Paul Hollywood's Hilarious Excuse For Avoiding GBBO Auditions
Known for his icy blue eyes and straightforward persona, Paul Hollywood is a baker, chef, author, formally-trained sculptor, and celebrated television presenter. As the long-standing judge of the "Great British Bake Off," Hollywood brings a sharp, professional edge to the amateur baking competition. While his brooding machismo is intimidating for the novice bakers who compete for the title of the U.K.'s best amateur baker, Hollywood has a soft side, too.
When he's not ranking technical challenges, prodding at soggy bottoms, or plotting where his next Hollywood Handshake will land, you can find Paul Hollywood and co-juror Prue Leith taking a load off with beer and champagne after 12-hour shoot days (Per The Sun). A man infatuated with the world of food and hospitality, Hollywood once baked a pizza for the Season 12 contestants, proving that he's less of a browbeating "Bake Off" judge and more so a man of exquisite taste and experience.
With 12 "Bake Off" seasons under his belt and no apparent plans to exit the show, the acclaimed patissier plays an indispensable role in the award-winning series. But recently, Hollywood bowed out from his involvement in the show's auditions (per Express).
Paul Hollywood can't eat that much cake
Prior to the "Bake Off" auditions, rookie bakers must go through a lengthy application process that includes an extensive skills and personality test. Hopeful contestants must also submit photos of their work, and if selected, proceed to a challenging phone interview. Finally, if they make it past the first two steps of the application process, bakers are invited to a live audition in front of the show's staff (per Insider).
Despite a lifetime of intimate experience with cakes, pastries, and all things baked, even star bakers like Paul Hollywood have a limit on how much sugar and milk they can consume. With nearly 20,000 rookie bakers auditioning each year (per Express), it's hard to disagree with Hollywood's choice to dismiss himself from the show's auditions — who can eat that much cake?
Considering that he's devouring an array of baked delicacies for 10 weeks straight during "Bake Off," tasting the work of thousands more bakers prior to filming would likely send him home with a gnarly case of IBS (and an awful sugar crash). Fair enough, Hollywood.