The Great British Baking Show: Every Season Ranked

“On your marks, get set, bake!” Oh how sweet it will be to hear those words again.

That’s right “Bake Off” fans, everyone’s favorite pastry, pudding and pie-powered baking extravaganza is back for a new season. Somehow, Channel 4 and Love Productions managed to coax 12 amateur bakers into the quaran-tent to produce 10 more episodes of culinary mishaps and marvels.

If there’s anything that can at least momentarily take our minds off the soggy bottom state of society, it’s “The Great British Bake Show” (or “Bake Off” as it’s known to fans). To celebrate the new season, which starts Friday on Netflix and releases a new episode every week after airing Tuesday in the U.K., Variety has composed its official, utterly indisputable (well, maybe not) ranking of the 10 “Bake Off” seasons to date.

Without further a-dough, here we go.

Season 1 (Unavailable on Netflix)
What is the meaning of life? How long does my dough need to prove? Why does Netflix not have the first two seasons of “Bake Off?” These are the great unanswered mysteries of our time. But that last question finally has an answer. Sources with knowledge of how the “Bake Off” rights were sliced up paint a multi-layered, spongy picture. Netflix used to have second-run U.S. rights after PBS aired each season. However, PBS only began airing the show from Season 3 onward, hence Netflix never had, and potentially never will have, the rights to the first two seasons. The streamer picked up the first-run rights from PBS starting with Season 8, giving it the ability to run the episodes so soon after their U.K. debut. Luckily for the pumpkin pie side of the pond, the first season of “Bake Off” has an amateurish charm to it, but fundamentally it’s more than a scone’s throw away from the beautifully frosted cake of a production we see today.
Season 5 (Collection 1)
A moment of silence please for Iain’s baked Alaska that never set, and for everyone affected by “Bingate” (or “the Bincident,” whichever you prefer). There have been plenty of baking horror stories on “Bake Off,” but arguably the most infamous occurred in episode 4 of Season 5, as Iain unceremoniously tossed his failed Alaska (pictured above in all its sadness) in the bin, despite Mel’s best efforts to stop him. Viewers immediately cried foul play, alleging that fellow contestant Diana removed Iain’s ice cream from the freezer and replaced it with her own in a deeply cold (sorry!) Machiavellian sabotage plot. Unsurprisingly, Iain was sent home that week by the judges following his tent-rum, and Diana withdrew the week after due to illness. Perhaps we will never know the truth of what happened that fateful day, but one thing is for certain, Season 5 never fully recovered after “Bingate.”
Season 2 (Unavailable on Netflix)
In some ways, the last few seasons of “Bake Off” have been pretty tame and incident-free in comparison with the wild early years. Gasps were heard around the nation when in the very first episode of this season, contestant Rob (an undisputed heartthrob at the time, pictured) dropped his chocolate genoise mousse cake. Like a scene from a Jane Austen novel, the gallant Paul rushed to the aid of our hapless Mr. Darcy, and together they managed to save enough cake for the judges to taste. As if that wasn’t enough to fetch for the smelling salts, the final featured a very much unwanted guest appearance from a strapping squirrel with rather substantial appendages, shall we say. Other than those incidents, Season 2 didn’t feature enough memorable contestants or bakes to warrant a higher position on the list.
Season 3 (The Beginnings)
This season seemed to mark a clear influx of more exciting personalities into the “Bake Off” tent. Highlights included James with his seemingly endless wardrobe of hideous yet comfy sweaters, Brendan with his eagerness to get greased up to the elbows to stretch his dough, John with his uncanny ability to injure himself, and Cathryn with her loosening grip on common sense. The final between the first three was as intense an episode as you’ll find on “Bake Off,” but Cathryn provided a more memorable flourish when she tossed her strudel dough too high in the air, causing it to land with an onomatopoeic sound on the carpeted tent floor. “It’s so hairy,” she proclaimed after the incident. “I’m not serving Mary Berry green carpet!”
Season 10 (Collection 7)
