Reality competition series can often be cutthroat, whether folks are competing for Survivor's prize money or The Traitors making Emmy-winning TV. Then there's The Great British Bake Off, which is much more gentle and kind. A new season just premiered for those with a Netflix subscription, and I can already tell that the U.K.'s heatwave from last summer is going to be a focal point of the new series.
The Great British Bake Off is arguably one of the best reality shows on TV, and that's largely because of how comforting and wholesome the whole thing is. The premiere episode for Collection 14 was no exception, although a villain is present in the form of the heat underneath that iconic tent.
The Great British Bake Off Series 17 Already Has The Bakers Struggling With The Heat
Baking outside might seem like a strange choice, but that's exactly what goes down in the tent of Bake Off. I always assumed it was pretty warm under there, but Collection 14 was filmed last summer in the midst of a staggering heat wave. In fact, it was named the hottest summer on record in the U.K.. Temperatures will seemingly rise as the competition heats up (pun intended), and the premiere episode already saw a number of bakers struggling with their recipes as a result.
The premiere episode of The Great British Bake Off was the first since host Prue Leith's departure, but it still had plenty of charm and heart. Episode 1 was all about cakes, and plenty of the bakers struggles with their stout cakes. Mostly because the cakes required a long, slow bake, and then needed to fully cool down before the frosting process began.
Unfortunately, the cooling process seemed to throw a number of the bakers in this premiere episode. Danni, Gary, and more of the contestants got the same feedback: that the cake wasn't cool enough before decorating began.
Given how much the temperature will likely rise as we get deeper into this season of The Great British Bake Off, I think that the premiere episode is an indication of the chaos to come. If cooling bakes is already a struggle this early into the record-breaking, it could end up being a tough season for this motley crew of bakers. I'm also curious to see if the contestant themselves will also overheat; baking outdoors at the height of summer has the potential to hurt more than just their creations.
The Great British Bake Off airs new episodes Fridays on Netflix as part of the 2026 TV schedule. We'll just have to wait and see how much the U.K.'s famous summer heat wave ends up affecting the show as a whole as we get deeper into the season.
