How The Great British Bake Off is Maintaining Tranquility in a Chaotic World

When I was a kid, I loved Cutthroat Kitchen. The show is exactly what it sounds like. Experienced chefs from across the United States are thrown into competition for a cash prize and can purchase “sabotages” to give their competitors with their respective prize money in order to eliminate the competition. For $5,000, another chef is not allowed to use cheese in the grilled cheese sandwich challenge. $10,000 can force a contestant to cook in a child-size kitchen. The show was fun, but it only ran for four years.  

In contrast to Cutthroat Kitchen, The Great British Bake Off is currently airing its 14th season. It seems that every other film released in cinemas includes someone dying. It’s an accomplishment for a television show to run for more than one season, with cancellations of hits left and right. So, how has Bake Off been able to be so successful for so many years? The answers: escapism and community. 

Our lives are so chaotic. In the age of information, everywhere you turn there is a reminder of the great evils that plague our world. These do not exist on Bake Off. The biggest problem is getting the raspberry bavarois set by the end of the challenge. The show takes place exclusively on the lush grounds of the Welford Park estate, aside from the minimal shots of contestants happily baking at their homes across the United Kingdom. 

The tent seems like another world. Even during the 2020 season, as COVID-19 forced everyone involved with the show to be sequestered to Welford for the duration of filming, but this was hardly mentioned, and nothing was different than the season before. When you turn on Bake Off, you are transported to a place removed from the real world, where everyone is happy, and everyone lives with baby ducks in rolling green pastures. It sounds silly, but somehow, it feels true. 

But, the physical environment of the show would be nothing without the emotional environment. I don’t know what it is, but every person on this show becomes each other’s lifelong friend within the first episode. If someone fears they won’t finish frosting their cake in time, other contestants immediately come to their aid. Each time a baker is sent home, there are tears, but not just from the person eliminated. At the finale of each season, the eliminated contestants return to congratulate the winner. Even after the show, they all continue to get together to enjoy each other’s company. 

The show isn’t just a place for competition but for community. Season nine contestant Terry had just lost his wife to cancer before making it onto the show. Although he was eliminated in the fifth episode, he explained how the friendships he had formed were instrumental in helping him through his grief. 

“My wife and I were very happy, and that was a massive loss, and there wasn’t anything that filled that void for a long time,” he said. “So, it did give me a focus. I’ve met some lovely people and I’m sure we’ll keep in touch for a long time. It’s been a big help and one I’ll remember for a long time.”