Then there are commentators/hosts Mel and Sue.
Theyre surely the punniest pair on television their convivial and supporting nature easily encourages the bakers.
Now lets pop the kettle on: Its time for a slice of British baking goodness.
Credit: Mark Bourdillon/PBS
Its week one, and that means cake week.
Apparently, its all about the crack…?
With just two hours to complete the challenge, the bakers get to cracking (puns!)…
We meet the season 3 bakers as they give us their takes on the recipe.
We have…
Ugne:Thyme.
She was born in Lithuania and has two burning passions British baking and bodybuilding.
She just really hopes her crack will show.
Nadiya:Orange and cardamom powder which sounds medicinal.
Hes a stay-at-home dad and travel photographer, and is naming his sponge Somewhere West of Madeira.
Bonus points for a creative name.
Mat, with one T:Gin and tonic.
There are seven shots of gin in his cake.
Hes a winner in my eyes already.
Also, hes a London firefighter.
Grandma Marie:Nothing special.
Shes keeping it real with a recipe shes served many times before.
She bakes every day for her five grandchildren.
Dorret:Candied lemons.
Baking since she was 11, Dorret is also keeping it simple.
NEXT: Meet the rest of the bakers…
Flora:Blood orange.
At 19, shes the youngest baker on the show.
Hes not bothering to chop them first because he likes them chunky.
She lets Paul know her chunks are well dispersed.
She also delivers this classic line: Im quite random.
Stuart (Stu):Rum and lime.
That, and his bowler hat.
Paul:Ginger and caraway seed.
He has the same facial hair as Paul Hollywood, and hes a prison governor from Wales.
Tamal:Rosewater syrup which hes injecting with a syringe.
Hes a trainee anesthetist, you see.
With minimal instructions, the bakers get one hour and 45 minutes to make a walnut cake.
Cut to the tent, where everyone is freaking out about the size of their walnuts.
Nadiya seems tearful again, and Pauls fretting hes misread things.
Confused about when to start preparing their caramel, the bakers confer and help one another out.
The contestants line up their cakes for Mary and Paul to blind taste.
(What happens to all the leftover cakes?
Im so insanely jealous of the crew on this show.)
NEXT: Whose cake will stop the show?
I predict tears from Nadiya.
while Flora enhances the color of hers the more pink, the better.
Sandys adding shortbread to her cake, and Ian is making trees to decorate the top of his.
I cant wait to romp in your forest, Ian, says Mel, killing it with the innuendos.
(Incidentally, this is a great drinking game to play while watching this show.
Every time you hear an innuendo, drink!)
And then theres Ugne, blowing up balloons to make… cup-and-saucer decorations?
We move on from tempering to piping, and it looks just as tricky.
Disaster has struck Dorret.
The mousse hasnt set.
Theres no reason to get upset, pipes in Sue, Its just a cake.
Sadly, its not really a cake at this point.
Its a puddle of chocolate and cream.
Delicious, but no showstopper.
Stu also has troubles.
Apparently, putting beetroot in his cake was not a genius streak of innovation.
Its got the texture of a raw sponge, says Paul.
His eyes swim a la Nadiya.
Its contemporary and minimalist, say the judges, but it also tastes beautiful.
After some deliberation, its time to announce the star baker: Its Marie!
And unsurprisingly, Stu is heading home.
He got out-baked, plain and simple!
But he still has music.
Next week, its biscuits!
(The cookie kind.)
