The Great British Baking Show, or The Greatest.......

I am not a fan of reality TV. In fact, I think it is probably the worst TV one can imagine; wannabe actors faking it through completely manufactured situations. The great irony of reality TV is that it is the farthest thing from reality.

But I have found one of these type of shows that works; The Great(est) British Baking Show.

OK, before you poo-poo this, hear me out.

First off, it really isn’t a reality show. It is a game show. I am not sure at what point game shows got lumped into the reality show genre (think it maybe started with Survivor), but this is where they put 20-25 year old people (who happen to be beautiful) together in some weird situation and see what happens. This is a classic game show that is spread out over 10 weeks. It is more in the style of America’s Top Model or Project Runway.

Secondly, what this show has (or doesn’t have) is the key for this show to be considered Top Baker:

  • There is no manufactured drama between participants. There is no ‘bad guy’ or any hyper-competitive person out to sabotage others. There is a real nice and respectful nature to the show.

  • They limit bad stories. This is the opposite of what NBC does with the Olympics; they let the action speak for itself for the most part. There is no ‘I am baking for a son who has cancer’ or ‘I just got out of rehab and trying to get back on my feet again’ nonsense. They say the bare minimum about who is who and never dwell on those facts.

  • The show is fair. The judges are critical without being mean or overbearing. They rate the bakers properly and consider all facets. Also they are experts; something that cannot be said for most judged shows.

  • It is clean and organized. There is no clutter. It is very regimented in their format, and are consistent from week to week and year to year. You know what to expect and they deliver. There is no need for window dressing, just the show straight up. Comfort TV at its best.

  • British accents. Enough said.

I was like you at one time; very skeptical about the popularity of this show. I mean why are the so many people talking about a dumb baking show? Don’t we have this type of thing everywhere? Well, yes, this is not that original. In fact most of things they make I don’t care for at all. But the difference is the execution. See above for details.

Now I am skeptical….about people who do NOT like this show! I love TGBBS and if you don’t, you may have no soul.