As an American, there's a lot to be proud of when it comes to cultural things. For example, we make a mean burger and fries. We come up with endless flavors of ice cream, some classics and others that really shouldn't have hit the shelves in the first place. We pop out cultural icons like popcorn kernels, and they're names that change the world over in areas like fashion and media. It's safe to say that in a lot of areas, we're good at inventing and globalizing things.
But when it comes to competitive cooking shows, we seem to miss out. American competitive cooking shows may be different in name and contestants, but all have the same basic elements to it - there's competition, there's fire, there's usually someone yelling at someone else (and let's face it, a lot of the times it's Gordon Ramsey). There's even a cash prize that is covetable, but when looked at closely enough, sometimes isn't enough to fund a college education. But the point is, American competitive cooking shows are shrouded in chaos and destruction. They can sometimes get so stressful to watch that they're not really worth watching at all; and some of the personalities are downright unsavory.
Enter the Great British Bake Off. For the Americans, that's The Great British Baking Show, whose first three seasons can currently be found on Netflix. The premise of The Great British Baking Show is simple: bring in twelve or thirteen home bakers into a big white tent, give them their own bench, and, each week, put them through three tasks that end in anointing a "Star Baker" and eliminating the weakest link. The first task is known as the signature bake, where each of the contestants put their own spins on general recipes, the technical bake, which tests each of them on their technical skills, and the Showstopper, where each contestant is given a baked good and is told to bring it above and beyond for hopes of winning "Star Baker".
There are judges: Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry go around critiquing each dish after each round. There are even proctors and announcers: Mel and Sue are two lively personalities who constantly crack jokes, announce recipes, and try to discreetly snack on the contestant's dishes.
Doesn't it sound exactly like an American cooking show?
But the thing is, everyone's so nice. Everything is nice.
There are no harsh, discordant colors on the show's set, merely pastels and homely kitchen settings that almost make the large baking tent feel like home. The tent itself is even set in the countryside, allowing for transitions to be in the forms of shots of bleating sheep and birds flying.
In the tent, the contestants aren't there to rip each others' throats out; instead, they do the best they can with their baking, wish others the best, and even help them out with tasks like turning out a tin and moving a cake from a rack to the table. When one of them is announced to be "Star Baker" or wins first in the technical competition, the rest clap appreciatively. When one of them is unfortunately sent home, everyone piles in for a hug for the lost contestant - especially Mel and Sue.
Even the show's soundtrack is distinctly soothing - absent are roaring drums and suspenseful music blasting in your ears. Instead, there's gentle orchestral music that only gives an edge of competition to the show while at the same time keeping it calm enough that it's soothing rather than stressful. It takes you through the montages where everyone sits and watches their ovens, it sails you through the explanation of each baked good, and best of all, it doesn't intrude onto any significant events like eliminations or first places.
Simply put, if you're looking to watch montages of amazing food being put together with amazing personalities behind them, but not looking to get stressed out? The Great British Bake Off is for you.
