The Great British Bake Off witnessed its most dramatic episode ever on 1 October, when one contestant quit and two others collapsed.
The much-loved and award-winning show returned for its 15th season on Tuesday but what is usually a wholesome slice of entertainment soon went awry as contestants crumbled under the pressure of ‘biscuit week’.
The long-running show returned on 24 September with 12 new bakers hoping to take the crown with one contestant bursting into tears on the first episode.
However, Tuesday’s episode featured scenes not usually associated with the series leading judge Paul Hollywood to declare: “What the hell is going on?”
It started with Jeff, a former university lecturer, who was suffering from illness during episode one’s ‘cake week’ and decided “I’ve had enough” in the latest episode.
Speaking to presenter Alison Hammond, the 57-year-old said “I’m done” due to feeling unwell for a second week running. Consoling Jeff, Hammond said: “You tried man. You tried.”
The drama only escalated from there as during the final showstopper challenge, 31-year-old midwife Illiyin, who impressed the judges during episode one, told the crew she “felt a bit dizzy”, before being helped to the floor by medics and put in the recovery position.
A concerned Prue Leith asked Illiyin: “Are you all right?”
As she was guided away by medics, Illyin joked: “Handshakes the first episode, fainting the second.”
With Illiyin unable to present her biscuits for the judges, host Noel Fielding decided to step in for her. The comedian didn’t much enjoy the experience though, claiming: “God this is horrible. I’ve had nightmares about this.”
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The final drama came when Dylan fell off his chair – to which Essex car mechanic, Andy, exclaimed, “They’re dropping like flies!”
There were worries that Dylan had also fainted but he quickly confirmed that he had fallen off his chair while trying to reach for his water bottle.
Viewers at home were left stunned by the events. One fan wrote: “Desperately sad for Jeff! But brave to call it quits before it got too much.”
Another said: “What happened to the feel good fun show. I don’t want people so stressed they collapse.”
A third added: “Blimey #GBBO was a bit dramatic today! A walkout, a collapse and a fall, and it’s only episode 2!”
The drama comes after Prue Leith recently revealed that she tried to quit as a judge from the Channel 4 show.
Leith said she realised Bake Off’s filming schedule had become too intense when she was forced to sacrifice time off and seeing her family in order to keep up with the show’s demands.
Speaking to The Mirror, she said: “I was in a new house and I hardly saw the garden, I hardly saw my family and I never had a summer holiday.”