A persistent amateur baker from Esquimalt is taking on some sweet challenges in front of a national audience.

Breaking records before even facing the first televised task, Jen Childs claims the title for most applications to The Great Canadian Baking Show, having auditioned for the show every year since the first season.

B次元官网网址淚f you want to get better at something, itB次元官网网址檚 important to face new challenges and maybe to take some risks,B次元官网网址� she told the Victoria B次元官网网址. B次元官网网址淎 TV show is just that.B次元官网网址�

Hurdles are something Childs faces intentionally, regularly racing on extreme obstacle courses.

B次元官网网址淚f you take up those challenges and do the hard things by choice when the trials come up in life itB次元官网网址檚 little bit easier. And itB次元官网网址檚 a lot of fun.B次元官网网址�

The application itself is like a B次元官网网址渟elf-imposed workshopB次元官网网址� as experimentation kicked into high gear ahead of casting, according to the mom and book keeper.

Her kids B次元官网网址� now 9, 11 and 13 B次元官网网址� grew up enjoying B次元官网网址渂aking seasonB次元官网网址�.

B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檝e been around for the full adventure,B次元官网网址� Childs said with a laugh. B次元官网网址淭hey know itB次元官网网址檚 time I dedicate to something I want to get good at B次元官网网址� and they get to taste it all.B次元官网网址�

Each year she hit various levels of acceptance. Now in its eighth season, 45-year-old hit the mark B次元官网网址� competing against fellow British Columbian Marcus Tam, a 30-year-old tax manager from Vancouver, and eight other bakers from Alberta, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario.

The show brings together 10 amateur bakers from across the country to compete in a series of themed culinary challenges that celebrate their diverse backgrounds, families and communities.

Sworn to secrecy over the show filmed in the heat of spring in Toronto, led to some awkward situations from supportive family and friends who knew full-well she couldnB次元官网网址檛 divulge B次元官网网址� yea or nay. But the whole family kept the secret as Childs embarked on weeks of preparation, and planned for six weeks of filming (time will tell how many of those weeks she needed).

Each episode features three rounds: the signature bake, the technical bake and the show stopper. After the judges taste and critique the bakes, they crown one Star Baker and ask one baker to leave. The final three bakers compete for the title.

B次元官网网址淚t really is set up like a baking retreat or summer camp. ItB次元官网网址檚 set up as dedicated time to dive into more baking,B次元官网网址� she said.

She also came away with a wonderful new library of recipes.

B次元官网网址淭he really fun takeaway was that I got to prepare so many new recipes and had to write them down which IB次元官网网址檓 not very good at normally.B次元官网网址�

Among the favourites is her Black Forest cake crafted as her Episode 1 B次元官网网址渟how stopperB次元官网网址�, in part because it started as her late mother-in-lawB次元官网网址檚 recipe. The cake took shape B次元官网网址�  the rules dictated a split cake B次元官网网址� inspired by a woman who nourished those around her. Those kind of connections and stories are common among the bakers and recipes, Childs said.

It may have helped in development of a camaraderie that remains even stronger than she anticipated.

B次元官网网址淏akers are fun to hang out with,B次元官网网址� she said during a phone interview while on the road to Ontario for an obstacle course race, and a visit with a new friend and fellow baker.

Childs hopes viewers will root for everyone, regardless of when each baker is sent packing.

B次元官网网址淚 hope people can cheer for all the bakers because theyB次元官网网址檙e all spectacular.B次元官网网址�

The eight-episode show premiered Oct. 6 and streams weekly on Sunday mornings on CBC Gem followed by broadcast on CBC TV at 8 p.m.