The Great British Bake Off: 10 Unpopular Opinions About The Show, According To Reddit

Baking shows are nothing new to TV, but The Great British Bake Off stands head and shoulders above the rest. With its competitive yet cooperative format, GBBO presents a competition with an eye towards technique. Without the usual flashiness of most baking competition shows, GBBO is as wholesome as it is entertaining.

With fans around the globe, the universal appeal of the GBBO is undeniable. Yet despite the show’s popularity, fans are still inevitably divided about certain aspects of the program, and many have taken to Reddit to express some of their more unpopular opinions.

Bread Week Is Boring

Unlike many cooking shows which focus on drama and conflict, Great British Bake Off has an eye for technical skill. That technical angle is on full display in each season’s “Bread Week” episode which tasks bakers to make a certain type of bread in an allotted time. One Reddit user didn’t share the audience’s usual enthusiasm when writing “Bread week is boring”.

Though every fan has their favorite events, bread week is usually the bakers’ best opportunity to show off their fundamental skills. Though it is usually more cut-and-dry than other weeks, “Bread Week” is an exhibition of what makes GBBO unique, and it shows the soothing side of reality TV.

Showstoppers Must Be Stopped

Reality TV is packed full of baking competition shows that usually put an emphasis on wowing judges with over-the-top bakes. GBBO has its own showstopper element which allows the bakers to showcase their unique design talents each week. User Wam_2020 took umbrage with the showstopper when writing “The showstoppers are becoming a bit too much…I think they need to go back to basics a little”.

While it is true that many of the winners presented excellent showstoppers, the show has also become reliant on bigger and bigger gimmicks. Fans are split on the direction the show is going and many hope that it can return to its simpler days as opposed to constantly escalating towards bigger and bigger bakes.

The Episode Openings Are Cringe

Along with the competition aspects of GBBO, the show has also attempted to add moments of levity, especially with comedic hosts like Noel Fielding. Unfortunately, not every viewer is happy with the skits and user CoulsonsMay wrote “The openings announcing the theme each week make me cringe, especially if it involves costumes or props”.

The wittiness of GBBO is often that they are trying to be intentionally cringe worthy. By trying to conform their humor to a broad audience, they have fallen somewhere in the middle of actual humor and intentional self parody. Though the sketches were reserved for a few moments in earlier seasons, it seems as if they have become weekly occurrences in later years.

The Quirky Bakers Are Annoying

One of the appeals to GBBO is that the contestants come from all walks of life and are representative of the audience of regular folks. However, occasionally contestants come along who have dynamic personalities and they are usually some of the most popular bakers. User lulufitpics was unhappy with this and wrote “I find the ‘quirky’ bakers to be quite annoying…I just find it distracting, and it distracts from their talent”.

Like any competition, bombastic personalities draw the most attention and some viewers don’t like the distraction. Though many of GBBO‘s biggest personalities were also great bakers, some have simply rubbed the audience the wrong way with their antics.

Prue Is Better Than Mary

A long running TV show must find ways to subtly change over time, without sacrificing what made the show great to begin with. The Great British Bake Off has seen a revolving cast of hosts and judges, and many fans are split on who their favorites are. One Redditor made their position clear when they wrote “I like Prue better than Mary”.

While change is often difficult for fans to accept, the departure of Mary Berry was especially hard for viewers. Though Prue and Mary have somewhat different personalities, they both fulfill the same function on the show as a more level headed judge to Paul Hollywood’s harsher criticism.

Technical Challenge Is Pointless

The structure of GBBO is split into two parts, the first being the technical and the second is the showstopper round. The technical is a more fundamental part of the competition which allows bakers to showcase their basic skills. About the technical round, user IamtheWalrusYeah asserted that “The technical challenge is pointless, it never seems to matter much in the final decision”.

While the showstoppers are often the more dynamic parts of the show, the technical round also has subtle sway over the judging. Typically, with a few exceptions, the two rounds play out in a similar way and bakers with high technical proficiency usually also excel at the showstopper round.

The Judges Need Longer Memories

Obviously, fans will always have their favorite bakers and will inevitably be irked when their favorite doesn’t win the show. Despite this universal favoritism, some viewers have taken issue with the way the show is judged in general. User jetsetmolly made their point when writing “I wish the final were judged on the bakers’ 10-week performance. It would completely change the outcome for some of my favorite seasons”.

By giving the bakers a clean slate each week, it keeps the competition fresh. While some bakers have swept the board for most weeks anyways, by keeping a short memory, the judges ensure that they don’t play favorites. It also keeps the show more interesting because the winner isn’t a foregone conclusion weeks before the finale.

The Conditions Are Unfair

Even though GBBO is nothing like more fierce cooking shows like Top Chef, there are still stiff competitive elements. User Emwagon took umbrage with this when writing “I can’t stand watching the bakers struggle with chocolate or ice cream work on hot days. Give them the right equipment or schedule it during cooler weather”.

While the show is never promised to be easy, some see certain setbacks as unfair. Indeed, unfair conditions have produced some controversial eliminations in the past and those conditions are easily fixable.

The Judges Should Get Out Of The Comfort Zones

While food is entirely subjective, food judges are expected to be impartial when it comes to their dislikes. Though the judges on GBBO are experts in their field, they still have their own preferences. User woeful_bby29 pointed out a specific example when they wrote “I feel like if Paul doesn’t like gherkins he should still have to eat them”.

Accommodating a judge based on their taste does seem to go against the entire point of a baking competition. While other judges can see through their personal preferences, Paul Hollywood is notorious for avoiding his dislikes. The flip side to the argument however is that the baker may be unfairly judged if force Hollywood to judge something he doesn’t like.

Paul Hollywood Should Stop The Handshaking

Television personalities often rely on a familiar trademark, and for Paul Hollywood, his elusive handshake is treated as a badge of honor for the lucky baker that receives it. User dr_sassypants had a different idea when writing “I truly dislike the Hollywood Handshake. It seems arbitrary…it elevates Paul’s judgement over Prue’s”.

Though Prue hasn’t been on the show for as long as Paul, it is important that both of their judgments carry the same weight. Many see Hollywood’s handshake as arbitrary, but it is actually used as a blessing from a judge who is harder to please. The main reason that Paul’s judgment seems more important than Prue’s is because of their dynamic of nice judge versus mean judge.

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