The Ultimate Bake-Off: GBBO Vs Netflix

Baking has taken over Netflix. Following the addition of all of the BBC series (plus Christmas masterclasses) of the Mary and Paul era of The Great British Bake Off, it seems as though a new show loosely styled on the format is cropping up pretty much every week. But can any ever be as good as good ol’ GBBO? We’ve taken on the difficult task of watching hour after hour of people making cakes to find out. You’re welcome.

First up: Nailed It, which we’re not sure has actually nailed it. The premise of this show is that bakers who often suffer kitchen mishaps compete to recreate extravagant bakes. You know when people send those disastrous cake images into The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice that are meant to look like a hedgehog but actually look more like a cowpat? Well, it’s a whole show of that, basically.

It’s got a very The Generation Game-esque vibe (the old-school era, not the Mel and Sue version – sorry ladies), with contestants given a panic button to press to receive three minutes of help from the judges if they need it. Like, actual help, not just a mean Paul Hollywood stare. The contestants who do worst in the first rounds are given a forfeit button too, designed to hinder them. In one episode, the forfeit is to have a judge come and distract them for three minutes. Can you imagine Mary Berry doing that?!

via GIPHY

Sugar Rush (not the noughties teen drama) is also making its mark on Netflix, offering baking duos the chance to win a $10,000 cash prize for making cupcakes, confectionery and then a big cake (basically a showstopper round) to a set theme. So, if you like the variety of Bread Week, Victorian Week etc., this show probably isn’t for you.

The teams try to be as creative as possible as they race against the clock to avoid elimination, with just two teams battling it out in the final round. They experiment with some pretty wacky flavours along the way, like maple syrup and bacon bon-bons (no thanks) and honey and rosemary cupcakes (do cupcakes really need to taste like turkey?). Remember when Norman from GBBO Series 5 experimented with lavender? That was bad enough…

via GIPHY

There’s also a bit in episode 3 where they explain what trifle is, so we can safely rule that this series was definitely created with an American audience in mind.

Adriano Zumbo, one of the Sugar Rush judges, also crops up on Zumbo’s Just Desserts, an Australian baking show that’s much more like the GBBO we know and love. There are themed episodes, with one baker eliminated each week, but only after an actual bake-off, in the style of the Strictly dance-off – just without any dancing, but you get our drift. Could GBBO be improved with this addition? It’s a rollercoaster of emotions as it is, so we’re not sure we could cope with having to see a baker bake again.

Of course, we could just stick with the classic, and rewatch the happy days of Mary, Paul, Mel and Sue again and again and again. Isn’t Netflix wonderful?