Here's Why Reddit Thinks GBBO Has 'Jumped The Shark'
Many people have opinions on the evolution of "The Great British Baking Show," and there are proponents of one version over another, with an endless debate about who the better hosts were and do tortillas count as baking? The show has seen an evolution in tone, hosts, judges, and types of challenges since its inception in 2010. Viewers know there is a problem, and everyone has an opinion, but no one can quite figure out how to fix it.
Fans of the show insist that the competitors are not the problem. In fact, the show is lauded for being a vivid, accurate cross-section of modern British society (via Metro) and playing host to an interesting and genuinely compassionate group of bakers year after year. This season's Sandro defies gender stereotypes by working as a nanny, and Janusz baked in high heels. During the quarterfinals, Syabira was so overcome with emotion at Maxy being eliminated that she couldn't enjoy her own Star Baker win – her third of the season (via Time).
Instead, blame is placed on the sometimes overly harsh critiques from judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith and the challenges that seem to take the show further from its premise of a village fete with charming bakes. Leith has cited the bakers' high skill level year after year for the new complexity of the challenges (via The Atlantic), but it seems that's not enough of a reason for some fans.
GBBO may be at the beginning of the end
One Redditor wondered out loud if, indeed, GBBO has "jumped the shark" — a term used to describe something, usually a television show, that was once relevant and popular but is now on the downhill slide (via Grammarist). The Redditor cited two main problems. First, the show's challenges are moving away from simple bakes and instead focusing on the wow factor, writing, "This is evident in the wild and set-up-to-fail showstoppers. There's also too much cooking as opposed to baking." They also feel that the show is focused Paul Hollywood's putting too much stock on earning the Hollywood handshake -– no one seems to be aiming to please Prue.
Others chimed in, saying that it feels like a production problem: "Whoever is behind the editing and writing is trying to make this like a Food Network show and it is NOT working." Another Redditor defended the messy season by writing, "I think that part of what we're seeing is them regaining their balance after doing the show differently for a few seasons during the pandemic."
They also admitted that some lackluster producing choices were made as well as the kinds of challenges that the judges set. Fans of the show can only hope that their grievances are addressed because, as television critic Scott Bryan wrote for The Guardian, "When Bake Off is at its best it is like nothing else on British television."