NADIYA FOR THE GOLD! NADIYA FOR THE GOLD! Do you believe in miracles?!
Oh wait, sorry, we’re not watching the Olympics. But with all that’s going on in Rio, it’s hard not to watch Great British Baking Show and picture Nadiya on a podium with, "God Save the Queen" playing, as she is triumphantly declared Britain’s greatest amateur baker.
And, just like the American gymnastics team competing, not even clever editing and commentary could make the final results a nail-biter. Nadiya — the Simone Biles of her sport — was destined for glory.
Of course, it didn’t always seem that way. Starting out, Nadiya struggled mightily on the technicals, with her other bakes trending toward middle-of-the-pack. Slowly, however, her technicals caught up to her constantly improving showstoppers, which began to set the standard for what stopping a show should actually look like.
Even going into the tent, it was still anyone's title to win, but after the signature it became clear that Nadiya was the only one who truly brought her A-game. Blame it on choking under the pressure, but even Star Baker extraordinaire Ian underperformed — he couldn’t keep his math straight and forgot to add all the ingredients to his carrot cake.
The best part was when the judges were diabolical enough to give a pastry challenge for the final technical — and the contestants were savvy enough to figure out that it was because all three of them struggled with that skill. Poor Tamal came in third, despite a badly needed boost for his poorly reviewed sticky buns. Nadiya, already the clear frontrunner after her signature iced buns, came in first.
Going into the showstopper, I once again thought about the American gymnastics team and how Simone Biles is famously competing against herself at this point. Nadiya basically just needed to maintain, while both Tamal and Ian had a lot to prove. In the end, both could go out with their heads held high: Tamal salvaged his so-so performance thus far with some gorgeous sugar work, and Ian served up the best carrot cake Paul had ever tasted.
But it was Nadiya’s Big Fat British Wedding Cake that, pardon the pun, took the cake. The winner was annouced at a tea party with family and past contestants. Upon winning, Nadiya burst into tears, and her proud family stormed the field. Later, she told the cameras that she’s done limiting herself or selling herself short and NO I’M NOT CRYING YOU’RE THE ONE CRYING.
Seriously, it’s hard to have imagined a better ending. I will always have a huge crush on Tamal, but Nadiya winning had me on my feet cheering. And now that I know the winner, I can safely Google the show to see what everyone’s been up to and YOU GUYS Nadiya made a cake for the Queen. What have we done to deserve this show? I don’t know, but I’m so glad to live in a world where it exists. Can we have another season, please?