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FAQs

Who is the most successful contestant on the Great British Bake Off? ›

"Nothing is staged on this show. There's no prize at the end of the day other than a plate," he said. "I kind of absolutely love it for that reason in that truly what you see is predominantly what you get." The baker continued, "It's just 12 or 13 people who really like baking and really like one another.

Do They Stay at the House Where the Tent Is Located? No. The contestants stay at a nearby hotel during the weekends and travel to the tent via minibus during competition days before returning home during the week, Quinn told Cosmopolitan. The judges and hosts are put up in a hotel, though a different one.

As the three finalists made their way into the tent, they were greeted by judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood, as well as Matt Lucas, who was presenting on his own. Matt immediately addressed why Noel wasn't there, explaining that The Mighty Boosh star was feeling under the weather.

Nadiya Hussain MBE, 38, won The Great British Bake Off in 2015, and earns the most of all the Bake Off winners.

The contestants are not paid for being on the show, though they are given a modest stipend so they can practice their bakes at home. But the stipend apparently doesn't go very far. If you need to practice your bake multiple times at home, the cost of ingredients can get surprisingly expensive.

One very important, albeit unglamorous, behind-the-scenes GBBO job is that of the series' official dishwasher, Iva Vcelak. According to the Daily Mail, Vcelak works 16-hour shifts washing every single dish from each week's signature, technical, and showstopper bakes.

GBBO filming is intense

The show is filmed over a 10-week period between April and June, with contestants spending up to 16 hours a day filming. They manage to package up a whole session of baking into one hour, which means that a lot of it ends up on the cutting room floor.

Another thing that's very real is the sweltering temperature in the tent - because they're not allowed air conditioning. Dan explained that fans and air-con units were too loud and would interfere with filming, so it was exceptionally hot - as the programme is filmed over the summer months.

Once in the big tent, all ingredients are paid for by production. Contestants are given a per-episode allowance and have to shop accordingly. You must stay in the same hotel as the other bakers. All bakers are picked up in the morning from their (paid for) accommodation and are transported to the tent for filming.

Why do they do The Great British Bake Off in a tent? ›

Why is that? The idea, first floated by executive producer Anne Beattie, was to give the show an aesthetic. What Beattie was going for was a “village fete” theme and create a place where baked goods, jams and pickles could be sold, according to Mashed.

Episodes may be filmed over a couple days, but it's all squeezed into one episode, which looks like one full day of baking. That means bakers have to wear the same outfits both days.

In 2009, a Sunday Times article revealed that Fielding developed alcohol-induced hepatitis during his college years; he said that he was helped through this time by his friend and collaborator Nigel Coan. This forced him not to drink alcohol for six months, which led him to become teetotal for a couple of years.

“Sugar is a very powerful thing, I get more work when I'm thinner, so I can't put on weight,” he told The Sunday Times Magazine. The comedian said he likes cake and has “a very sweet tooth”, but added: “I don't eat anything, I'm like a plant.”

He explained that it had become too much of a struggle juggling his various TV commitments. “Farewell Bake Off!” he wrote in a statement. “It's been a delicious experience and I can't imagine a more fun way of spending my summers.

Richard Burr currently holds the title record, winning five times (of a possible nine). Each series winner has usually received the Star Baker award at some point, but the accolade holds no influence on the outcome.

The series was won by David Atherton, who became the first winner never to have won the Star Baker title since it was introduced. Alice Fevronia and Steph Blackwell finished as runners-up.

"We've currently got Josh as the 8/11 favourite to win this year's series of The Great British Bake Off, with fellow finalists Dan at 2/1 and Matty sitting in third at 7/2.

There were twelve bakers taking part. Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood returned as judges, whilst Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc continued to present the series. Richard Burr was awarded the largest number of star baker designations of any series so far but was beaten by Nancy Birtwhistle in the final.