American version of ‘Great British Bake Off ’ shelved over sex allegations
THE US version of The Great British Bake Off has come to a halt after one of its judges was accused of sexual misconduct.
The allegations were levelled at Johnny Iuzzini, 43, an American pastry chef who has been a judge in all three series of the US show.
The allegations relate to his time as chef at the Jean-georges restaurant at Trump International Hotel and Tower, New York. Mr Iuzzini judged The Great American Baking Show alongside Paul Hollywood, the Bake Off judge who stars in the UK version on Channel 4.
US website Mic reported that four former employees alleged they had been assaulted or harassed by Mr Iuzzini. One said she left her job “because of the way he treated” her after he repeatedly put his “tongue in her ear”.
She was one of two pastry chefs and two unpaid staff who came forward with allegations of misconduct against Mr Iuzzini between 2009 and 2011. The chef released a statement saying he was “shattered and heartbroken at the thought that any of my actions left members of my team feeling hurt or degraded. Many of the other allegations are inaccurate, others I don’t recall and none were meant to hurt people.”
After just two episodes, ABC cancelled the rest of the third series of six. ABC said it would no longer be working with Mr Iuzzini. A spokesman said: “ABC takes matters such as those described in the allegations seriously and has come to the conclusion that they violate our standards of conduct.”
The show was something of a coup for Hollywood.
His role as judge was seen as a second attempt to find fame in America after he was dropped from The American Baking Competition after he had an extra-marital affair with Marcela Valladolid, his co-judge on the show.