Great British Baking Show 2019 winner claims misleading editing on show

(Stop reading now to avoid spoilers)

Devon Ivie interviewed Great British Baking Show 2019 winner David Atherton and finalist Steph Blackwell for Vulture.

Among other things, David described some of the terrific moments edited out of the show:

Were you bummed that certain moments of your “fun” side weren’t included?
Kind of. My absolute favorite moment didn’t make the cut. When I made my cinnamon rolls during Bread Week, I baked a whole new set of cinnamon rolls for the crew and the other bakers because I had the time. They all came around my desk, had a roll, and we chatted for a bit. I could have spent more time doing my bake, but that’s me. I’m not competitive. I loved the buzz of the tent and being with everyone. I bake for people! I guess it wasn’t part of the story Baking Show wanted to show.

It’s funny because I remember seeing a handful of scenes of you hanging out in the background with your completed bakes, while the other bakers are freaking out and racing against the clock. I don’t recall that happening much in the past before. Did you always finish so early?
Pretty much every time. [Laughs.] I always thought I could be doing more things, but I didn’t want to overthink it. People always said my bench was the cleanest, and that’s because I had nothing else to do. Obviously the edit made it seem like everyone was down to the wire, and lots of people were, but I finished early on almost every single bake. Around an hour early.

How would you pass the time in the tent when you were done?
I’d go around and help the other bakers, but then the producers would tell me to go back to my station because I was spoiling the edit for the cameras. [Laughs.] So I’d clean and sit in silence. Or talk to the crew.