The Great Canadian Baking Show

Last updated
The Great Canadian Baking Show
The Great Canadian Baking Show logo.jpg
Genre Reality TV, Baking competition
Presented by
Judges
Narrated by
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons7
No. of episodes51 (including specials)
Production
Executive producerCathie James
ProducersMarike Emery
Mark Van de Ven
Production companies
Original release
Network CBC Television
ReleaseNovember 1, 2017 (2017-11-01) –
present
Related
Raufikat's Better Bake Along (CBC Gem)

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]

Contents

For its first two seasons, the show was hosted by Dan Levy and Julia Chan, with French-born Canadian chef Bruno Feldeisen and Canadian-Australian pastry chef Rochelle Adonis as judges. [3] [2] The third season was hosted by Aurora Browne and Carolyn Taylor, comedians and actors of Baroness von Sketch Show fame, with Feldeisen returning as a judge joined by Canadian chef Kyla Kennaley. [4] [5] From the fourth season onwards, it was hosted by comedians and Second City alumni Ann Pornel and Alan Shane Lewis. [6] [7]

Premise

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]

Hosts and judges

Hosts/JudgesSeason
1 2 3 Holiday 4 5 Holiday 6 Holiday 7 Holiday
Current
Bruno Feldeisen Judge
Kyla Kennaley Judge
Alan Shane Lewis Host
Ann Pornel Host
Former
Dan Levy Host
Julia Chan Host
Rochelle Adonis Judge
Aurora Browne Host
Carolyn Taylor Host

Reception

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]

Season overview

SeasonEpisodesPremiereFinaleRunners-upWinnerAverage viewers
(millions)
1 8November 1, 2017December 20, 2017Linda LongsonSabrina Degni1.4 [12]
Vandana Jain
2 September 19, 2018November 17, 2018Sachin SethAndrei Godoroja1.4 [13]
Megan Stasiewich
3 September 18, 2019November 6, 2019Colin AsuncionNataliia Shevchenko1.2 [7]
Jodi Robson
Holiday (2019)1November 13, 2019James HoylandTimothy Fu
Megan Stasiewich
Vandana Jain
4 8February 14, 2021April 4, 2021Tanner DaviesRaufikat Oyawoye
Mahathi Mundluru
5 8October 17, 2021December 5, 2021Aimee DeCruyenaereVincent Chan
Steve Levitt
Holiday (2021) [22] [23] 1December 12, 2021Jodi RobsonSachin Seth
Linda Longson
Colin Asuncion
6 8October 2, 2022November 21, 2022Chi NguyễnLauren Tjoe
Zoya Thawer
Holiday (2022) [24] 1November 27, 2022Mengling ChenMahathi Mundluru
Stephen Nhan
Steve Levitt
7 8October 1, 2023November 19, 2023Camila García HernándezLoïc Fauteux-Goulet
Candice Riley
Holiday (2023) [25] 1November 26, 2023Nataliia ShevchenkoAndrei Godoroja
Raufikat Oyawoye
Vincent Chan

Season 1 (2017)

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).

Season 2 (2018)

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).

Season 3 (2019)

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]

The Great Canadian Holiday Baking Show (2019)

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]

Season 4 (Winter 2021)

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).

Season 5 (Fall 2021)

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).

The Great Canadian Holiday Baking Show (2021)

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]

Season 6 (2022)

CBC announced auditions for the sixth season on January 21, 2022. [34] The sixth season premiered on CBC Television on October 2, 2022. [35] The season winner was Lauren Tjoe of Tsawwassen, British Columbia, with Chi Nguyễn (Toronto, Ontario) and Zoya Thawer (Edmonton, Alberta) as runners-up.

The Great Canadian Holiday Baking Show (2022)

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]

Season 7 (2023)

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]

The Great Canadian Holiday Baking Show (2023)

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]

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Rochelle Adonis is a Canadian Australian pastry chef, restaurateur, and television personality. She appeared as a celebrity judge on the first two seasons of The Great Canadian Baking Show alongside French-born Canadian chef Bruno Feldeisen.

