Generally agree with all of this, but I must say that the one thing that can still push through all this and bring back glimpses of the show's past glories is a great cast. I think the S12 final four might have been one of the best in the show's history — just incredibly watchable, likeable contestants, and in the process the season felt elevated above the general okay-ness of the show's modern incarnation.
I do think it's become more a decorating show than a baking show, with an added dash of bake whatever Paul tried on vacation thrown in.
For the first time, the Great Canadian Baking show ran almost simultaneously to GBBO. GBBO finished a week earlier, but due to missing one week and my sister not wanting to watch two to make up, I saw the Canadian finale first. It was quite instructive to watch them so close together. Can't deny, the Canadian came out better by the comparison.
Despite some of the same engineering challenges, the Canadian show is much closer to what the British show used to be. They've gone through a few sets of hosts, and the current ones are a good team. The judges are equal and both have warmth. They don't seem to go for the good cop/bad cop dynamic. I cared about all the finalists this year and would have been happy and satisfied if any of them one. (That said, #TeamChi for life!) If only it didn't have such annoying, stilted commercials with former winners, it would be perfect.
Isn't this the way it’s going to go until we have Taste-o-Vision? All we have to go on is what their creations look like and how the judges react to them. Maybe this is why they kept the Hollywood Handshake. How else would we know when things are extra tasty?
I agree about guest judges, but the thing that was most frustrating to me about “Mexican Week” was that they were tasked with making things they may very well have never tried (are they given examples to try before they go home for the week?). Then you have Paul, who recently returned from Mexico IIRC, telling them it doesn't taste right.
The Great Pottery Throwdown — same production company, same format — does have guest judges, though maybe just for the technicals. It also suffers from asking the contestants to do ridiculous things, though. Sometimes, it’s fun. Other times, it’s just annoying.
I agree with a lot of this, it seems like the show has sort of strayed into allowing itself to be too influenced by "Nailed It!" type fiascoes - in the early going the truly botched bakes were pretty much only in the technical challenges, but it seems like as the show goes on, more and more of the challenges are essentially designed to set the contestants up to fail.
Which is dramatic, I suppose, but it also doesn't tell you a lot about their individual abilities when you're just watching everyone in the tent not be able to get chocolate to set because they made them do it on a day when it's too hot in the tent for chocolate to set.
It feels like they keep reaching for the big dramatic "watching the bakers struggle to get done in time" and "watching the signature bake tragically fall apart" moments over "watching the bakers actually get judged on the flavor profile of the thing they baked."
I agree that the challenges have gotten way too over the top. And my mother has been complaining about this aspect for years. Simple is better! It allows for more expression and also gives the bakers more of a chance to fail and not because the challenge is ridiculously stupid and failure means "the mask fell off the face mold" and more "the bake isn't good"
Also was discussing with my cousins at Thanksgiving this weekend and it does feel like since moving to Channel 4 there is more of a mandate to have Paul (and to a lesser extent Matt & Noel) be "Personalities" rather than actual judge (or hosts). They have built up the handshake yes, but also built up the idea of him as this ruthless steely eyed guy to more than it actually was. I think part of this is him being arrogant and liking the attention, but it also feels like it is producer influenced to make more "viral" moments. But it's backfiring cause now they're going viral for all the wrong reasons (Mexican week & s'mores this season).
Lastly and I have thought this ever since Matt got on board, Noel & Matt are not a good pairing. Noel was better when Sandi could be the straight man to his goofy self. But now he has to be the straight man to Matt and that just doesn't work cause Noel isn't a straight man style comic. They need to get rid of one of them (preferably Matt whose comedy is eay to broad and boorish for me) and bring in another straight man the bring that part of the show back into balance.
This is wild. I just tweeted this complaint four days ago. https://twitter.com/lindsaykatai/status/1594113782397095937?s=46&t=REQopVoYEFZdSOnsHzdXXw. And I came to almost the same conclusion, that this can be traced back to series 6 (which is also weirdly my favorite season!). Only difference is I think it was a combination of Paul’s lion bread, Ian’s well, and Nadiya’s pop cake.
I find I'm most frustrated by how by-the-book every episode is. There's an "edgic" to it at this point. I hate that I can tell who is going home by the camera cuts. I feel that there is ONE formula for an episode, absolutely no room for change.
Also my big complaint about this show is that they rarely ever show off the bake itself. There's only ever one wide shot of the finished product when its presented to Paul & Prue, and then it's never shown again. I would love to see intricate details of a completed product before they carve into it and destroy it!
Maybe part of the shift is the celebrity version, which has some pretty iconic disasters that have brought a ton of views to the show. And the classic throwing ice cream in the bin moment.
I think you hit the nail on the head. GBBO is far from the first entertainment to go astray while trying to duplicate a past high (look at every band that completely changed their sound following a surprise hit single) but unscripted shows seem particularly susceptible.
