The Block starts tonight

Everything is happening at once, as per usual in reality TV land, and I’m afraid The Block is not compulsory viewing as it once was. Hopefully they have not gone for stunt casting this season as the recent spate of whiners and “villains” was a real turn off.


They will be renovating a 1920s art deco building in the inner-city bayside suburb of Port Melbourne.
Tonight it’s on Nine from 7pm to 8.30pm, then 7.30pm Monday and Tuesday, then back on Sunday. Interesting that they’ve decided not to put it up against the Bachelor, but are happy to have it compete with Survivor and Zumbo.

THE CONTESTANTS

Ben and Andy
ben_andy
Ben, 24, Primary School Teacher; Andy, 25, Primary School Teacher
Ben and Andy are best mates from Geelong, Victoria. These guys are fulfiling the “larrikin Aussie” roles.

Chris and Kim
Chris_kim
Chris, 34, Detective; Kim, 32, School Teacher
From Newcastle, New South Wales. Chris and Kim have been married for four years and they have two kids. Not much hands-on reno experience.

Dan and Carleen
Dan_carleen
Dan, 55, Handyman; Carleen, 52, Hairdresser
From Perth, Western Australia. Dan and Carleen have been married for 30 years and have three adult sons. Good to see some people with grey hair on commercial television. This is their ninth reno so that will give them a leg up – whether they have a handle on the the styles the judges favour remains to be seen.

Julia and Sasha
Julia_sasha
Julia, 31, Property Stylist; Sasha, 43, Software Account Executive
From Melbourne, Victoria. The pair have been a couple for four years. Is this the first gay couple on the show since Gav and Waz? I think so, which means it’s been 13 years. Julia’s skills will stand them in good stead while Sasha apparently loves doing spreadsheets, so there’s no excuse for them blowing budgets.

Will and Karlie
will_Karlie
Will, 25, Electrician; Karlie, 25, Quantity Surveyor

From Brisbane, Queensland. Will and Karlie are engaged high-school sweethearts who have been together for nine years. So these guys are the “tradiest” couple, but Karlie says they are indecisive. Uh oh …

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59 Comments

  1. I am watching, based on the recommendation of some critic or other.
    Not loving it so far but then it often takes time to warm up to a bunch of people who suddenly find themselves on national tv.
    I suspect that I will be splitting my time between this and Survivor. The Block can be a bit much 5 days a week.

  2. BS-they have changed the builders’ rule. Now you can’t have builders work on consecutive Blocks. Shiran worked on consecutive Blocks. Last season, it was a limit of two Blocks. Grrr.

      • I think they cast more on the team’s locality as the Block rates better in regional Australia than metro Australia. There is usually a team from regional Victoria, regional NSW and WA. The other two spots are usually up for grabs.

        Don’t think everyone is straight this season.

  3. OMG-has Julia never watched a season of the Block? The Cam Van has always been a manual.

    She is seriously annoying me.

      • There were no eliminations last season which meant the viewer was stuck with Team Tinder. No eliminations again this season, which is a huge drawback as it means have to endure a team who do not have the mental stamina to get through the season. So the new team Tinder is the Sobbing Stylists.

  4. I tried to watch but I wound up fast forwarding through most of it because it was so boring. The best part was finding out about the history of the building. After that it was all downhill.
    I just finished watching The Block NZ and could barely make it through that. There were only four teams and at least they renovated individual homes rather than apartments. Some stupid challenges just like The Block AU, dancing and singing when driving and they also have the winning teams for each challenge choose a silly costume for the lowest scoring team to wear during the next week’s scoring. More stupidity. During the auction they didn’t even reveal the reserves until after bidding was done for each home.

  5. I was doing some clean up of my apartment while having the Block on. It was seriously boring. The wife of the first couple… why on earth is she having 2 hair colours? Black underneath and then blonde on top is so 2001. :O And it was over for me when he started going on about “I am SO competitive”. Yeah, great, next one. I think the only ones I can deal with are the boys because they are kind of the comic relief.
    Already soooooo many tears as well…

    Smythe, I also watched some episodes of The Block NZ. The host is awful. The one boys team was awful as well (the guys with the same names). Horrible on-camera-characters… Went to check the Facebook site and couldn’t believe that those ego-boys were super popular with the fans. :S
    Switched off after the third room reveal.

