Why Great British Bake Off Fans Are Freaking Out Over A Spatula

What does it take to win the "Great British Bake Off?" While you need some high-level baking skills for sure, this is reality TV, after all. That means contestants not only need to be able to bake under pressure, but they also have to put up with a certain amount of made-for-TV weirdness. Ok, so "GBBO" isn't as extreme as some shows. To date, no contestants have been asked to incorporate live squid into their gateaux, nor are they made to bake while chained at the ankle to that same squid. (PETA UK would undoubtedly have quite a bit to say about it should they ever attempt anything along these lines.) Still, there's always something odd going on, usually thanks to Noel Fielding.

During the finale of this season's show, Noel brought out a character he's used before: "Mr. Spatula." Spatula's cute-yet-creepy little face (via Twitter), as well as his name, are reminiscent of Mr. Socko, the sock puppet sidekick of WWE hardcore legend Mick Foley. While Socko was used in Foley's lethal "mandible claw" finisher (via The Sportster), Mr. Spatula isn't quite as aggressive. Still, according to some "GGBO" fans, dissing the spatula can have an equally devastating effect when it comes to determining the outcome of a match.

In a video clip posted to Twitter, Noel is seen introducing Mr. Spatula to Giuseppe Dell'Anno. "This is Mr. Spatula," he says, adding "You just have to kiss his head and then you win." It seems that by this point both Chigs and Crystelle had passed on the opportunity, but the eventual winner gamely gave that spatula a smooch.

Coincidence? Reddit doesn't think so. In a thread recapping the final episode of "The Great British Bake Off 2021," one person commented "Noel was right, the only person who kissed the spatula was the winner!," to which someone else replied, "Yes my first thought when he kissed the spatula!" Another Redditor advised, "Never spurn Noel's spatula," while a true believer declared, "MR SPATULA IS TOO POWERFUL." Twitter concurred, with one person posting, "I'd like to point out, Noel said 'If you kiss Mr Spatula, you'll win', and Giuseppe was the only one to kiss him, so... ," while someone else tweeted, "Giuseppe kissing the spatula did the trick then!"

So was it really Giuseppe's deference to the almighty spatula that determined his victory, rather than his panna cotta? We can't say for sure, but if anyone ever invites you to cozy up to a kitchen utensil, it may be a good idea to play along –- at least, if that invite comes from Noel Fielding and you're under the big white tent.