The Great British Baking Show versus American Cooking Shows

The Great British Baking Show is a masterpiece. I started watching it a few days ago, after watching all of the Chopped episodes on Netflix. As well as a fair amount of Cupcake Wars and Cutthroat Kitchen. The differences were drastic.


1) The Setting
The first episode of The Great British Baking Show was absolutely shocking. Not only was everything pastel, but they were actually outside in a pretty tent. Everything fit a pastel/pale aesthetic, whereas on Chopped for example, the room is fairly packed, with a heavy aesthetic. The transition scenes on TBBS (it's a lot to type) consisted of baby goats, plants, small animals, etc., while Chopped literally just pans from the contestants to a cleaver wedged in the wall. 

2) The Contestants
The lack of rivalry is a refreshing one. Cutthroat Kitchen literally pits contestants against each other, forcing them to steal equipment and/or ingredients, as well as sabotage their recipes.Cupcake Wars and Chopped also mostly consist of false (or real) arrogance and boasting, as well as talking competitors down. TBBS instead has a comfortable friendly atmosphere. The interactions are lovely, and everyone is reluctant to see their competitors go. It's like they're teammates rather than competitors.

3) The Amount of Preparation
Chopped, Cutthroat Kitchen, and Cupcake Wars all force their contestants to create in an insanely short amounts of time (30 minutes, for example). Their ingredients are completely wild and are always a surprise. On TBBS, the bakers not only have a sufficient amount of time to create quality foods with gorgeous aesthetic quality, but they also get to practice at home before each episode.

4) The Hosts
On American shows, I've really only seen the hosts hang back with the judges and comment on the chefs from afar. They're lovable and lively, but much less interactive than the comedy duo on TBBS. TBBS's hosts are full of innuendos and puns. They sometimes act like a couple, and frequently interact with the bakers. Occasionally, the hosts will even assist the bakers, contrasting with the hands-off American approach.

5) The Judges
The judges on TBBR are honestly so chill that if you aren't listening closely, you'd think that everything they said was a compliment. Even the criticisms are delivered so pleasantly. They walk around the tent and come to each baker to chat and taste their food. The judges on American shows instead sit behind a long table, distanced from the standing chefs. There's a prominent divide, and the judges are also sometimes pretty darn mean. It's their job, yes, but sometimes the mean humor is literally just to maintain their image as a harsh judge.