  6. Zhee…I couldn’t stand Dyls and Dylz at first but then they got better. However, that being said, the bigger one (not sure if that one was —s or —-z Dyl), acted like a spoiled brat frequently and that was irritating. Based on some of the things he said he seemed like a smart guy. Smart but very spoiled and acting very immaturely when critiqued or when the site foreman would ask him to take care of things. When it comes down to it, though, I really didn’t like any of the teams. It’s more fun to watch when there is at least one team that I like.
    The judges were awful. Two of the worst judges I have ever seen on a reno show.

  7. Didn’t want to wait if it got better. 😉 The whole show was worse than last season of the Australian Block.^^ And I couldn’t get through with this one either thanks to those unlikeable teams. Such horrible stunt casting…
    And yes the NZ are awful. They always are, every time I tried to watch a season, they had awful judges. Even when the teams were decent, the judges and the host were a major turn off. Next the that host Scott Cam seems like a genius. Plus dear god, that guy has such an annoying accent. I know that NZ somehow pronounces e really a lot like iiiihhhhhhhhhhh, but his version drove me crazy. 😀 Same in France, when people say wehhhh instead of oui (or when Germans cannot speak properly^^).
    And the worst part, the host ALWAYS reminds the teams to play dirty in order to secure themselves more money. Such an awful mentality. Seriously. I do not like it when others enforce peoples’ bad behaviour in order to get where they want to be. They always let them create kid’s rooms, so they want to emphasize family, and then they back up such shitty behaviour?

    • You are right. This show was worse than last season’s AU block and it was also the worst season ever of The Block NZ. Since I didn’t watch it live most of my viewing was done by fast forwarding. I just wanted to see the reno and the judging and I don’t know why I even bothered with that. The auction was abysmal and one didn’t even know how the teams where doing since the reserves were not posted. The team that won the most renos got the least amount of money. Guess the public did not like that house as much as the judges did.

      • I only watched the room reveals. And the couple that always won had really bland rooms and in my opinion injected zero personality.

  8. I thought it was ok – however, watching without my full attention. Out rated Survivor by 30%. I tuned in to Survivor as well – meh.

  9. Scotty gives the usual ‘you all deserve your spot on the Block,’…cough…cough…cough…we are looking at the sobbing stylists.

    Baby Boomers’ cube described as sensible and safe.

    Sobbing Stylists -the judges loves the colour palette and the panels. SS’s reaction was faux humility. The ensuite was ‘boring’.

    Teachers’s bunk bed kid’s room is ‘different and cute’. Execution ‘terrible’ and the ceiling is really bad. Bathroom was woeful but because we are all about positive reinforcement Shayna gives them a gold star.

  10. The WA team – ‘disappointed’ and not very stylish (really-reminds me of Shay and Dean’s style.)

    Team Nova- The judges state they are very organised and their pod has a ‘sense of luxury’ and is a great place to live for the next two weeks.It shows great precision and planning but their colour palette is 24 months out of date (24 months, really?) They were the only team to complete their ensuite with a shower screen. Score 27/30. They choose apartment 5.

    Coming in second is the sobbing stylists with 25/30 They choose Apartment 4, Julia is very, very, very fake with her panto acting.

    Baby Boomers score 24/30 . Choose Apartment 2 and the Vault.

    Teachers score 22/30. Choose Apartment 3.

    WA Team come last. Get Apartment 2 which has the Court Yard.

    Budget is $200000 in cash + vouchers.

  11. The Vault is ‘minus $40 000′ of either off the Baby Boomers’ reserve or extra cash if they need it plus $3000 in Reece vouchers and an assortment of fixtures and fittings.

  12. Exactly Maz, who needs a 7x4m dressing room. That is the size of my dining/living area. Split 60/40 it is still a huge ensuite & dressing room. Good on the young’uns for being practical. Not sure it is a good idea of Nova’s to use the small terrace for the bath. For me, any private outdoor space is premium in apartment. I hope that in reality they get more than 7 days to build each room. It would be a shame to see super crap installed in this beautiful old building.

  13. Baby boomers lucky with their choice. An additional $40,000 and all the other goodies. I wonder if they would have chosen that apartment if they had been first or second.
    Are the Stylists Australians? They sound and act like CA Valley girls.
    Boys very smart with splitting the dressing area, moving the ensuite there and replacing the original ensuite with a 4th bathroom.

