Alyssa and I seem to have a trade-off system when it comes to television shows. I pestered her to watch Gilmore Girls, she convinced me to give The Bachelorette a try, and we both have a strong love/hate relationship with Pretty Little Liars (seven years people!!). Her next endeavor is trying to get me to watch Downton Abbey, while I try to expand her knowledge of the AHS universe. However, there is one show that without question we both can agree is a “jolly good” series which is The Great British Bake Off.
One lazy Saturday afternoon after countless hours of the “Idk what do you wanna watch” game, I stumbled upon The Great British Bake Off (known to America as The Great British Baking Show because we are less classy with our alliteration). This show rang a bell because my wonderful roommate, Alyssa had mentioned had much she loved the show previously. We both agreed on it, and so my life was changed forever. We binge watched eight or ten episodes in the first day. As the season drew to an end, I started to go into a depression. How was I going to live without Martha, the young cooking protégé or without Mary Berry, Britain’s grandmother who just loves a good sponge cake, how was I to go on?
I asked Alyssa, “Where are the other six seasons? Why does Netflix only have one season!?” She had no answer, so I did some digging and found the other seasons on YouTube! My life now had meaning again. Our lives could be filled with cake, biscuits, and bread all the time! This obsession with GBBO quickly began to run mine and Alyssa’s lives, we would text each other during the day asking when we could watch the next episode, we debated endlessly over Kate from season six and we even started talking in a British accent while eating cupcakes from Sprinkles. Needless to say we were obsessed. Why, you might ask?
The thing about The Great British Bake Off that we love so much is that while it is a cooking competition show, the contestants are never mean! There is no plot to sabotage or mean words said amongst the bakers. They are genuinely just there to bake. Even the music is calm and serene while the baking occurs. The format is also very easy to follow and has been the same since the start of it’s run. Each week is a different theme, it could be cake, biscuits, or our favorite bread! Bread week is the best! During the themed week the contestants compete in three different rounds: home recipe, technical, and superstar. At the end of the three rounds baking judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry eliminate one person, while making one the “Star Baker” the show continues like this until there are three left at which time they compete for the winning spot. So simple and easy, no twist, just baking!
Now is the time. Open Netflix, make some tea, and go dive into the sweet and scrumptious world of The Great British Baking Show! You can thank us later.