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If youve never seen them, that wont matter, because baking rum babas and tarte tatin is timeless.

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That feels even more true now than it was then.

This list of the ten reasons why I love season five ofThe Great British Baking Show(a.k.a.

season three ofThe Great British Bake-off) explains why.

I think it was the right decision, says one contestant after she gets eliminated.

I cant say anything more than how decent they were about it, she says to the camera.

They were both very, very decent.

Very, very decent: Thats the best way to describeThe Great British Baking Show.

Things like: Mary Berry said it was scrummy, which is really amazing.

And: Oh, Brendan, you are a clever sausage.

And: Oh, my giddy aunt, which, in case you didnt know, isan actual saying.

Im really, really cross with myself, Sarah-Jane says after a particularly frustrating round.

By the way, Sarah-Jane is a stay-at-home mum and the wife of a vicar.

Its all very … gentle.

But when the bakers are having problems, they also function as ego boosters and life coaches.

In one of the final rounds, a baker completely screws up and drops a cake on the floor.

you’ve got the option to make a new one, eh?

I think I can, he responds.

Of course you could!

No chef gets left behind or left un-bucked-up onThe Great British Baking Show!

Hollywood will play bad cop and flat-out say he doesnt like something.

And then good cop Berry will soften it with a compliment about how the flavors are still lovely.

The consistency in all this is very soothing.

Thats like instructing people to make the trifle Rachel accidentally made onFriends, except onpurpose.

The Skill Level of the Bakers

All 12 of the competitors are technically amateurs.

But they are still very good at what they do and well-versed on a lot of cooking techniques.

Bless those people, but they cant even sort out the ingredients to use in a basic cupcake.

By the end, hes got poor Sue Perkins putting her head in her hands out of exasperation.

Somehow, though, he manages to keep turning in star-level bakes.

I breathe more easily and instantly relax when I watch it.