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Whether you call it The Great British Baking Show or The Great British Bake Off, the enchanting show is one of the most popular cooking competitions in reality TV. For over 10 years now, people all over the world have obsessed over the mild-mannered bake off in a tent, rooting for folks like Nadiya Hussain and David Atherton to win, and raging when the likes of Jürgen, Helena, and Antony were voted off. Last year, the scene-stealing Syabira Yusoff triumphed over the competition to win The Great British Baking Show, but what do Great British Baking Show winners like Syabira actually win? The answer might surprise you.
The Great British Baking Show first premiered in the UK in 2010 and it immediately became a sweet sensation overseas. Later seasons finally immigrated to PBS and Prime Video, before finally landing on Netflix. Today, Netflix has a deal where they can air all-new episodes of The Great British Baking Show in the USA a few days after their premiere in the UK. That means at long last Americans can keep up-to-date with all the soggy bottom-induced drama.
Every season of The Great British Baking Show pits about a dozen bakers against each other over 10 weeks of challenges culminated in a finale showdown. Weekly winners win the title “Star Baker,” but what does the ultimate champ get…?
WHAT DOES THE WINNER OF THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW WIN AS A PRIZE?
To paraphrase candy king Willy Wonka, “Nothing! YOU GET NOTHING!”
I jest. Winners of The Great British Baking Show do get something. They win a cake stand, usually glass, engraved with the show’s logo. Oh, is that not enough for you? How about the supreme honor of being the winner of The Great British Baking Show?
Yeah, there’s no prize money on The Great British Baking Show. However, the bakers can actually monetize their popularity outside the show. Some of your faves make bank on Instagram sponsored posts, paid columns for publications, and the ever-elusive cookbook deal or personal TV show.
But why is The Great British Baking Show prize so…lackluster? As Decider’s Brett White reported with regards to Drag Race: UK‘s equally paltry prize package of £0, it has to do with legal semantics and cultural traditions. It just wouldn’t be seemly to pay the bakers gobs of cash. At least, that’s the thinking.
