GBBO contestant bullied online for making the finals

Spoiler alert: if you haven’t watched the semi-final episode of GBBO/GBBS, stop and return after you have done so.

I have to admit that my favorite contestant of the series did not make it through to the finals. Hermine made an unwise decision to use untested recipes in the semi-final, and she paid the price by being eliminated. Up to that point, she had outclassed Laura, who squeaked past her to make it to the last week of the competition. Despite her obvious disappointment, Hermine handled the departure with grace and dignity.

Unfortunately, online bullies began to harass Laura, and the comments became so toxic that Laura tweeted about it, saying “It’s okay to be sad your favorite person didn’t go through, but please remember it’s not my fault. I don’t make the decisions. GBBO is all about kindness and I haven’t seen much of that on here.” Hermine also responded to the haters, posting a message on Instagram in support of Laura. Paul Hollywood was also prompted to comment, noting that each week of the Bake Off is judged independently and has been since the show’s inception.

GBBO has been an uplifting program since it does not feature the same type of backbiting and challenges designed to provoke unnatural drama that many other food competitions possess. It is a shame that online trolls sully the show’s good natured disposition. Despite my quibbles with the show’s format since it moved to Channel 4 – it has moved toward other food competitions in character more than I like – it still felt like a balm in an otherwise crazy world. Let’s hope people can leave the vitriol behind and focus on the good instead.