The Reason There Is No Dishwasher On The Great British Baking Show

The Great British Baking Show is a binge-worthy reality competition show perfect for anyone who enjoys cheeky British humor and can appreciate an eyeful of the most impressive cakes, patisseries, and pastries you've ever seen. The show takes place in a tent on the grounds of a picturesque location in England where the contestants compete for the title of Great Britain's Best Baker (per Pure Wow).

Each week, viewers watch as the bakers hustle their way through three timed challenges, and by the end of each test, their work stations, equipment, and the bakers themselves sometimes look like a hot mess. Any home cook who's a stickler about "cleaning as you go" probably cringes at the sight of the piles of dishes left behind, but surely there's a dishwasher somewhere on set, right? Nope! As GBBO's Chief Home Economist Faenia Moore told BBC's Good Food, "A dishwasher would be too noisy and take longer." Moore went on to explain, 'If you've got caramel, you've got to use plenty of elbow grease, so a human washer-upper is best." We can't help but wonder – who is the unsung hero handling all that clean-up?

Iva Vcelak is the wizard behind the curtain who scrubs every speck of flour, icing, and sugar from the equipment on the set of The Great British Baking Show, and she does a thorough job of it, too. The Daily Mail reports Vcelak can spend as many as 16 hours a day washing dirty dishes in the tent and every season she cleans her way through 1,000 dishcloths, 80 sponges, and eight gallons of dish soap. We get why Moore told Good Food, "I just give Iva regular hugs!"

Watching the show, it's obvious some of the bakers work more neatly than others. But with complicated challenges like pudding-filled pastries and ice cream cakes, a mountain of dirty dishes is inevitable. According to The Daily Mail, there can be 12 to 20 ingredients to prep per contestant, per bake, although one particular challenge required 124 ingredients. Can you imagine all the tiny bowls and ramekins involved? Somebody give Iva Vcelak another hug – she's earned it!