It’s back and more delicious than ever. Tara Ward introduces the new faces baking their way to glory on The Great Kiwi Bake Off.
Unclench your ladyfingers and sort out your soggy bottoms, The Great Kiwi Bake Off is back. Tonight, 10 new amateur bakers will enter the GKBO barn hoping to surprise us with their sponges and dazzle us with their donuts over a series of tricky challenges that will take them far beyond their baking comfort zones.
The bakers aren’t the only newbies this season. Comedian Pax Assadi joins Hayley Sproull to present the show, while chef Peter Gordon and Jordan Rondel (The Caker) replace Sue Fleischl and Dean Brettschneider as judges. The ingredients might be different and butter might cost eight bucks a block these days, but the GKBO recipe remains a comfort TV classic. Season four is about to deliver us a fresh serving of nice people making nice things, at a time when we’ve never needed it more.
These creative cooks are ready to pour their heart and soul into a bowl and beat it until it splits in front of the nation, but who are they, really? We dived into the bakers’ official GKBO profiles and poked around their social media profiles, only to discover that this season features some big talent and even bigger dreams. Let them eat cake!
Hugo
Hugo grew up in the UK but spent his childhood baking traditional Kiwi treats with his mum. This public servant from Wellington bakes to bring joy to others, and wants to show how much fun baking can be. Sure, but how are his pastry swans and spongey balls? The nation needs to know.
What’s baking: This intriguing banana bread that appears to be smiling at the camera. A sign of good times ahead, or a carbohydrate with a wacky sense of humour? You decide.
Francesca
Francesca says she’s a baking nerd who frequently has disasters in the kitchen, and reckons she gets emotionally invested in her cakes. She’s the only contestant photographed not wearing an apron, suggesting she’s gone rogue before even cracking an egg. On behalf of all baking nerds, we salute her for it.
What’s baking: Francesca’s Instagram profile is a thing of wonder and I too have become emotionally invested in eating every single one of her incredible cakes.
Brooke
Brooke’s first baking memory is getting her hair caught in the mixer, but these days she spends more time selling her homemade fudge and giving the proceeds to charity. There’s potential for both chaos and goodness at “Brookie’s Bakehouse”, and we love to see it more than a poo cake perched on a plinth of hopes and dreams.
What’s baking: The treats come thick and fast on Brooke’s Instagram, including this spectacularly long, thin Lolly Cake. No hair appears to be have been harmed in the making of this treat, which bodes well for the rest of the competition.
Jonathan
This Auckland-based sales manager “loves to bake”. Imagine if he didn’t! Now that would be a show.
What’s baking: Sadly, at the time of writing Jonathan’s ‘kiwimanbaker’ Instagram profile was set to private, so we may never know what cakey treats he’s been whipping up at home. Focaccia? We barely know him.
Nikita
During her high school years, Nikita was renowned for making some kick-arse pineapple lump cupcakes, and now that she’s a lawyer in Christchurch she finds herself baking regularly for her colleagues.
What’s baking: This gem of a farewell cake, the gift that keeps on giving.
Katrina Marie
Katrina Marie decided this year she’d be brave and make things happen, and now she’s standing in the kitchen where someone once made a cow udder out of jelly. As a former White Fern we can expect Katrina Marie to work well under pressure, though no word on whether she’ll attempt the classic Australian Women’s Weekly cricket pitch birthday cake.
What’s baking: This lemon passionfruit drizzy loaf looks both loafy and drizzy. Five stars, chef’s kiss.
Kee-Hee
Piano teacher by day, baker by night, Kee-Hee’s passion for baking helps her relieve stress. Nobody remind her about the time last season’s winner Alby put 40 eggs into one cake, some of us are still not feeling relaxed about that.
What’s baking: Everything on Kee-Hee’s Instagram looks spectacular, but these Valentine’s Day cupcakes should go straight to the pool room. Star baker, heart breaker, get in our stomach immediately.
Lucas
Lucas is used to being creative and innovative in his work as a theatre set designer, but how will these skills translate in the kitchen when he’s asked to make 12 lamingtons, a Battenberg cake and a thousand scone sandwiches, all in one day?
What’s baking: Based on this spectacular croquembouche, Lucas has everything under control. A true Christmas miracle.
Monique
Art teacher Monique says baking is her “happy place”, and when she’s not working on the family dairy farm, she’s creating treats in the kitchen. Monique wants to push the boundaries on GKBO, and as long as those boundaries are made of chocolate shards and salted caramel, everything should turn out fine.
What’s baking: Perfection on a plate.
Victoria
Victoria rediscovered her passion for baking during lockdown, and she loves “the chemistry, the stress and the looks on people’s faces” when she bakes. Did she love the look on Simon Bridges’ face when he made his own GKBO cake portrait with chocolate hail stubble? Only the buttercream knows the truth.
What’s baking: Anyone who makes a Love Island cake featuring Davide’s immortal words deserves to be Star Baker forever. Give Victoria the glass plate and shower her in hundreds and thousands, it is what it is.
The Great Kiwi Bake Off premieres on Thursday 25 August at 7.30pm on TVNZ1 and streams on TVNZ+.
Follow our reality TV recap podcast The Real Pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast provider.