The second season of The Great Canadian Baking Show premiered on CBC Television on September 19, 2018. Ten amateur bakers competed over eight weeks of challenges throughout the competition for the title. Canadian actor and television personality Dan Levy and Canadian-British actress Julia Chan returned as hosts, with French-born Canadian chef Bruno Feldeisen and Canadian-Australian pastry chef Rochelle Adonis also returning as judges. For the second season, producer Marike Emery stated that the audition process prioritized "skill over personality" and that the tasks would be more challenging than the first season.

The third season of The Great Canadian Baking Show premiered on CBC Television on September 18, 2019. Ten amateur bakers competed over eight weeks of challenges, vying for the title. The season marked the debut of Carolyn Taylor and Aurora Browne, of the Baroness von Sketch Show, as hosts and chef Kyla Kennaley as judge. French-born Canadian chef and pastry expert Bruno Feldeisen returned as judge for a third season.

The Great Canadian Holiday Baking Show is a Christmas special edition of The Great Canadian Baking Show. Episodes have featured bakers from previous seasons of The Great Canadian Baking Show competing in season baking challenges to be named "Star Holiday Baker". Four episodes of The Great Canadian Holiday Baking Show have aired, in 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023 respectively.

The fourth season of The Great Canadian Baking Show premiered on CBC Television on February 14, 2021. As with previous seasons, ten amateur bakers will compete over eight weeks of challenges, vying for the title. The season marked the debut of Ann Pornel and Alan Shane Lewis as hosts, who replaced Carolyn Taylor and Aurora Browne. Bruno Feldeisen and Kyla Kennaley returned for their fourth and second seasons respectively as judges.

Ann Pornel is a Canadian sketch comedian, actress, and television host based in Toronto.

The fifth season of The Great Canadian Baking Show premiered on CBC Television on October 17, 2021. As with previous seasons, ten amateur bakers will compete over eight weeks of challenges, vying for the title. Ann Pornel and Alan Shane Lewis return for their second season as hosts. Bruno Feldeisen and Kyla Kennaley return for their fifth and third seasons respectively as judges.

Kyla Kennaley is a Canadian pastry chef who appeared as a judge on The Great Canadian Baking Show.

The sixth season of The Great Canadian Baking Show premiered on CBC Television on October 2, 2022. As with previous seasons, ten amateur bakers will compete over eight weeks of challenges, vying for the title. Ann Pornel and Alan Shane Lewis return for their third season as hosts. Bruno Feldeisen and Kyla Kennaley return for their sixth and fourth seasons respectively as judges.

The seventh season of The Great Canadian Baking Show premiered on CBC Television on October 1, 2023. As with previous seasons, ten amateur bakers will compete over eight weeks of challenges, vying for the title. Ann Pornel and Alan Shane Lewis return for their fourth season as hosts. Bruno Feldeisen and Kyla Kennaley return for their seventh and fifth seasons respectively as judges.