Generally agree with all of this, but I must say that the one thing that can still push through all this and bring back glimpses of the show's past glories is a great cast. I think the S12 final four might have been one of the best in the show's history — just incredibly watchable, likeable contestants, and in the process the season felt elevated above the general okay-ness of the show's modern incarnation.
I do think it's become more a decorating show than a baking show, with an added dash of bake whatever Paul tried on vacation thrown in.
For the first time, the Great Canadian Baking show ran almost simultaneously to GBBO. GBBO finished a week earlier, but due to missing one week and my sister not wanting to watch two to make up, I saw the Canadian finale first. It was quite instructive to watch them so close together. Can't deny, the Canadian came out better by the comparison.
Despite some of the same engineering challenges, the Canadian show is much closer to what the British show used to be. They've gone through a few sets of hosts, and the current ones are a good team. The judges are equal and both have warmth. They don't seem to go for the good cop/bad cop dynamic. I cared about all the finalists this year and would have been happy and satisfied if any of them one. (That said, #TeamChi for life!) If only it didn't have such annoying, stilted commercials with former winners, it would be perfect.
Isn't this the way it’s going to go until we have Taste-o-Vision? All we have to go on is what their creations look like and how the judges react to them. Maybe this is why they kept the Hollywood Handshake. How else would we know when things are extra tasty?
I agree about guest judges, but the thing that was most frustrating to me about “Mexican Week” was that they were tasked with making things they may very well have never tried (are they given examples to try before they go home for the week?). Then you have Paul, who recently returned from Mexico IIRC, telling them it doesn't taste right.
The Great Pottery Throwdown — same production company, same format — does have guest judges, though maybe just for the technicals. It also suffers from asking the contestants to do ridiculous things, though. Sometimes, it’s fun. Other times, it’s just annoying.
I agree with a lot of this, it seems like the show has sort of strayed into allowing itself to be too influenced by "Nailed It!" type fiascoes - in the early going the truly botched bakes were pretty much only in the technical challenges, but it seems like as the show goes on, more and more of the challenges are essentially designed to set the contestants up to fail.
Which is dramatic, I suppose, but it also doesn't tell you a lot about their individual abilities when you're just watching everyone in the tent not be able to get chocolate to set because they made them do it on a day when it's too hot in the tent for chocolate to set.
It feels like they keep reaching for the big dramatic "watching the bakers struggle to get done in time" and "watching the signature bake tragically fall apart" moments over "watching the bakers actually get judged on the flavor profile of the thing they baked."
I agree that the challenges have gotten way too over the top. And my mother has been complaining about this aspect for years. Simple is better! It allows for more expression and also gives the bakers more of a chance to fail and not because the challenge is ridiculously stupid and failure means "the mask fell off the face mold" and more "the bake isn't good"
Also was discussing with my cousins at Thanksgiving this weekend and it does feel like since moving to Channel 4 there is more of a mandate to have Paul (and to a lesser extent Matt & Noel) be "Personalities" rather than actual judge (or hosts). They have built up the handshake yes, but also built up the idea of him as this ruthless steely eyed guy to more than it actually was. I think part of this is him being arrogant and liking the attention, but it also feels like it is producer influenced to make more "viral" moments. But it's backfiring cause now they're going viral for all the wrong reasons (Mexican week & s'mores this season).
Lastly and I have thought this ever since Matt got on board, Noel & Matt are not a good pairing. Noel was better when Sandi could be the straight man to his goofy self. But now he has to be the straight man to Matt and that just doesn't work cause Noel isn't a straight man style comic. They need to get rid of one of them (preferably Matt whose comedy is eay to broad and boorish for me) and bring in another straight man the bring that part of the show back into balance.
This is wild. I just tweeted this complaint four days ago. https://twitter.com/lindsaykatai/status/1594113782397095937?s=46&t=REQopVoYEFZdSOnsHzdXXw. And I came to almost the same conclusion, that this can be traced back to series 6 (which is also weirdly my favorite season!). Only difference is I think it was a combination of Paul’s lion bread, Ian’s well, and Nadiya’s pop cake.
I find I'm most frustrated by how by-the-book every episode is. There's an "edgic" to it at this point. I hate that I can tell who is going home by the camera cuts. I feel that there is ONE formula for an episode, absolutely no room for change.
Also my big complaint about this show is that they rarely ever show off the bake itself. There's only ever one wide shot of the finished product when its presented to Paul & Prue, and then it's never shown again. I would love to see intricate details of a completed product before they carve into it and destroy it!
Maybe part of the shift is the celebrity version, which has some pretty iconic disasters that have brought a ton of views to the show. And the classic throwing ice cream in the bin moment.
I think you hit the nail on the head. GBBO is far from the first entertainment to go astray while trying to duplicate a past high (look at every band that completely changed their sound following a surprise hit single) but unscripted shows seem particularly susceptible.