‘The Great British Baking Show’ Bakers Are Being Sabotaged By This Surprise Villain in the Tent

A great darkness has settled itself upon The Great British Baking Show tent this year. The producers might have exorcised the demonic presence of “Mexican Week” from the show and sage-d Matt Lucas‘s bad vibes out of the tent, but a new enemy has emerged to terrorize the bakers during the 2023 season (known as Collection 11 on Netflix and Series 14 in the UK). No, it’s not Paul Hollywood or Prue Leith. Instead, I’m talking about molds. Lately, every time a baker whips out a mold to shape some white chocolate in or provide the structure for their complex meringue bombes, something goes awry. Molds — the silicon and plastic shaping type, not the biological kind — are the great nemesis of the bakers on The Great British Baking Show this year. No matter what the bakers do, the molds are not on their side! Get rid of the molds and save yourselves, guys!

**Spoilers for The Great British Baking Show “Dessert Week,” now streaming on Netflix.**

Each season of The Great British Baking Show follows a familiar pattern. We meet a dozen or so adorably wholesome home bakers. Paul and Prue lob wild challenges at them. A few can’t take the pressure and find themselves eliminated in due course. Two or three bakers emerge as early frontrunners thanks to their consistent excellence. The middle group is comprised of dark horses who rise over their nerves to produce incredible Showstoppers and talented charmers whose personality unfortunately outshines their technical skills. Noel Fielding and his co-host of the moment get antsy and begin making more mayhem in the tent. Paul and Prue become increasingly more cruel in their critiques.

So far, everything has gone according to that established plan. Early Showstopper stunners Dan Hunter, Tasha Stones, and Josh Smalley are still the clear frontrunners to win the whole darn season. Effervescent scene-stealers like Rowan Claughton and, as of this week, Saku Chandraseku, have been sent home. Inconsistent, but former Star Baker winners, Matty Edgell and Cristy Sharp are hanging in there, hoping for a path to the finals. Paul literally roasted the bakers for their disastrous Technical Challenge this week. Noel, in turn, has started roasting Paul and Prue. But what is different? The dangers posed by molds!

We all are still scarred by what happened when Cristy’s mold failed her during last week’s “Botanicals Week” Showstopper Challenge. (Well, at least, I’m still scarred.) The very talented baker was closing in on a second Star Baker honor when she bet her entire Showstopper’s success on the promise that she could get white chocolate ganache to set in an exquisite mold during a hot summer day. Noel dutifully hovered over her shoulder as she attempted to wiggle the white chocolate out…and Noel watched as Cristy panicked when the dome emerged cracked. With the help of Alison Hammond and some quick thinking, Cristy was able to save her Showstopper, but the damage was done. She was out of the running for Star Baker.

Cut to this week’s “Desserts Week” challenges. All three challenges demanded that the bakers use molds and, folks, it was bad. Cristy was the first to naturally feel a case of grim déjà vu when Noel once again stood at the ready while she attempted to tap out her Créme Caramels during the Signature Challenge. So much so, she told futilely Noel to buzz off. (Hey, you just know the producers told him to stand at her side for more drama!) But Cristy wasn’t the only baker fretting about whether or not her Créme Caramels would emerge whole from the ramekins. Saku was about to break down when she realized her jaggery-based treats might have cooled too quickly for a clean finish.

While the bakers managed to survive the Signature Challenge, the Technical Challenge was another battle all together — and they all wound up destroyed by Paul’s pudding. Once again, the bakers had to deal with the drama of whether or not their Steamed Treacle Puddings would slide out perfectly baked from the provided tins. All six bakers, including the Challenge’s winner, Tasha, had to watch as underbaked slop oozed onto their presentation plates.

Not proof enough of a mold curse for you? Want to debate if a ramekin even qualifies as a mold? Fine. Consider The Great British Baking Show “Desserts Week” Showstopper Challenge. Paul and Prue wanted a dessert encased in a meringue bombe. The way to make that? Molds. Tasha erred on the side of safety and made a bonus molded meringue, which saved her. Cristy had to touch up cracks with royal icing. Saku’s bottom half cracked into pieces while leaving the mold…which might have meant her going home. Throughout the tent, tensions ran high as everyone’s fate was held in the proverbial hands of their molds.

Maybe it’s just a coincidence that molds have been causing so much drama lately on The Great British Baking Show. Perhaps they are not haunted. Maybe there isn’t some sort of mold god Paul Hollywood pissed off last year. Still, I can’t help but admit that I exhaled a huge sigh of relief when I learned that next week’s Showstopper looks like tiers of individual treats…with nary a molded element in sight.

Down with the molds on The Great British Baking Show!