References

  1. ↑ "Cooking up something good: CBC's Great Canadian Baking Show rolls out judges, hosts". CBC News. July 11, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Bradbrook, Hayley (July 12, 2017). "Dan Levy and Julia Chan to Host the 'The Great Canadian Baking Show'". Hello! Canada. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Dan Levy and Julia Chan to Host the Great Canadian Baking Show; July 17, 2017; web article, "CBC Life"; CBC website; retrieved August 2017
  4. 1 2 "CBC ANNOUNCES 2019-20 ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING SLATE" (Press Release). Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2019-05-29. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  5. ↑ "Bruno Feldeisen and Kyla Kennaley: Judges". CBC Life. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  6. 1 2 "The Great Canadian Baking Show, Ann Pornel and Alan Shane Lewis: Hosts". CBC Life. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 "Two new hosts enter the tent for season 4 of CBC's "The Great Canadian Baking Show"" (Press release). Toronto: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. January 24, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 CBC Announces Hosts and Judges for the Great Canadian Baking Show; David, Greg; TV-eh? web article; July 11, 2017; accessed August 2017
  9. 1 2 Brioux, Bill (2019-06-20). "New hosts, judge add spice to The Great Canadian Baking Show". brioux.tv. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
  10. ↑ "Season 5 of The Great Canadian Baking Show premieres October 17 on CBC | TV, eh?". www.tv-eh.com. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  11. ↑ Dan Levy and Julia Chan Bake Up Fun on CBC’s The Great Canadian Baking Show; October 30, 2017; David, Greg; TV, eh?; retrieved November 2017
  12. 1 2 3 Yeo, Debra (February 7, 2018). "Great Canadian Baking Show renewed for Season 2". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  13. 1 2 "The search for Canada's best amateur bakers begins now as CBC announces the return of The Great Canadian Baking Show" (Press release). Toronto: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. January 24, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  14. 1 2 David, Greg (June 2, 2021), CBC sets fall schedule and unveils 2021-22 programming slate, including over 35 original series from Canadian creators, TV, eh?, retrieved July 11, 2021
  15. ↑ Doyle, John (October 30, 2017). "Major ingredients missing in CBC's Great Canadian Baking Show". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  16. ↑ Atad, Corey (November 3, 2017). "Dan Levy Slams TV Critic John Doyle For 'Homophobic' Review". ET Canada. Archived from the original on November 3, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  17. ↑ Martin, Russ (November 2, 2017). "Why Calling Dan Levy 'Fey' Is Homophobic and Offensive". Flare. Archived from the original on November 4, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  18. ↑ Forster, Tim (November 1, 2017). "Opinion: The Canadian 'Bake Off' Has Charming Cakes, But a Half-Baked Personality". Eater Montreal. Vox Media. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  19. ↑ Schneller, Johanna (November 6, 2017). "Judges fail to rise to the occasion on Canadian baking show". Toronto Star. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  20. ↑ David, Greg (November 8, 2017). "The Great Canadian Baking Show is unapologetically entertaining". TV, eh?. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  21. ↑ DeClerq, Katherine (December 21, 2017). "Great Canadian Baking Show — a real showstopper". Women's Post. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  22. ↑ The Great Canadian Holiday Baking Show (Season 5)
  23. ↑ The Great Canadian Holiday Baking Show
  24. 1 2 "Four Canadian bakers return to the tent to compete and create delicious treats for the holiday season". CBC Life. November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  25. 1 2 "4 former Star Bakers return to the tent for The Great Canadian Baking Show holiday special". CBC Life. November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  26. ↑ "The Great Canadian Baking Show is back!". CBC Life. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. July 11, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  27. ↑ Faulder, Liane (January 24, 2019). "Fire up your ovens! The Great Canadian Baking Show is taking applications". Edmonton Journal. Postmedia Network. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  28. ↑ "The Great Canadian Baking Show - CBC Media Centre". CBC News . Archived from the original on 2023-05-19.
  29. 1 2 Waverman, Emma (November 6, 2019). "Great Canadian Baking Show Season 3: season finale recap". Eat North. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  30. ↑ "The Great Canadian Holiday Baking Show". CBC Life. October 30, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  31. ↑ "Apply now for Season 5 of The Great Canadian Baking Show | CBC Life".
  32. ↑ "Apply now for Season 5 of The Great Canadian Baking Show | CBC Life".
  33. ↑ "The Great Canadian Holiday Baking Show (season 5)". CBC Life. November 18, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  34. ↑ "Applications now open for Season 6 of The Great Canadian Baking Show". 21 January 2022.
  35. ↑ "MEET THE 10 NEW AMATEUR BAKERS JOINING SEASON SIX OF THE GREAT CANADIAN BAKING SHOW, PREMIERING OCTOBER 2 ON CBC AND CBC GEM". CBC Media Centre. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. September 6, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  36. ↑ "Applications now open for Season 7 of The Great Canadian Baking Show". 23 January 2023.
  37. ↑ "Season 7 Applications FAQ: The Great Canadian Baking Show". 15 February 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  38. ↑ "The Great Canadian Baking Show returns to CBC this fall". CBC Life. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 23 August 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  39. ↑ "B.C. high school teacher wins Season 7 of The Great Canadian Baking Show". CBC Life. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
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