Grace Vaccaro, Staff Writer
On September 22nd, The Great British Bake Off (GBBO) series 17 premiered. The GBBO is a British baking competition. It is adored for its relaxing, warm environment. Many cooking and baking competition shows are cutthroat due to the competition for the cash prize. The winner of each season is only rewarded with bragging rights.
There is an elimination each week until there is one amateur baker remaining. All the bakers balance their profession with their love for baking. In each episode, the bakers are given three challenges: a signature bake, a technical challenge, and a show-stopper. In the signature, bakers are given a specific bake that they have a week to practice at home. In the technical, bakers enter the challenge blind to what they will be baking. They are given the ingredients and limited instructions. In the showstopper, bakers are encouraged to go all out and create something that has delicious flavors and a professional appearance. Each week has a theme, such as biscuit, cake, and bread week.
Paul Hollywood has been a judge since the first season in 2010. Before the show, he established himself as an authority on bread-making and published his acclaimed book 100 Great Breads in 2005. Receiving a “Hollywood handshake” is one of the biggest honors on the show, displaying an extremely well-executed bake. “Bread Week,” which is always the third episode of the show, results in high stress and a desire to please Hollywood.
Prue Leith joined the show in 2017 for the eighth season. Before the show, she was a pioneering restaurateur and culinary instructor. Leith decided to leave the show as the new season began. She stated that it “now feels like the right time to step back” and that there is so much she’d “like to do.”
Nigella Lawson is her replacement. Nigella is known for her relaxed and indulgent approach to cooking and food writing. She hosted her show Simply Nigella from 2015 to 2025. She focused on comfort food and quick and easy meals. Fans already love her for her unapologetic love of food and her focus on enjoying the moment, rather than critiquing the bakers.
The hosts Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond bring humor and lightheartedness to every episode. Fielding has been a part of the show since season eight, while Hammond joined recently in 2023. The host position opened when the show was moved to Channel 4, allowing Fielding to audition and secure the role. He is known for his whimsical style of comedy. Hammond was known before the show as a main co-presenter of ITV. She was a contestant on the celebrity version of the show (The Great Stand Up To Cancer Bake Off) in 2020. Before being hired, she did a chemistry test with Fielding, and they “clicked immediately.”
Every Friday, another episode is dropped on Netflix. There will be ten episodes, meaning the GBBO finale will air on November 24th. There is still a long time to go to see these bakers triumph and grow in the tent.
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