Community as the Great British Baking Show

The most wholesome, feel-good show I have ever watched is The Great British Baking Show. Season 11 aired in September of 2020, during peak Covid chaos and it saved my life. It was a religious experience. I cried at the end of every episode.

The current season, 14, just ended and once again, I was moved by the overall goodness and purity of the show. It’s a competition, contestants are eliminated week after week and one person is given the title of “Star Baker” at the end of each episode. Ultimately, someone goes home with the prize (which is a cake plate. That’s it.)

At the end of every season, after the winner is announced at an idyllic, family-style picnic on the lawn, there is a follow-up segment where we get a snapshot of life after the show. We see that the bakers—people who started off as strangers and became competitors on a reality TV gameshow—are now friends. They visit one another. They celebrate each other’s milestones and successes. They stay in touch. I bawl like a baby every fucking season! It’s just so goddamn adorable. This is what I want for us all.

Community as the Great British Baking Show

1. The judges are passionate, wise, and experienced. They don’t show favoritism. They are of the community but not in the community. They are warm and personable but not overly friendly. Among the bakers but also removed. They are gracious but critical. They don’t hold back on their notes for the bakers. Impartial. Unbiased. The bakers respect them—have a special reverence for their presence. A simple handshake or glowing praise is treasured, honored. The praise is never effusive or showy.

2. There is rarely any drama among the contestants. No gossip. No sabotage. No insults. No pride. No jealousy. No temper tantrums. There is only one time I remember any hard feelings and that was when a woman took someone’s cake out of the freezer to make room for their own and then forgot to put the other person’s cake back in. There was a bit of an issue over this situation, some cause for concern but this is the only thing I can think of in 14 seasons. The lack of drama is absolutely unheard of in reality television. It’s refreshing and unique.

3. The bakers genuinely begin to care for one another. They help each other out, they celebrate each other’s wins and empathize when someone is upset about a failed challenge. There is a lot of hugging, touching, pats on the back, hand squeezing, smiling faces, happy tears and sad tears. They truly love baking together in that magical tent and just watching all those wholesome feelings and love is infectious.

4. The tent is the happiest place on earth. If I had a choice between Disneyland at Christmas or a chance to eat cookies in the The Great British Baking Show Tent, the choice would be easy for me. I want to live in that pastel wonderland. Environment is everything and I think for community to thrive, a backdrop like this sparks happiness and good cheer. Who could be grumpy or hateful in a setting like this:

   

5. Lastly, there are no gimmicks here. It’s not “Cutthroat Kitchen” where guests are encouraged to sabotage their opponents. There isn’t an “every man for themselves” vibe. It’s a level playing field. There are bakers from all walks of life. The bakers are us. They are not celebrities, they are not chosen because they’re beautiful or charismatic, or interesting. They just love to bake. The challenges are not weird or wild. They don’t have to bake cookies using only two ingredients from a dumpster. The formula for the show is consistent. The only thing that ever changes, really, are the hosts. It’s straightforward. Reliable. Faithful.

In light of recent events in the book industry, the tale of a debut author diabolically working to sabotage the careers of her competitors by creating fake accounts on Goodreads and review bombing books written by people of color, the community on The Great British Baking Show shines like a beacon of hope—the hope of what competition can look like. Can it really just be this simple? Authors can trust each other and even love and care for one another? Readers can give honest appraisals of books? Critics can be impartial, fair, and unbiased? Publishers can mutually support each other instead of cutting each other down? Could they treat their authors with respect and dignity? Can they be competent and reliable? Can success be rewarded in such a way that failure isn’t a crisis? Can the environment of the community feel special and magical because everyone does their part to make it feel that way?

There is a new “Star Baker” every week and they give them a pat on the back and then get back to baking. The baking is the joy. Baking together. Eating cookies. At the end of it, the winner gets a cake plate but everyone goes home with new friends and joy in their hearts. Memories.

There are new books every week. Let’s give the authors a pat on the back and then get back to reading/writing. The reading & the writing is the joy. Reading together. Writing together. MAKING BOOKS. At the end of it, there are winners who go home with awards or more money or success but everyone goes home with new friends and joy in their hearts. Memories. Creating art and whole worlds out of nothing. Reading books is one of the most wholesome activities I can think of besides baking. The industry should reflect that.