingredients and sparse recipe. Finally, the bakers must complete the showstopper where “The oven gloves are off in this final challenge where the bakers are able to showcase their depth of skill and talent. The complexities of this task call for a professional standard in taste and appearance.”
At its roots it is like any other cooking show, based in competition, judging, and having a singular winner, but what makes The Great British Bake Off so special to so many people? For me, I find my answer in the award given to the winner: After completing 12 weeks of mixing, cooking, proofing, frosting, decorating, and much more, the winner of The Great British Bake Off is awarded a bouquet of flowers and an engraved glass cake stand. There is no cash prize, no promise of world renowned success; besides the bragging rights that come with a pretty killer cake dish, there is no guaranteed fame or financial compensation for these contestants.
When applying to be on the show, bakers know that they are competing for a title that does not come with the same weight as other cooking shows, yet I believe it makes them even more invested in the competition. With no cash prize waiting for them, the participants are able to lift each other up, form friendships, and become each other's support system throughout the highs-and-lows of filmed competition. They help each other complete bakes when time runs out, they bounce ideas off each other, and when a technical challenge is particularly confusing, they help each other figure it out; they celebrate together when a star baker is announced, and cry together when a baker is sent home each week. They laugh and joke and tease each other as they all make mistakes and grow as bakers; there are no rivalries or screaming matches between contestants like in many American cooking shows. It is a breath of fresh air to watch a group of people engage in healthy competition that encourages all contestants towards the goal of learning.
As previously stated, new episodes of The Great British Bake Off come out every Friday on Netflix. If you’re looking for a relaxing, aesthetically pleasing, and often hilarious show, then make sure to check it out as a way to wind down as the semester amps up.