Sex jokes and graphic stabbing—who knew The Great British Baking Show would come to this?
The beloved baking competition is back for Season 11 on Netflix, featuring new host Alison Hammond, who joins Noel Fielding in the cozy baking tent. Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood return to judge, offer handshakes, and hug. Yes—the stony Hollywood gives a contestant a hug in the first episode of the season. Things have changed over in the GBBS world.
First on the docket for this installment of Baking Show is Cake Week, which asked the bakers to create vertical cakes in the signature round and a familiar chocolate raspberry loaf for the technical. Where have we seen those raspberry swirls before? Oh, it’s the same dish from the GBBS opening credits!
But when it came time for the showstopper challenge, all hell broke loose in the tent. The new contestants were asked to create a cake in the shape of an animal. For example: One baker sculpted an elegant robin. Another splashed frosting on his set-up to look like bright blue waves, chiseling an orca coming out of the ocean. Cows, lobsters, and turtles were also involved.
One of the bakers had a unique take on the challenge: Why not make a beaver? Nicky, a Scottish baker, surprised the judges with her “Always Beavering Around” cake. This was not because of its flavors, though, but rather because the word “beaver” is slang for… well, we’ll let you do the search on Urban Dictionary. It’s definitely dirty.
As the baker approached the judges with her cake, Prue gave us this golden one-liner: “So Nicky, tell us about your beaver.”
Cue an entire tent full of bakers erupting in laughter.
Who would’ve thought GBBS would’ve had such a scandalous start to a new season? But the episode went even more R-rated from there, as it took a turn into violence. Audiences were stunned to see Hollywood stabbing poor animals on such a family friendly show!
Jokes aside, The Great British Baking Show has seemed to eliminate some of its biggest flaws for a fun, non-problematic new season thus far. The controversial Country Weeks have been axed. Hammond replaces Matt Lucas, one of GBBS fans’ least-favorite hosts. And the series has included a deaf contestant with an interpreter, a great step towards more inclusion on the series.
That doesn’t mean The Great British Baking Show won’t make us giggle with Freudian slips from time to time. Nor does it mean the bakers aren’t as cutthroat: In a teaser for the next episode, it appears that people are stealing each other’s dough. Uh-oh. We’re in for a wild (and, hopefully, delectable) ride.
