Contestants On 'The Great British Bake Off'

It's refreshing to think that a show centered around cakes and biscuits can become such an international success. The Great British Bake Off is so popular in Britain that last year more people watched it than the Rio Olympics. 

And despite outrage over the departure of beloved judge Mary Berry, as well as losing hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins in the move from BBC to Channel 4, fans still sing its praises.

Sadly, Americans still have to wait for the revamped GBBO to kick off. Until then, here's a list of our favorite contestants who have baked their way into our hearts. 

He's the most cool, calm and collected baker to step foot in the tent: Not even the dreaded technical challenges phase him. And we love that one minute he's riding a motorcycle, and the next he's creating a triple-layered cake piped tip to cake stand with pink flowers.

She's the baking, dancing, Justin Bieber-loving grandmother you always wanted. Val bakes love into everything she makes, all the while supporting her fellow contestants as if they were her own grandchildren.

Aerospace engineer by day, baker by night. Not only are his creations delicious, but they are also engineering masterpieces—especially his rotating Tudor meat pies.  

After winning the 2015 Bake Off, Nadiya baked the Queen's 90th birthday cake. But perhaps her most memorable masterpiece is her layer cake, with the suspended soda can-shaped fondant pop hovering and fizzing above.  

Shy, quiet Ian blew audiences away when he won Star Baker three weeks in a row. His innovative creations include a bread flower bouquet, a triple-layered cheesecake and a charlotte russe shaped into Queen Victoria's crown.

Even though Paul was eliminated after Patisserie Week, he made perhaps the most memorable creation in Bake Off history: a magnificent bread lion made of three different types of bread, with rosemary sprigs for whiskers and almonds for claws.

A builder by trade, Richard applies his craftsmen skills to stunning sleights of hand like his technically astounding gingerbread pirate showstopper. Even hard-to-impress judge Paul Hollywood called it "genius."

The winner of season five, Nancy impressed the judges right off the bat with her cake guillotine, which cut her mini Jaffa cakes into perfectly uniform rounds. We also love how she seemed to forget Paul's name and simply called him "the male judge."

Despite being the youngest baker in the competition, Martha's 17 years proved to be enough to carry her through until late in the game. She now has her own cookbook and another one on the way.