The Show Stops a Showstopper Move in the Semi-Final of 'The Great British Baking Show' Season 15
Before we break down this week's semifinal episode of The Great British Baking Show (which went exactly as most suspected), I was to talk about Paul Hollywood. (Yes, again.) The show's 100lb gorilla continues to be the production's most significant problem, not just because he's an incurious moron, thoughtlessly sexist (since moving to Channel 4, the show has gone from the winners being primarily women to almost all male champions), and embarrassingly racist. (His look of utter boredom when Illiyin started talking about afros and natural hair last week was as repulsive as it was revealing.)
The problem is that his biased decisions about who stays and goes — and Prue's unwillingness to put him in his place despite being older, more experienced, and a far better judge — tend to backfire on the contestants themselves. Last season was probably the most obvious time this has happened as "Paul's Favorite" Dan was pushed into the finale despite it being obvious he was unable to compete at that level; it wound up being one of the most humiliating finale meltdowns in the show's history, enraging viewers. But it's far from the first time a contestant has been blamed for Paul forcing someone along when they should be allowed to be eliminated with dignity.
Starting with Ruby Tandoh in Season 4, when fans made up stories about her trying to seduce Paul (when it was pretty clear he was harassing her), audiences punish contestants when Paul should be blamed. The issue has only worsened since moving to Channel 4, with harassment campaigns against Season 11's Laura Adlington and anger against Crystelle Pereira for making it into the finals over Jurgen in Season 12. With this week's result, it's about to happen again, so before you aim your rage at a contestant who, please remember, is currently being gaslit into believing they belong in the finale, stop and consider that instead, you should write to Love Productions and Netflix and demand Paul be fired.
