'The Great British Baking Show's "Biscuit Week" Will Perform for Crumbs

Before diving into this week's recap of The Great British Baking Show, we must discuss reality shows and the casting process. This is not to suggest anything nefarious going on in the casting. If anything, the casting directors for the competition are incredibly talented at assembling a balanced mix of British-born vs. ex-pats, young vs. old, and the gifted vs. the "not all that good, but make good TV." Managing that from assembling a random group of applicants from across the country while also ensuring that all different kinds of professions are represented and Paul Hollywood will leer over at least three of them, and you can see how tough this is to pull off.

However, since the move to Channel 4 and, more obviously, since the pandemic lockdown seasons ended, there's been a desire to appeal to those who watch on Netflix in the States. Thus far, every decision made to appeal to American viewers has ended in disaster, mainly because the cultures are radically different despite the two countries being divided by a common language.

Season 13, the first one back in Welford Park and filmed in the spring over ten weeks instead of over the summer in five, brought Mexican Week, clearly meant to appeal to Americans and their love of tacos. As viewers will recall, it didn't just fail to appeal to the American market; it nearly derailed the series. In Season 14, Halloween Week horrified us with the weirdest, worst s'mores ever seen (not to mention confusing Americans why a summer camping/beach bonfire staple was a part of Spooky Season). Now, there's the first-ever American contestant, the Bronx-born Jeff.