The Block on Channel 9 – The Blockheads are a little worse for wear following their ‘breakdancing bonanza’, and in the words of Ash the morning after is “a bit how ya going”.
We’ve all been there, mate.
Apart from curing their hangovers, Eliza and Liberty still have a long to-do list before Room Reveals. “We have to finish tiling, grout, shower installation, plumbing and electrical, cleaning, styling…” You get the picture.
So naturally now is the perfect time for a “disaster”.
“You know when you see Dan and Keith shaking their head, it’s kinda the end of the world,” Liberty worries.
Someone has cut the laminate off the front of their window with a saw blade, and Keith isn’t happy about it.
And there’s more things Keith is shaking his head at. After many delays, Steph and Gian finally get their natural stone vanity installed and Keith has a strong opinion of it.
“That is one of the worst things I’ve seen in my life in building. That is just horrible.” Wow, tell us how you really feel Keith.
And there is more disapproval from Keith over at House 3. Kristy and Brett’s custom made curved shower screen arrives but when it’s installed, it’s “wobble central”. With only two points of contact, as opposed to his preferred three, Keith isn’t sure the shower screen will be secure.
The trades do what they can to stabilise the screen but having seen many shower screens break in his time, Brett is breaking out in a nervous sweat.
“I can’t watch,” he blubbers.
But feel free to take a peek Brett because it’s installed, in one piece and approved by Foreman Keith.
There’s more shower screen drama over at House 2 when Leah and Ash’s installer does a no-show, but Eliza and Liberty swoop in and save the day by lending them their guy.
Now that Ash owes the girls a solid, he decides to return the favour by setting them up with their twin tilers.
But it’s not what the girls had in mind. “They’re too young, we would eat them alive,” Liberty says.
That’s enough matchmaking and back to building, or rather judging because it’s time to hear Scott Cam read out the judge feedback from Shaynna Blaze, Darren Palmer and Marty Fox back at Block HQ.
Kyle and Leslie
Shaynna and Darren step inside while Marty waits outside because there’s not enough room to squeeze all three judges into the smallest room on The Block.
But the judges don’t seem to mind the size because they feel everything else is considered and Marty believes this room will make buyers know they’re in a high end home.
Keeping in theme with their studio bathroom and bedroom weeks earlier, the whole room presented this week has curved edges throughout.
“Every angle of this room you look at, you can tell it’s been considered. The curves, the fact that the [window] sill is a piece of marble, the tone, the textures – there’s actually a lot happening in such a small space but it’s all working in harmony,” Marty raves.
Shaynna notes the different metal in the door handle but Darren says she’s really “pulling at hairs”.
Leah and Ash
After weeks of harsh feedback, Leah and Ash are desperate for an ego boost from the judges… and they finally get it.
The judges are immediate fans of the couple’s continuous use of marble and admit their vibe is definitely “luxe”.
Shaynna goes gaga for the colourful art deco vase that Leah spent hours picking out, which is a sign that the small things do matter in a Room Reveal.
The only thing that anyone manages to fault is that Marty thinks the hand shower could’ve been positioned a little bit higher.
While Shaynna had one note for the couple about their spending: “These guys love luxury quality and expensive materials so I want them to start looking at their cost effectiveness because I can already tell their budget is not that great.”
But overall the judges are chuffed and “feel that they’ve listened to what we said last week”.
Kristy and Brett
Kristy is so in love with her Guest Bathroom she says she’s “not bothered” for the judges feedback anyways, but as per the format of the show she gets it.
There’s lots of “woahs” and “ooh la las” from the judges and Marty goes as far to say that Kristy and Brett could be “in a league of their own” with five bedrooms and a full bathroom on the bottom floor.
And Shaynna delivers the compliment of all compliments for a team that’s yet to bag a win: “Kristy and Brett have found their groove!”
Marty did pick one fatal error, and that was that there was no underfloor heating – and we know exactly how the judges feel about underfloor heating in a chilly Melbourne bathroom.
Steph and Gian
There’s good news and there’s bad news as the judges deliver their verdict on Steph and Gian’s huge stone vanity – remember the one Foreman Keith deemed the most horrible thing he’s seen in his building life?
The good news is that they love it! “Wow! Look at that, that is off the charts!” Shaynna exclaims.
The judges love just about everything else too, including the wall sculpture that doubles as a race day head fascinator for Shaynna.
