Did Seven’s Zumbo’s Just Desserts take slices from LifeStyle FOOD channel’s Great Australian Bake-Off?

THE TV industry water cooler is at boiling point, with debate Seven’s new cooking show is a cookie-cutting of Foxtel’s Great Australian Bake-Off.

CALL it The Great Australian Rip Off debate — has Seven’s new cooking series, Zumbo’s Just Desserts just served up Foxtel’s rival program, The Great Australian Bake Off?

Industry insiders and fans of the LifeStyleFood channel format have accused Zumbo’s series producers of borrowing heavily from the established and top-rating Bake Off format, presented locally by food heroine Maggie Beer and celebrity chef, Matt Moran.

Despite delivering solid ratings on debut for Seven, the baking competition — based around the Willy Wonka profile of patisserie king Adriano Zumbo and co-hosted by British cook Rachel Khoo — does bare a remarkable likeness to the Bake Off franchise, first created by Love Productions in the UK and sold by BBC Worldwide into Australia.

EMBARGOED AUG24 The Great Australian Bake-Off stars Maggie Beer and Matt Moran. Picture: Supplied

The Bake Off concept is not a new one to Australia, with the first attempt made to translate it for local audiences on Nine (in 2013), then Foxtel, who will air its second season in October.

But the similarities between Seven’s attempt and the latest GABO have raised eyebrows from the outset — with the Zumbo program mimicking the opening aerial montage, through to the sketchbook-style of graphics used to illustrate each contestant’s recipe, as used on the popular LifeStyle FOOD program.

In its debut episode, Zumbo’s Just Desserts opened with a sweeping drone shot high over the brick building, mocked up to look like the Wonka chocolate factory; matching GABO’s introduction last year, almost frame by frame.

Great Australian Bake Off's graphics.

Zumbo's Just Desserts graphics. Picture: Supplied

Foxtel and BBC Worldwide would not be drawn on the comparison, but it is understood the issue “is being looked into” on behalf of Love Productions.

A Seven spokesperson told News Corp Australia: “we totally reject the premise.

This show, Zumbo’s Just Desserts is just that , Zumbo’s Desserts. His passion is at the centre of the show and his desserts are the stars of the show. This beautiful show is about Zumbo’s passion for flavour, texture and mouth-watering presentation. Zumbo’s Just Desserts was inspired by the fact that everybody loves dessert, often, it’s the favourite part of the meal.”

Zumbo's Just Dessert aerial shot. Picture: Screengrab.

Great Australian Bake Off aerial shot. Picture: Supplied/screen grab

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But Seven has previously objected to other networks infringing on its copyright, successfully taking Nine to court over the latter’s now axed program, The Hotplate, which it said had copied its My Kitchen Rules format.

The Olympic broadcaster had used its Games platform to promote the cooking contest on high rotation; a strategy which was rewarded with a national audience of 1.081 viewers (five-city metro), pushing Nine’s The Block (961,000 people) and Ten’s Australian Survivor (734K) down the pecking order.

Cooking the numbers...Zumbo beats out The Block and Survivor on debut. Picture: Supplied

The staying power of their new program’s audience also buoyed Seven, with a spokesperson adding: “the audience tumbled in and stayed. It’s what the industry describes as “sticky” which is appropriate really.”

But the court of public opinion on social media was not as kind, critical of the duplication and dissing the show and its presenters as “dull.”

#zumbosjustdesserts is a poor mans #greatbritishbakeoff hyped for Wednesday 🇬🇧🍰

— Clare Williamson (@cxwilliamson) August 22, 2016

Unfortunately The Great Zumbo Bake Off is just a bit dull #zumbosjustdesserts

— Jack Manny (@Jackmanny125) August 22, 2016

Bake off - good. #zumbosjustdesserts - bad.

— Princess Awesome (@totalfrog) August 22, 2016

Is #zumbosjustdesserts ch 7 version of Masterchef but sweets? ...clock for timed challenges, zumbo tests & eliminated contestants... #awkies

— Sarah Stokes (@Lovedupcloset) August 22, 2016

#zumbosjustdesserts is like mkr mixed with great Aussie bakeoff

— thetipsman (@thetipsguru) August 22, 2016

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