The Great Canadian Baking Show facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Great Canadian Baking Show
Genre	Reality TV, Baking competition
Presented by	Dan Levy Julia Chan Aurora Browne Carolyn Taylor Alan Shane Lewis Ann Pornel
Judges	Bruno Feldeisen Rochelle Adonis Kyla Kennaley
Narrated by	Julia Chan Aurora Browne Carolyn Taylor
Country of origin	Canada
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	42 (including specials)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Cathie James
Producer(s)	Marike Emery Mark Van de Ven
Production company(s)	Proper Television Love Productions
Release
Original network	CBC Television
Original release	November 1, 2017 (2017-11-01) – present
Chronology
Related shows	Raufikat's Better Bake Along (CBC Gem)

The Great Canadian Baking Show is a fun TV show where amateur bakers from across Canada compete! It first aired on CBC Television on November 1, 2017. This show is based on a very popular British series called The Great British Bake Off. In Canada, the British version is known as The Great British Baking Show.

For the first two seasons, the show was hosted by Dan Levy and Julia Chan. The judges were French-born Canadian chef Bruno Feldeisen and Canadian-Australian pastry chef Rochelle Adonis.

In the third season, comedians and actors Aurora Browne and Carolyn Taylor took over as hosts. Bruno Feldeisen returned as a judge, joined by Canadian chef Kyla Kennaley. From the fourth season onwards, comedians Ann Pornel and Alan Shane Lewis became the hosts.

How the Baking Competition Works

Each season of The Great Canadian Baking Show features 10 amateur bakers. These bakers are chosen from all over Canada to join a friendly competition. They face different baking challenges based on a theme.

Just like the British show it's based on, each episode has three main rounds:

• The Signature Bake: Bakers create their own unique recipes.
• The Technical Challenge: Bakers follow a surprise recipe with very few instructions.
• The Showstopper: Bakers create a large, impressive bake that looks amazing.

After each challenge, two judges taste and give their opinions on the bakes. They decide who gets the title of "Star Baker" for the week. They also decide which baker will leave the competition.

In the final episode of each season, the last three bakers compete. They all want to be named the winner of The Great Canadian Baking Show and take home the special GCBS cake stand.

Making the Show Happen

The show is made by Proper Television, working with the CBC and Love Productions. It's filmed in Toronto, Ontario, at the Canadian Film Centre during the summer.

The first season started in November, and later seasons began in September or February. Cathie James is the executive producer, and Marike Emery and Mark Ven de Ven are the series producers.

Dan Levy, who hosted the first two seasons, was a big fan of the original British show. He even said he "actively pursued" the hosting job because he loved it so much!

CBC Television announced on February 7, 2018, that the show would return for a second season. All the hosts and judges came back for that season. A third season was announced in 2019. For this season, Bruno Feldeisen was joined by new judge Kyla Kennaley, and new hosts Aurora Browne and Carolyn Taylor joined the team.

The show was set to have a fourth season in 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, filming was delayed. The fourth season finally aired in early 2021 with new hosts Alan Shane Lewis and Ann Pornel. The fifth season aired in 2021 with the same hosts and judges.

Hosts and Judges Over the Seasons

Season Winners and Runners-Up

Season 1 (2017) Highlights

The very first season had 10 bakers from all over Canada. They competed for eight weeks. The winner was Sabrina Degni from Montreal, Quebec. The runners-up were Vandana Jain from Regina, Saskatchewan, and Linda Longson from High River, Alberta.

Season 2 (2018) Highlights

CBC Television announced auditions for the second season on February 7, 2018. This season started airing on September 19, 2018. Andrei Godoroja from Vancouver, British Columbia, won this season. The runners-up were Sachin Seth from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Megan Stasiewich from Leduc, Alberta.

Season 3 (2019) Highlights

Auditions for the third season were announced on January 24, 2019. This season premiered on September 18, 2019. Nataliia Shevchenko from Edmonton, Alberta, was the winner. The runners-up were Colin Asuncion from Toronto, Ontario, and Jodi Robson from Regina, Saskatchewan.

The Great Canadian Holiday Baking Show (2019)

CBC announced a special holiday episode of The Great Canadian Baking Show on October 30, 2019. This special featured four bakers from the first two seasons: Vandana Jain and James Hoyland from Season 1, and Megan Stasiewich and Timothy Fu from Season 2.

Season 4 (Winter 2021) Highlights

CBC announced auditions for the fourth season on April 17, 2020. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, filming was delayed. As a result, the fourth season started airing later, on February 14, 2021. Raufikat Oyawoye from Milton, Ontario, won this season. The runners-up were Tanner Davies from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Mahathi Mundluru from Markham, Ontario.

Season 5 (Fall 2021) Highlights

On February 26, 2021, while Season 4 was still on TV, CBC announced auditions for the fifth season. Filming happened in June and July 2021. The season premiered on October 17, 2021. Vincent Chan from Mississauga, Ontario was the winner. The runners-up were Aimee DeCruyenaere from Ottawa, Ontario, and Steve Levitt from Aurora, Ontario.

The Great Canadian Holiday Baking Show (2021)

CBC announced a second holiday special episode of The Great Canadian Baking Show on November 18, 2021. This special brought back four bakers from earlier seasons: Linda Longson from Season 1, Sachin Seth from Season 2, and Colin Asuncion and Jodi Robson from Season 3.

Season 6 (2022) Highlights

CBC announced auditions for the sixth season on January 21, 2022. The sixth season premiered on CBC Television on October 2, 2022.