Doughnuts spelled the end for Oak Bay’s Jude Somers during Canadian Week on last night’s episode of the Great Canadian Baking Show.
“Doughnuts are my nemesis,” says Somers, who doesn’t really make or eat those particular sweets. She learned how to make them for the show and practised at home. “I saw them coming and they did me in.”
Based on the British format, The CBC show brings together 10 amateur bakers from across the country to compete in a series of themed culinary challenges as they celebrate their diverse backgrounds, families and communities. Each episode features three rounds including the Signature Bake, the Technical Bake and the Show Stopper. After the bakes are tasted and critiqued, the judges decide who is the week’s Star Baker and who goes home. The final three bakers compete for the Great Canadian Baking Show title.
Somers was OK with being the one cut from competition last night. “If it hadn’t been me going out, it would have been at someone’s expense,” she says.
Her tourtiere turned out well, but her technical bake too had a bit of a slip.
“That was also my bad. I did a good bake on it and everything, but I started playing to the camera and having fun and doubled one of my ingredients so I could perform,” she said of her maple cookies. She doubled the butter for her frosting filling while hamming it up.
The experience left her with new friends, likely beyond the show, and a chance to share her love of the Canadian version.
“I really really enjoyed having people come up to me and tell me they enjoyed the show,” she says. She and husband Gord More are fans of the British version, and happily, she says that friendly competitiveness rings true in the Canadian version.
“I’m always happy to say yes it’s really as nice as it seems,” Somers says. “The egos are all focused on the right stuff. I hope people keep on enjoying it even without whimsical Jude.”
She herself will root for James the other BC entry and looks forward to what the others do with remaining bakes she knows they’ll face. She practised those too after all, and plans to revisit some during the holidays.
“Impressing the heck out of family I hope,” she says.
The CBC show airs Wednesday at 8 p.m.
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