If You Like GBBO: Other Bake Off Series And Show Recommendations

[ombre]

1 hour ago, WildPlum said:

Have really enjoyed the Great British Pottery Throwdown (on HBO? Netflix? I forget). Back when it was available on the internet, I watched several seasons of the Great British Sewing Bee - I think the last season I saw was pre-covid and then the internet links got pulled.

Blown Away has been fairly good, but uneven. Some very good glass blowers on, but they don't quite grasp the "is it ART?" mandate. It's not enough to be a good glassblower.

Haven't been able to watch the Canadian or Kiwi baking shows because of broadcast rights issues. I'd heard there was also a jewelry maker show along the GBBO line, but I haven't been able to find much on that.

I've watched a few American cooking/baking/dessert shows but have been pretty awful and very gimmicky, which I hate. I did watch a few seasons of Forged In Fire, which was somewhat amusing, but became very repetitive.

There was a furniture show on US TV, ostensibly hosted by Ellen DeGeneris (except she only appeared in finale episodes) that was probably one of the better American things, except it had to have some of the gimmicks ("You won last week's challenge and now you get to pick a bonus!")

I like to watch people make things, preferably in a calm environment without shouting and being stressed by hosts. A few years back, PBS had a "craft" series where they went around the country, showing people who made various craft things (furniture, pottery, jewelry, fabric arts, beading, weaving). Started off well and then they decided to "spice it up" (or they ran out of ideas on what crafts to cover).

Was this the PBS thing? https://www.pbs.org/show/craft-in-america/

[WildPlum]

23 hours ago, ombre said:

Was this the PBS thing? https://www.pbs.org/show/craft-in-america/

Yes - had no idea it was still in production! Will have to see how the recent episodes are.

[ombre]

2 hours ago, WildPlum said:

Yes - had no idea it was still in production! Will have to see how the recent episodes are.

Thank you! It sounds cool! I'm stoked to check it out! 

[chaifan]

On 10/24/2022 at 4:14 PM, WildPlum said:

I like to watch people make things, preferably in a calm environment without shouting and being stressed by hosts.

Have you watched The Repair Shop?  It was on Netflix, but I'm not finding it on there now.  A lovely show. 

[WildPlum]

23 minutes ago, chaifan said:

Have you watched The Repair Shop?  It was on Netflix, but I'm not finding it on there now.  A lovely show. 

Yes, watched several episodes - and Richard moved from Repair Shop to the Pottery Throw Down.

Supposedly the Discovery streaming service in the US will pick up Repair Shop.

Edited October 26, 2022 by WildPlum

[Cetacean]

The Great Canadian Baking Show is outstanding this season.  Such a huge contrast to GBBO in so many ways.  Last night the host flat out asked one of the contestants if she wanted him to go away and she said "a little bit".  With a smile, he said "I'll a little big go" and walked away. 

And when one of the contestants ased for help, one of the others dropped what she was doing and rushed over even though her showstopper wasn't finished yet.  Really supportive of each other.

The hosts always have something positive to say, not matter how bad something turned out, and offer criticism so gently.  Paul and Prue need to tune into an episode or two.

[WildPlum]

Watched a couple episode of Season 6 of the Canadian show and enjoyed it. I like all the contestants, I like the two judges and the hosts are ... okay. Not Sue and Mel level, but not hanging around baffling or annoying the bakers, which Noel and Matt do on a regular basis.

[Cetacean]

I do like the hosts because they are so low key.  With Noel and Matt it's all "look at me, look at me" while these two just sort of melt into the background.

Glad you enjoyed it!

[Cetacean]

The finale of the Canadian version was last night. The incredible talents of the bakers! The two that lost did so with miniscule errors. The show stoppers were beautiful, edible things, no architectural skills needed.  GBBO take notice!

[Spunkygal]

58 minutes ago, Cetacean said:

The finale of the Canadian version was last night. The incredible talents of the bakers! The two that lost did so with miniscule errors. The show stoppers were beautiful, edible things, no architectural skills needed.  GBBO take notice!

This was so much more enjoyable than GBBO this season. I loved all the challenges. The challenges made sense unlike the ridiculous Mexican themed and Roaring Twenties shows. The hosts didn’t drive me nuts and weren’t intrusive upon the bakers. I actually smiled at some of the hosts’ jokes/puns, something I rarely do with Matt and Noel these days. 

