Top 10 Unforgettable Great British Bake Off Moments

“Final”

If you somehow haven’t seen “Bake Off” before, let us paint a picture for you. Each episode takes place in a tent on the lawns of some beautiful manor house in the English countryside. Everything is very proper and civilized, not like American cooking competition shows, thank you very much. So when in the series two finale, a b-roll shot of an extremely well endowed squirrel appeared on the screen, viewers were understandably shocked and, depending on who you ask, either amused or appalled. The squirrel even went on to be featured in the show’s opening credits until he was replaced by a much more family-friendly pheasant.

“Puddings”

Brendan Lynch was one of series three’s most memorable contestants, and went on to compete in the show’s finale. Before this though, in his sixth week on the show, he displayed a unique style of pastry preparation. For the showstopper round of that week, the contestants were charged with making either a sweet or savory strudel. During the process of making his Spinach, Cheese and Walnut Strudel, Brendan greased up his arms in order to be able to get the highest amount of stretch from his dough. Despite his unconventional techniques, Brendan was awarded the honor of Star Baker that week.

“Final”

In series six, Nadiya was a fan favorite from the beginning, not only because of her baking prowess but also thanks to her hilarious facial expressions. That season’s finale had a whopping 15 million viewers, and many have gone so far as to link Nadiya’s win to changing mindsets in the UK about the Muslim community. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when she won and gave her victory speech, which caused even the famously stoic Mary Berry to go off camera to shed a tear.

“Cakes”

Season two’s Robert Billington was somewhat of a heartthrob, inspiring fans to create such Facebook groups as 'Rob Billington Can Squeeze My Icing Bag Any Day'. Unfortunately, he proved time and again to be somewhat careless and clumsy in the kitchen. The most infamous incident occurred in the very first episode, when Rob accidentally knocked his Genoise Layered Mousse Cake with Chocolate Ganache off the table. He was able to show the judges one salvaged layer of the cake, which Mary Berry claimed was nonetheless her favorite of the series. Despite his frequent mishaps, Rob managed to stick around until the fifth episode of that season’s competition.

“Bread”

Each season, the bakers are challenged in a “bread” round, and it seems that year after year, contestants attempt to out-do those who came before them. Case in point, when, in series six, the contestants were asked to produce 3D bread sculptures in a five hour period, prison governor Paul Jagger created a truly stunning “King of the jungle” themed masterpiece. Some have said that the judges failing to award Paul with the title of Star Baker that week has been the biggest injustice of the show so far.

“Cakes”

In the opening episode of the third season of “Bake Off,” contestant John Whaite made a mistake that home cooks have nightmares about. That week’s technical bake was created by judge Paul Hollywood and involved the contestants making cream-filled rum babas. Instead of adding sugar to his creation, John used salt instead. Though he attempted to cut off the tops of the babas, where the offending salt was most concentrated, it was to no avail - Paul Hollywood was visibly revolted by the bite he took. Despite this, John still didn’t come in last for the challenge, and actually went on to take home the prize that season.

“Biscuits”

Compared to American cooking competition shows, where contestants are often strictly limited to using the tools and ingredients provided to them, “The Great British Bake Off” is rather laid back. Filming only takes place on weekends so competitors go home in between episodes and are given warning about what their next challenge will be so they can prepare. It’s also common for them to bring in specialty items or ingredients from home to work with the following week. But even this easy going show has its limits, and when Enwezor Nzegwu admitted to using store-bought fondant for his “Space Adventure Moon Scene,” he was swiftly eliminated.

“Biscuits and Traybakes”

While baking is at the forefront of this competition, design ability and visual effects are important as well. This particular week’s showstopper challenge was to build an over 11 inch tower out of biscuits and frontrunner Frances had done an excellent job before Mel came around. In one of the most catastrophic blunders in the show’s history, host Mel Giedroyc’s movements seemingly knocked over the contestant’s biscuit tower while measuring it to ensure it was the correct height. Not to worry though, Frances thankfully went on to win the series four competition.

“Desserts”

For a show that is comparatively low on drama, there have been several standout incidents that fans will not soon forget. One of the most memorable was “custardgate,” which happened in the show’s fourth season when contestant Deborah accidentally used another player’s custard in her dessert instead of her own. Viewers were appalled at her cavalier attitude and rallied for the victimized Howard through this difficult time. Thankfully, Deborah was sent home that week as she failed to impress with her Tropical Trifle and Howard stayed in the game for another few episodes.



Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.



Sue Accidentally Leans on Howard's Muffin

“Bread”





From Broken Barn to Star Baker

“Biscuits”



Cathryn Throws the Dough

“Sweet Dough”

“Desserts”

Without a doubt, the most significant controversy in “Bake Off” history was this season five incident, known as “#bingate”. Contestant Iain Watters was already struggling to make a baked alaska on a hot day, when his dessert was removed from the freezer by competitor Diana. Iain proceeded to upstage the melting dessert with a meltdown of his own, tossing the entire thing into the trash and storming out. With nothing to show, Iain was sent home that week, causing much debate as to whether he deserved to be spared considering another contestant had been involved. Diana and the producers however, assert that the dish was left outside the freezer for less than a minute.