''The Great Canadian Baking Show'' is a Canadian cooking competition television series which premiered on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French- ...

on November 1, 2017. It is an adaptation of the U.K. series ''

The Great British Bake Off ''The Great British Bake Off'' (often abbreviated to ''Bake Off'' or ''GBBO'') is a British television baking competition, produced by Love Productions, in which a group of amateur bakers compete against each other in a series of rounds, atte ...

'', which is aired in Canada under the title ''The Great British Baking Show''. For its first two seasons, the show was hosted by Dan Levy and

Julia Chan Julia Chan, also known as Julia Taylor Ross, is an English actress and television host. She is best known for her portrayal of Sophia in the horror film '' Silent House'' (2011), Dr. Maggie Lin in the television series ''Saving Hope'' (2012-2017 ...

, with French-born Canadian chef Bruno Feldeisen and Canadian-Australian pastry chef Rochelle Adonis as judges. The third season was hosted by

Aurora Browne Aurora Browne is a Canadian actress and comedian, best known as one of the creators and stars of the sketch comedy series ''Baroness von Sketch Show''. Early life She is originally from Thunder Bay, Ontario, and currently based in Toronto. Car ...

and

Carolyn Taylor Carolyn Taylor is a Canadian actress and comedian, best known as one of the creators and stars of the sketch comedy series ''Baroness von Sketch Show''. An alumna of The Second City's Toronto company, she was a writer for ''This Hour Has 22 Minut ...

, comedians and actors of '' Baroness von Sketch Show'' fame, with Feldeisen returning as a judge joined by Canadian chef Kyla Kennaley. From the fourth season onwards, it was hosted by comedians and Second City alumni Ann Pornel and Alan Shane Lewis.

Premise

Each season of the show features 10 amateur baking contestants selected from across Canada to participate in a competition of themed baking challenges. Adapted from ''

'', each episode features three rounds: the Signature Bake, the Technical Challenge, and the Showstopper. 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 A cake stand is a type of tableware used for serving cake and other pastries, or a type of kitchen equipment used for holding cakes while they are decorated. The most common form is a plate on a pedestal; sometimes there are multiple plates in a t ...

.''Dan Levy and Julia Chan to Host the Great Canadian Baking Show''
July 17, 2017; web article, "CBC Life"; CBC website; retrieved August 2017

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 The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) is a charitable organization founded by filmmaker Norman Jewison in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1988. Originally launched as film school, today it provides training, development and advancement opportunities for pr ...

in Toronto during mid-summer,''CBC Announces Hosts and Judges for the Great Canadian Baking Show''
David, Greg; TV-eh? web article; July 11, 2017; accessed August 2017 then premiered in November for season 1, and September for seasons 2 and 3, 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). 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.''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 CBC Television announced on February 7, 2018 that the series was renewed for a second season, and all hosts and judges would be returning. The series was renewed for a third season in 2019 with judge Bruno Feldeisen being joined by new judge Kyla Kennaley and new hosts

and

. The series was renewed for a fourth season due to air in 2020, but due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, production was delayed and the season aired in early 2021, with new hosts Alan Shane Lewis and Ann Pornel. The fifth season aired in 2021 with the same hosts and judges.

Hosts and judges

Reception

John Doyle, reviewing the first episode for ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', called the show boring and said that it lacked "the major ingredients of eccentric flair and idiosyncratic contestants f the original" Doyle's criticism of host Dan Levy's " feyness" in the review was called homophobic by Levy and others. ''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. Joanna Schneller called the judging by Bruno Feldeisen and Rochelle Adonis "consistently dull" in a review of the second episode for the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and par ...

''. She suggested that, like the judges in the original series, they should be instructing on the significance of dishes as well as judging. 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. 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."

Season overview

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 Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

. Runners-up were Vandana Jain ( Regina,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

) and Linda Longson (

High River High River is a town within the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. It is approximately south of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. High River had a population of 14,324 in 2021. History The community takes ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...

Season 2 (2018)

Auditions for the second season were announced by CBC Television on February 7, 2018. The season began airing on September 19, 2018. The season was won by Andrei Godoroja of

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

. Runners-up were Sachin Seth ( Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

) and Megan Stasiewich ( Leduc,

Season 3 (2019)

Auditions for the third season were announced on January 24, 2019 with a release date of September 18, 2019. The winner of the season was Nataliia Shevchenko of

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city an ...

. Runners-up were Colin Asuncion (

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

) and Jodi Robson ( Regina,

''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.

Season 4 (Winter 2021)

CBC announced auditions for the fourth season on April 17, 2020. Due to the ongoing

, production (and thus the show's premiere) was delayed; as a result, the fourth season premiered on February 14, 2021. The season winner was Raufikat Oyawoye of Milton, Ontario. The runners-up were Tanner Davies (

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

) 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. Filming took place in June and July 2021, with the season premiering on October 17, 2021. The season winner was Vincent Chan of Missisauga, Ontario. Runners-up were Aimee DeCruyenaere (

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

, Ontario) and Steve Levitt (

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

, 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.

Season 6 (2022)

CBC announced auditions for the sixth season on January 21, 2022. The sixth season premiered on

on October 2, 2022. The season winner was Lauren Tjoe of

Tsawwassen Tsawwassen ( ) is a suburban, mostly residential community on a peninsula in the southwestern corner of the City of Delta in British Columbia, Canada. It provides the only road access to the American territory on the southern tip of the peninsul ...

, with Chi Nguyễn (

) and Zoya Thawer (

) 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.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Great Canadian Baking Show, The 2010s Canadian reality television series 2017 Canadian television series debuts English-language television shows Television series by Proper Television Television shows filmed in Toronto CBC Television original programming

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

2010s Canadian cooking television series Canadian television series based on British television series Cooking competitions in Canada 2020s Canadian reality television series 2020s Canadian cooking television series