Edited November 22, 2022 by Spunkygal

[RoxiP]

Is there a link for the Great British Children's Bakeoff?

[LeDucDiableBleu]

I liked the show Drink Masters on Netflix. Even though I don't drink it was really cool to see what they made and I definitely wanted to try a few. But fair warning there's a lot of R-rated cussing.

[Irlandesa]

6 minutes ago, LeDucDiableBleu said:

I liked the show Drink Masters on Netflix. Even though I don't drink it was really cool to see what they made and I definitely wanted to try a few. But fair warning there's a lot of R-rated cussing.

As another non-drinker, I second this.

[Rickster]

I just ran across a American Baking Show Celebrity Holiday Edition on the Roku channel. Paul and Prue are the judges. Ellie Kemper and some guy are the hosts. Of the celebrities, I had heard of only one, a football player. Did not watch, at least not yet.

[TimothyQ]

I usually find celebrity-themed competition shows hard to get through, but I thought the celebrity Great American Baking Show was pretty good. Ellie and Zach did ok as hosts and I didn’t know a couple of the celebrities but they all seemed like decent people who were having a lot of fun. 

[dleighg]

https://www.netflix.com/title/81624071

[xfuse]

32 minutes ago, dleighg said:

https://www.netflix.com/title/81624071

I can't see what this is. It tells me I lost my way.

 

[Cetacean]

Worked for me. It's about a new episode of GBBO with professionals starting on Netflix on Wednesday.

[DesiJF]

2 minutes ago, Cetacean said:

Worked for me. It's about a new episode of GBBO with professionals starting on Netflix on Wednesday.

I thought that looked pretty good until I saw that Liam was one of the presenters.  Couldn't stand that guy when he competing.  Maybe I'll give it a shot and just FF past all his stuff.  Works for Matt and Noel.  LOL

[xfuse]

I don't have Netflix so that might be why I can't see it.

[Cetacean]

Watched the first two episodes with the pros today.  Can they please get rid of the hosts.  They are both just useless.  These are all teams so it's not like they need to stop and comfort someone having a meltdown.  And they both act like idiots.

[ABay]

On 1/30/2023 at 6:38 PM, DesiJF said:

I thought that looked pretty good until I saw that Liam was one of the presenters.  Couldn't stand that guy when he competing.

Thank you for this. That whole series I felt so alone in not liking Liam .

[Athena]

There is actually a show thread for Bake Off the Professionals. However, the new US Netflix version is a few years behind so there are spoilers in the show thread.

If you truly wish to avoid spoilers, you may talk about the current US Netflix series on this thread for now.

 

[DesiJF]

I wondered when they said one of the bakers came back to try again what they were talking about.  Then I noticed on Netflix it says Season 6.

Other than the presenters (they are both horrible) I think I like this better than GBBO.  Most of them really seem to know their stuff, and the judges criticism, while sometimes harsh, seems constructive.  They are, after all, professionals.

[dleighg]

1 hour ago, Athena said:

There is actually a show thread for Bake Off the Professionals. However, the new Netflix version is a few years behind

I figured it must be since they seemed to imply it was *just* after the worst of the pandemic in the intro (that's as far as I've gotten)

[Rickster]

Saw the first episode. Not a fan of the female judge or Tom. However, I do like seeing a show centered on professionals, both for the quality of the work they put out, and the times they screw up (makes me feel better about my baking efforts).

[gaPeach]

16 hours ago, Rickster said:

Saw the first episode. Not a fan of the female judge or Tom. However, I do like seeing a show centered on professionals, both for the quality of the work they put out, and the times they screw up (makes me feel better about my baking efforts).

I am not a fan of either one of them too.  I don't get the females humor, at all.  I am their for the food porn.  Hosts are worthless.  This is nothing like our beloved GBBO.

[dleighg]

I couldn't help but wonder, is that spacious kitchen they are working actually the kitchen found in that stately old building (or "pile" as they say in Britain)? I find it somewhat difficult to believe. It doesn't exactly look like a set, but it also doesn't look like what you'd find in a building like that.

[AZChristian]

Watched the whole series.

Spoiler

Gobsmacked at the winning team.  I called them Pooh and Eeyore the whole time.

 

[buttersister]

I binged. I loved the Romanian couple, they were never going to win because their style of baking wasn't refined enough for the judges. But they were so loving and supportive and in spite of the judges disdain, it appears their stuff was delicious.

