The Great Canadian Baking Show is a Canadian cooking competition television series which premiered on CBC Television on November 1, 2017.[1] It is an adaptation of the U.K. series The Great British Bake Off, which is aired in Canada under the title The Great British Baking Show.[2]
Each season of the show features 10 amateur baking contestants selected from across Canada to participate in a competition of themed baking challenges.[2] Adapted from The Great British Bake Off, each episode features three rounds: the Signature Bake, the Technical Challenge, and the Showstopper.[8] After the two judges taste and critique the entries, they determine which contestant is crowned each week's "Star Baker" and which contestant will be sent home.
In each season finale, the final three bakers compete to be named the winner of The Great Canadian Baking Show and take home the GCBS cake stand.[3]
Production
Produced by Proper Television in association with the CBC and Love Productions, the show is filmed on the grounds of the Canadian Film Centre in Toronto during mid-summer,[8][9] then premiered in November for season 1,[2] and September for seasons 2 and 3,[9] on CBC. The executive producer is Cathie James, and the series producers are Marike Emery (seasons 1 through 4) and Mark Ven de Ven (season 5).[8][10]
Levy, a self-proclaimed "huge fan" of the British series upon which the show is based, stated that he "actively pursued" the hosting role for the premiere season.[2][11]
CBC Television announced on February 7, 2018 that the series was renewed for a second season, and all hosts and judges would be returning.[12] The series was renewed for a third season in 2019 with judge Bruno Feldeisen being joined by new judge Kyla Kennaley and new hosts Aurora Browne and Carolyn Taylor.[4][13] The series was renewed for a fourth season due to air in 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, production was delayed and the season aired in early 2021, with new hosts Alan Shane Lewis and Ann Pornel.[6] The fifth season aired in 2021 with the same hosts and judges.[14]
John Doyle, reviewing the first episode for The Globe and Mail, called the show boring and said that it lacked "the major ingredients of eccentric flair and idiosyncratic contestants [of the original]."[15] Doyle's criticism of host Dan Levy's "feyness" in the review was called homophobic by Levy and others.[16][17]Eater Montreal writer Tim Forster said the show's first episode is "like somebody left the sugar out of the recipe: it looks right, but the flavour is kind of bland" due to a lack of focus on the contestants' stories, which he primarily attributed to poor editing and a rushed pace due to a shorter running time than the British series.[18] Joanna Schneller called the judging by Bruno Feldeisen and Rochelle Adonis "consistently dull" in a review of the second episode for the Toronto Star. She suggested that, like the judges in the original series, they should be instructing on the significance of dishes as well as judging.[19]
Greg David of TV, eh? called the show "unapologetically entertaining" and "a calming oasis amid the noisy negativity we're besieged with," specifically praising the chemistry of hosts Levy and Chan.[20] Katherine DeClerq, reviewing the final episode in Women's Post, said she was "pleasantly surprised" by the series and "while the dry humour could be a bit dryer and the puns slightly less cheesy, I have to say I am in love with The Great Canadian Baking Show."[21]
The inaugural season featured 10 bakers from across Canada competing over eight weeks. The season was won by Sabrina Degni of Montreal, Quebec. Runners-up were Vandana Jain (Regina, Saskatchewan) and Linda Longson (High River, Alberta).
Auditions for the second season were announced by CBC Television on February 7, 2018.[12] The season began airing on September 19, 2018.[26] The season was won by Andrei Godoroja of Vancouver, British Columbia. Runners-up were Sachin Seth (Halifax, Nova Scotia) and Megan Stasiewich (Leduc, Alberta).
Auditions for the third season were announced on January 24, 2019[27] with a release date of September 18, 2019.[28] The winner of the season was Nataliia Shevchenko of Edmonton, Alberta.[29] Runners-up were Colin Asuncion (Toronto, Ontario) and Jodi Robson (Regina, Saskatchewan).[29]
CBC announced a holiday special episode of The Great Canadian Baking Show on October 30, 2019 featuring four bakers from the competition's first two seasons: Season 1's Vandana Jain and James Hoyland alongside Season 2's Megan Stasiewich and Timothy Fu.[30]
CBC announced auditions for the fourth season on April 17, 2020.[31] Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, production (and thus the show's premiere) was delayed; as a result, the fourth season premiered on February 14, 2021.[7] The season winner was Raufikat Oyawoye of Milton, Ontario. The runners-up were Tanner Davies (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and Mahathi Mundluru (Markham, Ontario).
On February 26, 2021, while Season 4 was still in progress, CBC announced auditions for the fifth season.[32] Filming took place in June and July 2021, with the season premiering on October 17, 2021.[14] The season winner was Vincent Chan of Mississauga, Ontario. Runners-up were Aimee DeCruyenaere (Ottawa, Ontario) and Steve Levitt (Aurora, Ontario).
CBC announced a second holiday special episode of The Great Canadian Baking Show on November 18, 2021 featuring four bakers from the competition's previous seasons: Season 1's Linda Longson, Season 2's Sachin Seth, and Season 3's Colin Asuncion and Jodi Robson.[33]
CBC announced a third holiday special episode of The Great Canadian Baking Show on November 16, 2022 featuring four bakers from the competition's previous seasons: Season 2's Mengling Chen, Season 4's Mahathi Mundluru, and Season 5's Stephen Nhan and Steve Levitt.[24]
CBC announced auditions for the seventh season on January 23, 2023.[36] Auditions were held in-person at select cities and virtually.[37] The seventh season premiered on CBC Television on October 1, 2023.[38] The season winner was Loïc Fauteux-Goulet of Creston, British Columbia, with Camila García Hernández (Toronto, Ontario) and Candice Riley (Brampton, Ontario) as runners-up.[39]
CBC announced a fourth holiday special episode of The Great Canadian Baking Show on November 14, 2023 featuring four winners from the competition's previous seasons: Season 2's Andrei Godoroja, Season 3's Nataliia Shevchenko, Season 4's Raufikat Oyawoye, and Season 5's Vincent Chan. The episode aired on November 26, 2023.[25]
CBC announced auditions for the eighth season on February 6, 2024, with both virtual and in-person auditions held in select cities.[40] The eighth season is set to premiere on CBC on October 6, 2024.[41]