But Darren finds an elephant in the room – the layout draws all your attention to the toilet rather than the art piece that is their stone vanity.
“The vases, the stone, the beautiful vanity, all of that impact just halts for me because all I see is a dunny.”
Eliza and Liberty
It’s all been leading up to this moment for the girls, the big unveiling of their moss wall.
So will the judges love it or hate it? Well, Marty for one hates it.
“I have literally seen thousands of properties for sale and I have never once seen anything like what I’m looking at right now,” Marty says, and he doesn’t mean it in a complimentary way.
He isn’t sure what it is, he thinks it might be a soup garnish.
For Shaynna it’s not just the moss wall that’s off, the light plan is off, the vanity height is off, and the colour palette is off.
Darren has a funny look on his face and it turns out to be a saving grace for the girls, because he admits the moss wall is “growing on him”.
This is usually the bit where Scotty would reveal the scores, but he has an all important question to ask first. Will Leah and Ash play their bonus point Gnome?
The scores are looking pretty even between Leah and Ash and their Block besties Kristy and Brett. But when you desperately need a cash injection, friendship goes out the window and so Leah and Ash play the Gnome.
And it’s a solid move because they win by half a point. Here are the official scores…
Kyle and Leslie: 26
Leah and Ash: 28 (with bonus point)
Kristy and Brett: 27.5
Steph and Gian: 25
Eliza and Liberty: 25
Kristy says she’ll be telling her building team that they won anyways.
Leah agrees that Kristy and Brett are the real winners and they’re just the “game players”.
But they are the ones walking away with $10,000, so what’s more important?
The Block airs Sunday at 7.00pm and Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm on Nine and 9Now. Catch up on all the latest episodes on 9Now.
This recap has been used with permission from Channel 9
Special thanks to Lauren Attard at Nine.
Link to 9Now HERE
Link to Lauren’s full recap including with extra video content and info HERE
About The Block
Get ready, Australia. The Block, the number one renovation reality program, returns for an incredible 19th season on Sunday, August 6, at 7.00pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
Set in the family-friendly Melbourne suburb of Hampton East, the new series features five houses designed and built in the 1950s and located on the aptly named Charming Street. These grand old dames are now aged in their 70s and way overdue for a contemporary update.
For the first time in Block history, host Scott Cam will be providing contestants with the full renovation schedule ahead of time this season. So get your cameras out, Blockheads, it’s photo time.
Adding to the year of Block firsts and amping up the stakes at play during the 48-hour House Decider Challenge, contestants will be seeing all finished designs of the houses on Day 1. Who will prevail and get the house of their choice?
Not only will they get the schedule and designs up front, but in another first, they’ll receive their entire budgets as well.
However, the Blockheads will soon find out that it’s not all smooth sailing when renovating an original 1950s home – structural issues, extreme weather events, and a mountain of demolition will test our five keen couples every step of the way.
Plus, The Block’s state-versus-state rivalry will be amplified by the sheer closeness of the houses this year. Who knew being able to peak into your neighbours builds would cause such tension?
The couples in contention are: sisters Eliza and Liberty Paschke (personal assistant, 37, and integration producer, 34, VIC); parents Kyle and Leslie Cottone (firefighter, 36, and teaching aide, 34, WA); parents Leah and Ash Milton (first aid officer, 31, and builder, 36, QLD); married couple Kristy and Brett Beames (project manager, 34, and safety officer, 34, SA); and newlyweds Steph and Gian Ottavio (architect, 27, and start up worker, 27, NSW).
Real estate expert Marty Fox isn’t the only new addition to the lineup this season. The formidable foremen Keith Schleiger and Dan Reilly will be joined on site with the fan favourite from last year, Tom Calleja.
The nation fell in love with Tom and his wife Sarah-Jane because of their work ethic and relatable marital bickering, and he jumped at the chance to work with Scotty and come back as this year’s official Block plumber.
The designs of the amazing homes in this series again come from The Block’s resident architect, Julian Brenchley.
At stake is $100,000 for the overall winner of The Block, on top of any profit the five couples can all make on the critical auction day. Plus bragging rights for the winners’ state.
Since premiering on Channel 9 in 2003, Australia’s richest reality program has awarded a total of $32,592,807.65 in prizemoney.
The Block – on Channel 9 and 9Now
Media Release – Nine
TV Central Nine content HERE
