I competed on the ninth season of "Bake Off".
I competed in the ninth season of "The Great British Bake Off" and spent three weeks in the tent.
In my first week on the show, I met 11 amazing bakers.
I only practiced my recipes for week 1 because I had never baked before.
I had no idea what I was in for when I competed on "The Great British Bake Off" in the summer of 2018).
I made it through three golden weeks on the show, and now I'm sharing what really happens in the most sought-after tent.
I applied for the show and competed in Biscuit Week.
I got a spot in the beloved tent after weeks of interviews and evaluations.
I moved to London from the South of India two years before I was on "Bake Off", so I didn't know much about English culture.
I was in that tent of dreams after an ex of mine applied for me because of my love for food and my interest in baking.
The production company reads thousands of applications and makes many phone calls for the first round. The application process takes weeks of interviews and a test to see if you can handle the pressure.
I got my first call when I was in the sunny Canary Islands.
I was completely unprepared when I walked in.
I practiced my bakes for week one.
The tent is very special. You move into a hotel for an extended four-day weekend and meet the other 11 talented home bakers who make the episodes special.
I only practiced my biscuits for week one as we were getting acquainted. The next two weeks were just dreams.
"Get set, bake," they said. The baking was questionable.
The bakers were given the themes for all 10 weeks of challenges to create recipes for the signatures and show-stoppers. Each week was a complete surprise.
I had to submit my ideas for the two challenges in advance, so I was able to create dreamy recipes like an elephant-head biryani pie and a zip line from a mountain of bread.
I remember telling Ruby that I was going to do a show in London. She thought she should not give away her secrets because she might be a great competitor.
The three Indian bakers in the tent, me, Ruby, and Rahul, had similar plans. It was almost like an Indian bake-off with butter chicken, spices, and biryani.
During filming, I worked as a bank teller and baked all weekend.
I was not prepared for what was waiting inside and outside the tent.
The production company made sure that confidentiality was maintained until the season's bakers were publicly announced. I remember getting a message saying "meet us at 11:15 at this station and person X will pick you up"
You weren't allowed to share any information, and phones weren't allowed for the period of filming.
The filming was done over the weekends as some of us in the tent were also working full-time. Our social media was closely watched by the production team and there was no meeting other bakers in public.
Several people broke this rule and were told off.
The tent was a dream, but there's so much happening behind the scenes that viewers don't see.
There are many things happening in the tent.
Welford Park is a beautiful estate with beds of snowdrops and green pastures, and was the location for our year.
The tent is large on television, but it is not that big. Guess how many people are in that tent? There's at least 100 people operating cameras, sound, lights, and more.
There are 12 bakers having a chat with two judges and two hosts on television.
The shots are pointing in the opposite direction from the wide views of the tent. The show in the aisle is being created by an army of superstars.
It's intense because you get thrown into an experience that you have no idea about, the judges with their judgemental eyes and comments, and the camera people in your face.
I was kicked out that first week, but luckily I succeeded in getting back in.
That's the first week of it. Follow along as I tell you more about the tent.
But until then.
I wish I knew a few things before I went on the show.
1. I should have read more about classical British bakes.
The first week's technical was Paul's favorite childhood biscuit, Wagon Wheels, a crisp shortbread sandwiched with marshmallows and raspberries jam and coated with chocolate.
I didn't know what these were, and they didn't reach India. I remember my mess being big.
2. It would have been helpful to know more about British television and media.
You get to connect with people in the British media industry after you do the show.
I was completely unaware of who the people were and expected them to introduce themselves, which I think a few people took offense to. It's time to get famous.
3. I would really like to take a break from my day job.
I woke up early to hit the road again after I burned out quickly working at a bank and practicing bakes all night long.
Antony was on a show. If you worked on a reality-TV show and would like to be paid to write about it, email pdifiore at insider.com.
The original article is on Insider.
