This Is What ‘The Great British Bake Off’ Needs To Work On

Very few shows fit the model of “comfort TV” like The Great British Baking Show, or The Great British Bake-Off as we call it in the States. Watching contestants show off their baking skills will whet your sweet tooth, and the hosts – including Alison Hammon d, who joined the series in Season 14 – bring a fair bit of fun to the proceedings. Though it’s still a competition, The Great British Bake-Off has fewer cutthroat challenges you’d see on American reality TV, which is probably part of its appeal. But there’s one moment that left a cloud over the show’s sunny appeal, and that’s the ill-fated “Mexico Week” that took place during Season 13. “Mexico Week”, on its surface, was an opportunity for contestants to showcase their knowledge of Mexican cuisine, or at the very least show what they could do when presented with a new dish. But the episode took a turn for the worse, and points to a growing problem that The Great British Bake-Off should take a better approach to.

‘The Great British Bake-Off’ Took a Turn for the Worse With ‘Mexico Week’

“Mexico Week” didn’t exactly get off on the right foot, as it begins with hosts Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas greeting contestants while wearing garishly colorful sombreros and serapes. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Fielding says that they’re not allowed to make any “Mexican jokes”, to which Lucas replies: “What, not even Juan?” It only got worse – as the contestants began on their first challenge, Lucas turns to Fielding and says “So is Mexico a real place?” Lucas didn’t have that many fans during his stint hosting The Great British Bake-Off, but this episode didn’t do him any favors.

The hosts weren’t the only ones who made a cultural faux pas. “Mexico Week” had the challengers attempting to do their own takes on Mexican cuisine like pan dolce and tacos, but during the process it led to a mispronunciation of words – including one contestant’s infamous attempt to pronounce “guacamole”, which was soundly ridiculed across social media. That’s not even getting into how they peeled avocados; as someone who’s made guacamole and other Mexican dishes before, I was befuddled by the lack of creativity, not to mention the way contestants and hosts alike fumbled what could have been a great way for them to learn more about different cuisine. But it’s not the first time The Great British Bake Off has stumbled when it comes to other cuisines.

‘The Great British Bake-Off’ Cut Its Themed Weeks Following Controversy

Believe it or not, “Mexico Week” is not the first themed week The Great British Bake Off has done, and it’s not the only time the show has run into controversy. “Japan Week” had contestants confusing Chinese dishes with Japanese dishes, or mispronouncing Japanese words like “kawaii”. Another episode had a challenge to cook pita bread over an open flame – despite the fact that it’s usually done in a skillet. Former contestants Rav Bansal & Ali Imdad spoke to Buisness Insider about their time on the show, and what it needed to change. “It’s time for new judges,” Bansal said.

The Great British Bake-Off seems to have taken matters into its own hands, as producer Kieran Smith announced that themed weeks would no longer be implemented following the backlash to “Mexico Week”. “The world has changed, and the joke fell flat,” Smith told The Guardian. “We’re not doing any national themes this year.” While Smith’s approach is commendable, this leads to another issue.

Cutting Themed Weeks Cuts Out a Chance for ‘The Great British Bake-Off’ Contestants To Hone Their Craft

Instead of cutting themed weeks, The Great British Bake Off could use them as a way to help contestants test their skills while learning more about other cuisines. Other cooking shows, particularly MasterChef, have done challenges where contestants test their skills by cooking certain dishes – why not have a technical challenge where challengers learn to cook a certain food? “Mexico Week”, for all its faults, did have a moment where contestants were asked to do their own take on tres leches cake for the “showstopper challenge”. It’s possible to do a themed week without borderline offensive jokes and educate contestants – and audiences – about the world’s different cuisines.

The Great British Bake Off is available to stream on Netflix.

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