The upcoming season of “The Great British Bake Off” will scrap its nationality-themed challenge weeks after intense criticism that the rounds were culturally insensitive.
The hit show will return to a more traditional format for its 13th season airing next week, bowing to fan complaints that the show leaned into casually racist stereotypes in previous years.
“We didn’t want to offend anyone, but the world has changed and the joke backfired,” executive producer Kieran Smith admitted to The Guardian.
“This year we will not do any national theme.”
The “GBBO”, known as Collection 10 on Netflix and retitled “The Great British Baking Show” in the United States due to copyright issues involving Pillsbury, had featured one nationally themed week per season for the past three years.
Although there was criticism after the show’s “Japan Week” in 2020 and 2021’s “German Week,” fans rebelled against last year’s “Mexican Week.”
“The Great British Bake Off” will not have nationality-themed weeks in its upcoming thirteenth season.realmattlucas/Instagram
The hosts were seen wearing traditional Mexican clothing. Netflix
A Mexican dish made in the episode of the popular Netflix show.
Presenters Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas, both white British, were criticized for wearing hats and maracas and mispronouncing Spanish words.
In the episodes, contestants made tacos, which some viewers described as a massacre of the famous dish, while others complained that the show was straying from its baking premise into cooking.
In an effort to kill two birds with one stone, the creators of “GBBO” will replace the culturally insensitive nationality week with a Party Cakes challenge, according to Smith.
The 13th season will also feature its classic weeks: Cakes, Cookies, Bread, Pastry and Chocolate.
“We chose this year’s challenges very carefully to make them accessible,” said celebrity chef and “GBBO” judge Paul Hollywood.
“In a way, we have returned to the philosophy of the first three series. There are some beautiful classics and they have been a great success.”
On the heels of nationality week criticism, Hollywood said it based the challenges on what it saw on a recent trip to Mexico rather than tired stereotypes.
Celebrity chef and “GBBO” judge Paul Hollywood, bottom left, said the new season will be “accessible.” noel_fielding/Instagram
A contestant next to her culture-themed cake. Twitter/Great British Bake Off
Judge Dame Prue Leith responded to the reaction, saying that “the idea that we set out to insult someone is ludicrous.”
In another departure, the show announced in December that Lucas would be stepping down from his hosting duties after three seasons on the show.
The comedian, who appeared on “GBBO” during the only three years the national week challenges were presented, attributed his departure to scheduling conflicts.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn