Great British Baking Show Snubs Baker For Second Time During Their Holiday Special, Goddamn You Paul Hollywood

Photo: Netflix 

We’ve seen ‘The Great British Baking Show’ described online as the weighted blanket of television shows. We completely agree. Unlike the madcap mayhem and constant anxiety of American reality competitions, the English import is calming, relaxing, and gives us a warm feeling. It’s the kind of show we turn on after a tough day to make us feel better. The only problem is when Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith completely drop the ball and totally ruin our viewing experience.

This is exactly what happened during its recently dropped holiday episodes. The first of the two that dropped this holiday season saw the return of the always anxious Rahul, witchy Helena, tenacious Nancy, and fan-favorite Henry.

In this New Year’s Day-themed episode, the four bakers were tasked with making fruit crumbles (with ice cream), bao buns, and birthday cakes designed to encapsulate their lives on their 21st birthday.

Like in any all-star episode, things were tense immediately with Rahul once again showing up without any semblance of belief in himself. While the first round doesn’t officially get judged, everyone watching could see that it was a toss-up and Henry and Rahul did the best.

The technical challenge was difficult for everyone (some more than others). While Nancy’s bao buns were inedible, the others did alright. She came in last place, Henry in third, Helena in second, and Rahul in first. Obviously, at this point, Rahul had a clear lead heading into the showstopper. Here’s where things got dicey for us.

Helena’s cake had the usual goth aesthetic she’s known for. It had a candle cake and a crystal ball cake. The crystal ball was a bit lumpy, but Paul couldn’t taste any of the peanut butter that was supposed to be in it. Nancy’s cake was a bit cartoonish and had a wallop of coffee, but Paul wanted more walnuts. Henry’s cake was well-made, visually pleasing, and both Paul and Prue loved the flavor and texture of the cake. Rahul’s engineering cake was artistic, but the cake portion was dried out.

All in all, it seemed obvious that Henry was the winner. Somehow, against all odd, Rahul won again. We want a recount. In all honestly, Nancy would have deserved it more than Rahul.