When we, the Great British public, settled down with a cuppa tea and a cheeky biscuit or three to watch the first episode of the new Great British Bake Off, there were nerves. Nerves so nervy that many of us didn’t even get through that last bit of the Channel 4 news when the weather man warned us that today was going to be shit and so are sat at work still dressed for a heatwave. We had such nervy nerves that for a moment, we completely forgot about anything and everything that was going on outside the periphery of our telly boxes. Nerves so intently nervy that we genuinely thought that a series of GBBO without Mel, Sue or Mary Berry would genuinely be the end of life as we know it.
But it’s okay. We survived an episode of series one (yes, Channel 4 are calling it the first series) and most of us came out of it not feeling nearly as bitter as we expected after gently being reminded that it’s actually quite nice to watch people try to make pretty cakes in a tent together. And while judgement is yet to be made on the absurdity of advert breaks between bakes and how effectively our poor new dynamic presenting duo will fill their predecessors’ shoes, one thing that we have settled is that, as per usual, we’re big fans of the contestants.
Our love for Nadia will never fade and Selasiwill of course forever hold the sweetest of places in our adoring hearts, but this new bunch have already earned our affection. Here are the ones we’ve got our eyes on at the moment… Yes, this will all probably change in a few episodes time but oh well. Favourite first impressions go to:
Flo
Might be a bit too hasty to say, but I think Flo might already be right up there as one of our faves. Fun fact about Flo: at 71 years young, she’s the oldest contestant in GBBO history and she's a karaoke fan. Every season needs a warm, happy go lucky, slightly set in her ways character to make us feel all the feels. And that moment Flo's face lit up when Paul Hollywood said 'I love you' after tasting her watermelon cake was almost too much. Even if it was a bit hasty for Big Bad Paul to go dropping the 'l' bomb in episode one. But it's fine because, Flo.
Steven Carter-Bailey
Well, the first ever Star Baker has to be somewhere on the list doesn't he? Also, he got a bit emosh on the phone to his mum when he let her know and that earns just as emotionally overwhelmed brownie points as his bloody insane BLT Loaf cake. It looked more like bread than bread.
Instagram tells us that he had a watching party with his friends and fam too, so if you want to have a stalk of his other miraculous bakes, his Insta is @spongecakesquaretin (bless him).
Julia Chernogorova
Purely for having the most expressive face in the world, Julia has earned a solid place on this list. Also she's 21 years old and apparently quit her job to be on the show. Talk about dedication to a bloody delicious cause.
Liam Charles
I feel like this guy makes Paul nervous and we're here for it. Rumour has it that among his friends he's referred to as 'cake boy' which is bloody brilliant. I'm not sure how long that nickname will stick after not doing all that great in cake week, but still...
Because what's Bake Off without an underdog?
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Follow Jazmin on Instagram @JazKopotsha
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.