Why Do The Bake Off Contestants Wear The Same Clothes Each Episode?

With 15 seasons now under it’s belt, it’s safe to say that The Great British Bake Off is a well-oiled machine of a reality TV show. But some things – or rather, mysteries – still distract us from the onscreen shenanigans of the hosts, judges and bakers. The elephant in the room? The Bake Off contestants and their clothes – more specifically, their outfit repeats.

What Really Goes On With The Bake Off Contestants’ Clothes

Christiaan, Illiyin, Gill, Nelly, Georgie and Dylan walking into tent | The Great British Bake Off Series 15

Do The Bakers Wear Their Own Clothes?

For the most part, yes. The bakers typically wear their own clothes and a combination of stylist-provided add-ons and accessories when they appear in an episode of Bake Off. (So yes, these people really are that fashionable, or unfashionable, in real life.) In previous years, the show has taken the lead in dressing contestants, but more recent seasons have allowed the bakers to wear what they like.

The only rules provided by the show are that contestants don’t wear anything with highly visible logos, patterns that are easily distorted on TV or anything deemed offensive. The bakers are also encouraged to wear colourful clothes – no black – and tap into the episode theme (think of 70s Week in Bake Off‘s most recent season).

Why Do The Bake Off Contestants Wear The Same Clothes?

Previous bakers on the show have explained it’s simply a continuity measure. The Great British Bake Off is usually filmed over a 10-week period during spring, with each episode taking a few days (often back-to-back) to film. This means that the bakers would often have to wear the same outfits multiple days in a row, so that shots for the episode can be more easily edited and spliced together. This also avoids the issue of having to change clothes for a retake.

Noel Fielding and Georgie

But it’s not a part of the show that all bakers have enjoyed. As you may have noticed, baking isn’t a particularly clean and tidy hobby – and many bakers finish a day of filming looking like they’ve gone through the wringer. Series 8 baker Stacey Hart told Insider that the working conditions also left a lot of contestants not smelling too great. ‘All these people in the stinky heat, can you imagine? It was a nightmare,’ she said. ‘It was horrendous. All my aprons were black. Totally black.’

‘If you are a baker, you are sweating in those clothes and you’re proper stinky,’ added series 9 contestant Antony Amourdoux. ‘The first week all of us were stinking the second day.’

So, clean clothes were a must. And if more filming for the episode falls on the next day, the bakers were expected to have their clothes washed, ironed and stain-free in less than 24 hours. Speaking to Digital Spy about the experience, series 11 contestant Laura Adlington said ‘it was a right pain in the a** having to wash, dry and iron your outfit after a long day of filming.’

Selasi Gbormittah, who was a baker on series 7 of the show, shared the sentiment in a piece on Metro. ‘Baking is a pretty physical pastime, with long hours on your feet, in hot, stressful conditions,’ he recalled. ‘I was very worried about a sweaty day in the tent so would spent the evening after the first day of filming hand-washing my tops in my hotel room sink with a bar of hotel soap and then dry them on the radiator overnight ready for the next day’s filming.’

Dylan and Noel Fielding

Other bakers got a little more creative. ‘Some of us had to resort to washing our clothes in the hotel bathtub, praying they will dry in time for the next day of filming,’ said Antony, who also noted that some contestants also ended up buying duplicates of their clothing to avoid the stress.

Do The Bakers Dress Up?

As mentioned, the contestants are encouraged to take the theme on board each week. And while some bakers choose to abstain, others really go all out.

‘For nearly all tent residents, this is the first time being filmed for the telly too, which means you do tend to plan your outfits nearly as much as your bakes,’ Selasi told Metro. ‘People might not have realised, but I would theme my outfits based on my bake and mood for that week. In week six I cracked out a floral shirt for botanical week and a red T-shirt for Tudor Week (red is also my favourite colour and I was celebrating having made it that far!). I’m a colourful guy and enjoy wearing clothes that reflect it.’

Do The Hosts & Judges Wear Their Own Clothes?

For Bake Off‘s hosts and judges, however, it’s a different story. Alison, Noel, Prue and Paul all have stylists working with them throughout the show. These are likely their own personal stylists, who help direct their onscreen wardrobes for various projects outside of Bake Off too.

Paul, Prue, Noel and Alison

So there you have it. The next time you find yourself watching an episode of Bake Off, keep in mind that the bakers on screen are probably wearing the same clothes as yesterday (or even the day before that). And definitely give them some praise for their stain removal skills.