Meanwhile, the hosts make Noel and Matt look good (I didn't mind Liam, but that Tom guy was freaking obnoxious and clearly irritated the bakers more than once). Benoit was okay, I don't mind picky and he certainly is, but that BOOM thing is silly. Cherish? Between the snapping fingers and the faux threats, go away.

The thing I really didn't like is the same thing I've grown to loathe on the mothership--not enough time to do the required tasks. It's annoying--I want the best baked whatever they can do. And these are pros! I'm not saying to give them unlimited time, but it's so clearly rigged in favor of bad things happening that it's not as enjoyable as it could be. Not sure I'm up for another season.

 

[MsMalin]

I am really not enjoying this show. It doesn't have the same joy as GBBO. Also seems way too scripted.

[gaPeach]

2 hours ago, MsMalin said:

I am really not enjoying this show. It doesn't have the same joy as GBBO. Also seems way too scripted.

I agree this version does not have the same joy or fun even as the original.  The judges are ok.  I like him more than her, but she is growing on me....sort of. But they are hard to understand when judging the baker's creations.  

And I too wish they would give them more time to finish the showstoppers so we can see what they were really supposed to look like if given enough time to let dough rise or set, sugar or chocolate to stick and Custer or fillings completed correctly.  I have never seen so many fall apart or not finished.

[DesiJF]

If they got rid of the presenters I'd enjoy it a lot more.  I mean, A LOT more!

[RoxiP]

On 2/1/2023 at 4:30 PM, ABay said:

Thank you for this. That whole series I felt so alone in not liking Liam .

Not alone.  I don't think he's a bad guy but I just don't care to see him all the time - but then again I don't care for Tom Allen either.

[gaPeach]

Finally finished this series and am not surprised who won.  It was apparent almost from the beginning the judges seem to favor, at least to me, this team.  I really liked Julian and I can't remember her name, and thought they killed it at the beginning.  They had mess ups but so did all the other teams.  I figured it would end up being between the two teams with the ones that won winning.  But I think Julian came in 3rd?  I might have nodded off..........

[RoxiP]

I haven't watched any other seasons and it seems like maybe they felt the winning guy might have gotten a raw deal when he was eliminated the first time he completed - why else would they have him return?  I liked him - I pretty much liked all the finalists - so I'm not mad they won, but I thought Julien and Eliza were the frontrunners for most of the episodes.

[Aulty]

11 hours ago, RoxiP said:

I haven't watched any other seasons and it seems like maybe they felt the winning guy might have gotten a raw deal when he was eliminated the first time he completed - why else would they have him return?  I liked him - I pretty much liked all the finalists - so I'm not mad they won, but I thought Julien and Eliza were the frontrunners for most of the episodes.

I assume what you get on Netflix are the Channel 4 seasons. There were 2 seasons on the BBC before that and the guys who won series 2 were the fan favourites in the first season - a group of chefs from the armed forces. I liked them too, very nice lads, but thought their performance in series 2 was not as win-worthy and that it was obvious the producers wanted them to win.

[chaifan]

I thought I was going crazy and had somehow missed years of a "new" GBBO show.  Glad to know it is just newly available in the US. 

I watched the first episode and I didn't like it.  Bottom line - it's not GBBO.  The whole professional element is just a full 180 from what GBBO is supposed to be.  I think if it were marketed it differently, not having any connection to GBBO, I may have liked it more.  (Sort of how I feel about Star Trek Discovery - great sci fi, horrible Star Trek, they just should have made it a new sci fi series altogether.)

I liked Liam in his season, but mostly because of how he and Paul interacted.  It brought out a different side of Paul.  Here, he did nothing for me.  But I'm glad GBBO has continued to use him in other shows. 

[gaPeach]

On 2/20/2023 at 10:58 AM, chaifan said:

I liked Liam in his season, but mostly because of how he and Paul interacted.  It brought out a different side of Paul.  Here, he did nothing for me.  But I'm glad GBBO has continued to use him in other shows. 

I loved him on the Jr Bakers show.  I saw him on this before I saw him on the Jr Bakers show and almost forgot he was on this.  He did a lot of eye rolling at the other guy who just is not funny.  