Don’t get me wrong, I loved the most recent season of “Bake Off,” it’s hard not to love any and every season. But it’s down in sixth place simply because the other five are so ludicrously tasty. The best part of Season 10 was without a doubt the unparalleled camaraderie the contestants developed. Each time someone was eliminated, especially in the latter half, the remaining contestants would wear a memento that reminded them of their recently departed baking comrade. When quirky, Halloween-obsessed Spanish baker Helena was eliminated, there was genuine sadness in the tent the following week. Then when floral-shirt wearer par excellence Henry (pictured above wearing a spider’s web pin for Helena and a Welsh flag for Michelle) was the one to leave, the hugs he received from his new friends Alice and David brought tears to many an eye.
Season 4 (Collection 2)
Before there was “Bingate,” there was , of course, “Custardgate.” Brits are famous for being easily mortified, and no Brit has probably ever been more mortified than Deborah when she accidentally nicked Howard’s custard in episode 3. The debacle ended in Howard using Deborah’s custard in his trifle and vice versa, which the judges did take into account. All was well that ended well, but at the time, it was certainly no trifling matter. This season was also blessed with multiple extremely talented bakers, none more so than eventual winner Frances, who produced a spectacular rainbow picnic pie in the final to show she was a crust above the rest.
Season 7 (Collection 4)
Most “Bake Off” contestants are pleased to merely make it to the tent; few have the ardent will to win that Candice displayed in Season 7. If the bake wasn’t perfect, Candice would have tears running down her cheeks, but that wasn’t very often. In week 2, Candice set the bar higher than ever before with a gingerbread pub modeled after the one she grow up in. Andrew tried to take her down with his mechanical precision, and Selasi attempted to charm his way to the crown, but ultimately, there was no stopping Candice, whose sheer drive just took the biscuit. Plus, of course, this was the final season of Mary’s spectacular outfits, and Mell and Sue’s effortless humor and warmth. Some would argue that “Bake Off” has never been the same since.
Season 8 (Collection 5)
When searching the “Bake Off” pantry for the single greatest challenge in the show’s history, it’s hard to look past the dazzling illusion cake display from the very first episode of Season 8. Steven (who went on to choke the final in spectacular fashion) produced a stunning Victoria sandwich cake that looked like the best thing since sliced bread, and just before that, Yan arguably topped his incredible feat by producing a cake (pictured above) disguised as a bowl of noodles. Her presentation was so realistic, the judges wanted to pick up those chopsticks and start slurping. Couple such displays with infectiously passionate contestants like Liam and Sophie, and you have the perfect recipe for a more-than-decent slice of “Bake Off.”
Season 9 (Collection 6)
Was there a single baker in Season 9 who wasn’t a joy to watch? Personally, I don’t think so. Everywhere you look this season had incredible storylines, emotions aplenty and outstanding bakes. Kim-Joy brought Japanese flavors and techniques that had hardly ever been seen in the tent (frankly about time!), Briony brought perseverance and sweetness, Ruby brought the party atmosphere, and then Rahul. What to say about Rahul? There’s an old expression that bakes speak louder than words, and boy did Rahul’s creations say so much more than the mono-syllabic baker himself was too shy to express. The transformation from the frowning introvert totally lacking in self-confidence in week 1, to the smiling winner at the end was a remarkable joy to watch.
Season 6 (Collection 3)
Deep breathes everyone, it’s time to relive Nadiya’s winning speech. Season 6 had it all: drama, unbelievable talent, and to cap it off, a climax that defined the entire show. Baking-wise, the biggest triumph was probably Paul’s (the contestant) lion, which was quite simply the most incredible bread creation that the other Paul, or anyone else for that matter, had ever seen. Tamal oozed plenty of charm, Ian was the baker with the quirkiest, most tongue-tingling flavors, but ultimately it was Nadiya at the center of it all. She has since gone on to become a prominent figure in British culinary and television culture, creating multiple series of her own and winning plenty of awards for her cookbooks. Nadiya was the epitome of what is so great about “Bake Off,” and showed how it evolved from its slightly stuffy, white-washed origins. She is truly an inspiration, and the final words of her victory speech (pictured above) seem like the perfect place to end this tale of “Bake Offs” past:
“I’m never ever going to put boundaries on myself ever again. I’m never going to say I can’t do it. I’ve never going to say maybe. I’m never going to say I don’t think I can. I can, and I will.”

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Reinaldo Massengill

Update: 2024-08-18

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