Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith were pretty shocked by their trip across the pond.
The Great British Baking Show judges, who are now pulling double duty as the judges of the series' U.S. spinoff The Great American Baking Show, are revealing how surprised they were by the caliber of bakers on the show's upcoming celebrity holiday special, which include celebrities like The Good Place star D'Arcy Carden, comedian Joel Kim Booster, NFL legend Marshawn Lynch, actor and writer Nat Faxon, social media star Liza Koshy and Saturday Night Live's Chloe Fineman.
"I was surprised with their bakes and the standard of baking—very surprised, actually," Hollywood exclusively told E! News. "I was surprised by Liza—some of the stuff she did was pretty good. I do watch American football, so I was keen to meet Marshawn. I actually nicked his hoodie, as well, when he'd finished. He left it in my trailer for me. I thought, 'Oh, thank you very much, mate. That's great!'"
Leith herself was equally impressed with the former Seahawks running back, adding that while she's never watched a football game, she became a "complete devotee" of Lynch "because he is such a nice guy."
But the judge was most moved by how quickly the celebrity bakers embraced the generous Baking Show spirit.
"They bonded very quickly," she explained. "They almost immediately started helping each other. It sounds a bit sentimental, but I think the best thing about Baking Show is the atmosphere in that tent. Especially after Covid, I think that's what people need. When you're watching television, you don't want more stress...what you want is an hour of kindness and cooperation and all the things that make the world go 'round."
Find out which celebrity baker takes home the coveted Baking Show cake plate on The Great American Baking Show Celebrity Holiday Special, now available to stream on The Roku Channel.