One Of The Cruelest Paul Hollywood Moments On Celebrity GBBO
There are few sweeter moments for a baker on "The Great British Bake Off" than receiving one of Paul Hollywood's coveted handshakes. Some contestants might go all season without having one bestowed on them, while other exceptional star bakers could earn several throughout their time on the show. Whether you love blue-eyed Hollywood for his charisma and expertise or you believe his ego is inflated and his famous handshakes overused, you have to admit it always means a lot to the aspiring bakers that receive one. In such a fast-paced environment full of unknowns, those competing in the tent often feel heightened anxiety as they worry about the quality of their bakes and if they'll get to stick around until the next challenge. All that melts away when bakers get to bask in the highest compliment you can get on the show, and move forward with renewed confidence in their abilities and talents.
Besides having a well-trained palette to identify a perfectly genius bake, it's common knowledge that Hollywood is also a man of sass. He loves a good bout of witty banter and can dish it out whenever it's thrown his way. After all, one has to find ways to lighten the tense vibes in the tent whenever possible. But there's one moment from "The Great Celebrity Bake Off" where the accomplished judge's teasing caused quite the sting.
Tom Allen almost received a Hollywood handshake
In 2021, a special spin-off of "GBBO" aired that had celebrities facing off against one another for a good cause. Raising money for Stand Up for Cancer, stars from all corners of the celeb world came together to impress the judges with their creative confections. The former co-host of "The Great Christmas Bake Off," UK comedian Tom Allen, was a contestant on the show. During one week of the competition, Allen created a scrumptious assortment of shortbread for the judges to taste. In this clip of the encounter, Hollywood proceeds to dissect his bake by chopping a piece in half. "Nice crack!" he announced with a cheeky grin, purposefully prolonging the moment of truth for the baker. Allen paused, smiled, and replied with a ping of exasperation, "Thank you, but what do you think of the shortbread?" Taking the joke even further, Hollywood said, "I know it looks hideous, but..." before extending his hand in his usual dramatic fashion.
Though, the moment wasn't meant to be. As soon as Allen excitedly rushed to accept the famously sought-after seal of approval, Hollywood quickly retracted his hand from the comedian. Perhaps this is where the handshake lost its value. After falling for the judge's silly trick, Allen laughs it off and calls Hollywood "such a flirt" for faking him out. As funny, yet oof-worthy as it was to see it happen to a former co-star of his, we hope no future contestants have to feel that same burn!