[LeDucDiableBleu]

I was really impressed with what the professionals made. Especially the tiny things. They really made the petit fours and bon bons, etc, very tiny and intricate. However, I can't try any to make of that stuff at home and I probably couldn't afford to buy any of their confections where they sell them either. So just watching for simple entertainment. There are several things in the regular show I've been inspired by and made, and become regulars in my house.

[ombre]

Well, it's not a TV show (yet? I hear this will be going to Hulu?), but there's a cozy mystery book that just came out that's based on bake off - the golden spoon. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Golden-Spoon/Jessa-Maxwell/9781668008003  I'm listening to it as an audiobook while getting over covid and so far I'm liking it (which is to say, I'm enjoying it, but I did also recently try to put my cat's leash on my bowl of risotto and stood there in confusion not totally understanding why the cat was still yowling and why the risotto was so solidly indifferent so... Maybe take my opinion with a grain of salt!) 

 

Eta: well. That was silly and fun and a great way to surf along over the crazy temperature swings that have been messing with my sleep.  Great literature it is not, but a silly fun variation on bake off? Sure. Absolutely. 

Edited April 8, 2023 by ombre

[labresq]

Is there a new season starting this week, and if so, what version and where?  A friend said Paul and Pru were on Good Morning America but didn't quite find out the name of the show they were promoting nor what network.  Thanks in advance!

[jpgr]

47 minutes ago, labresq said:

Is there a new season starting this week, and if so, what version and where?  A friend said Paul and Pru were on Good Morning America but didn't quite find out the name of the show they were promoting nor what network.  Thanks in advance!

They are judging the Great American Baking Show, premiering on Roku Channel on Friday, May 5.

[blueray]

^ thank you. I had the same question as above. I was watching Jeopardy yesterday and they were advertising it. And to me anyway it was like "you can now watch this show on... awewwu" . Basically the channel name was intelligible and I was like Hulu?. I knew it wasn't netflix which where I watch the British version.

[Straycat80]

I don’t know if this belongs here but…I was in London last month and saw a stage play called The Great British Bake Off Musical. It was cute. They had look a like actors for Paul and Prue. Anyone heard of or seen this? 

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, Straycat80 said:

I don’t know if this belongs here but…I was in London last month and saw a stage play called The Great British Bake Off Musical. It was cute. They had look a like actors for Paul and Prue. Anyone heard of or seen this? 

I have heard of it, and I'm jealous that you got to see it live.

[AZChristian]

We've been watching the Junior Bake-Off this weekend.  These kids are not displaying skills that are as good as most of our Kids Baking Championship contestants.  But I'm still in awe of what they CAN do at fairly young ages.

[paramitch]

On 5/15/2023 at 10:00 AM, AZChristian said:

We've been watching the Junior Bake-Off this weekend.  These kids are not displaying skills that are as good as most of our Kids Baking Championship contestants.  But I'm still in awe of what they CAN do at fairly young ages.

Ditto. I'm watching the latest season now, and in the B group, there is one child that honestly has no business being on the show (and all he talks about is his "acting" and "singing"). I mean, like, every single challenge, this kid is like, "Oh, I forgot to include the eggs, the butter, the flour, the baking powder," etc. EVERY TIME. And his resulting creations have all looked absolutely terrible.

I normally love the Junior shows (and I still love this season), but it's been distracting to watch this absolutely unqualified kid flounder around while talking about what a good actor he is.

Edited May 20, 2023 by paramitch

[Irlandesa]

On 5/3/2023 at 11:39 PM, jpgr said:

They are judging the Great American Baking Show, premiering on Roku Channel on Friday, May 5.

So far, I think the Roku season is the best version of the Great American Baking Show and I think it's worth checking out.  Ellie Kemper and Zach Cherry are good hosts.  I especially liked Ellie.  They make jokes but not too many that it feels like they're in a constant state of performance and she really brings the positivity.

There are also some pretty good showstoppers. 

[lambertman]

On 5/11/2023 at 8:39 PM, Straycat80 said:

I don’t know if this belongs here but…I was in London last month and saw a stage play called The Great British Bake Off Musical. It was cute. They had look a like actors for Paul and Prue. Anyone heard of or seen this? 

Same here! Saw it April 20th. Silly in parts, twee in others and extremely British in the little asides they threw into the dialogue. It was great fun. 

I had also seen The Mousetrap earlier in the day, so it was the most British day ever haha.