    • Think the Boys and the Baby Boomers are ahead. The vault gave a glimpse of what the more realistic budget for the reno is ($250k in cash i.e. $200k upfront + $10k for the inevitable room win + $40k in the vault) plus the hints received in the fixtures of what the apartment should incorporate). Have noted that they have not spelt out what each voucher is worth this season.

      The boys-well who doesn’t want the 4th bedroom?

      Surprised that none of the teams have secured their real estate agent yet. The smart ones go out early, get an auctioneer who has won the Block and then grill them on what they should have in the apartment for that price range.

      My guess is the Baby Boomers would have chosen either apartment 4 or 5.

  14. Heritage Rules:
    1. Need to re-use the architraves and skirting boards (and the teams need to restore the material)

    No guesses which teams had a problem with that – it is killing the buzz.

    Why are the contestants hugging the Beaumont Tiles staff?

  15. First Keithy drama

    1. Dan vs Keith -screed needs to be removed. Keith argues it is a sandpit and needs to be removed and Dan argues it is wet concrete. Keith wins.

  16. Wow, the annual plumbing argument.

    Dramas in Apartment 4- floors 20mm out. Think the builders’ tenure is going to be short-lived.

  17. Okay-if Apartment 4 floor is out and Dan needs to rescreed (holding up the apartments above and below) then why doesn’t the girls’ rescreed as well to avoid the ‘feathering’ issue across the whole apartment.

    Geez-the girls are crying AGAIN.

  18. We think they cast police officers so they can do a stupid mock cop show. All the car mirrors are missing. Will the case be solved???

  19. i am convinced that when a couple is looking on track (or might even finish early) the producers magic up a “builder error”

    • Definitely. Every season. The ‘storyline’ is sooo old now, but apartment buildings are easier, and cheaper, for production to keep up the same old schtick. Separate houses was so much better for renovation value.

  20. BS drama – Dan’s tilers didn’t have the right insurance. Surely, it is an issue that could have been easily resolved.

  21. Shayna must spend a lot of time in the bathroom doing her makeup because it’s the first thing she comments on. Since the dressing room is massive I would be thinking of trying to incorporate a makeup vanity in there.

    • Exactly, storage and make-up are Shayna’s mantra when it comes to bathrooms.

      They judges didn’t exactly elucidate as to what art deco is. From tonight’s episode one would assume art deco is including hints of black and that’s it.

      • Yeah, i get the storage comments because, there really is no excuse in a bathroom / apartment that big not to have storage but the comments about the makeup thing annoyed me when they still have a massive master bedroom and dressing room to come… Of course I don’t do my makeup in the bathroom, mainly because i like to sit down and i also like to get up closer to the mirror which i have better access to do in the bedroom.

        i googled art deco bathroom, Dan and Carlene were probably the closest, in terms of full on art deco, but really the couples would be better to follow Julia and Sashas lead and just to add touches of art deco here there, if they go all out, they are really limiting their market.

  22. Karlie & Will: This is vast. No proper lighting, Black blinds are a touch of art deco. Don’t feel panic in the room. Styling says luxury. Bathroom has style appeal.

    Dan & Carleen: Wow. Ticks so many boxes. Feels modern but so deco at the same time, Darren says he ‘hates it”. Hates the plith, hates the placement of the towel rack. Neale hates the candles and bogan accessories. Shayna really hates the styling.

    Andy and Ben: Pretty smart to create the 4th bedroom. Looks cheap. Concrete tiles, scandi vanity, basic chrome tapware. Shayna said they should start again. They should not style with Radox and $1 Bic razors.

    Sasha and Julia: This is the business claims Darren. They like the black mitring. Of course they pick of the issues with the taps.

    Nova: Neale was really disappointed. It was totally off brief. It was souless.
    According to Shayna, it is ugly and has an awful colour combination.
    It feels bizarre said Neale of the toilet roll holder. The judges see no point in putting the bath in the loggia.

    Darren, Shayna, Neale

    Nova: 7, 6.5,6=19.5
    Cry Babies:9, 8.5,9=26.5
    Bendy:7.5,7,7=21.5
    BB: 5,5.5,6.5=17
    K&W:8.5,8.5,8=25

    Not happy. This week they plugged a bathroom costed $65k. So which one was it?

    • Thanks so much for the recap, Maz. Feel free to do one for each reveal. I still haven’t watched any – too much going on!

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