Interesting change there, but not surprising either with Suncorp trying to (unsuccessfully to date) sell their banking division to ANZ.
Time for him to go anyways
Just catching up on this years show. I see they’ve gone for more inexperienced couples again so its a equal playing field. Also noticed each couple is from a different state and that the couples this year have been gives a goal of what their house will look like structurally so its mainly on the design point this season.
I wonder if that’s because couples from previous seasons complaining when they walked away with nothing? or the audience reaction or perhaps the selling point to attract more bidders other than Lambo guy and weirdo in a fedora.
It essentially now becomes like House Rules and couples aren’t doing ALL the work for the show to make the profits with the competition element of course.
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Episode 5 - ensuite bathroom reveal
It’s 25 hours to the first room reveal on The Block, the ensuite bathroom in the studio .
It’s the battle of the curves between House No.1 and House No.2, with Kyle and Leslie and Leah and Ash both thinking they are the only house doing curves.
It’s becoming apparent on The Block that Steph and Gian in House No.4 are really struggling with their builder Ryan. There has been lots of miscommunication.
Foremans Keith and Dan also have early concerns about House 4’s builders.
In the end Steph and Gian make the decision it’s not going to work, and they need new builders.
The building drama isn’t the only drama for Steph and Gian.
Leah catches Steph talking to her stonemaker and is upset, she thinks she is trying to steal her trades.
Leah and Kristy continue to gossip about Steph.
Leah said: “Is she dumb and innocent or smart and sneaky?”
Our contestants are getting used to The Block quickly, and that includes 3pm tools down on a Saturday.
Steph’s father Nick arrives to help her after a tough week. A builder, it appears that Nick helps Steph overnight finish their bathroom.
Leah and Ash are immediately suspicious, is Steph’s Dad getting paid and has he been inducted? They are the rules on The Block.
“Is it cheating?” Eliza asks.
Drama is brewing as our contestants finish their bathrooms, after a few all nighters.
New judge Marty Fox joins Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer to judge the first room on The Block.
HOUSE NO.1 KYLE AND LESLIE SPENT $30,366
Marty thinks with the beautiful curves this room will photograph really well. Fantastic feedback overall, for Kyle and Leslie’s first effort. The room has a lovely, warm feeling about it.
All the judges loved the unique curved ceiling. The only negative for Shaynna was the placement of the drain in the bathroom. Darren also had a real issue with the fact Kyle and Leslie didn’t have underfloor heating in their bathroom.
HOUSE NO.2 LEAH AND ASH SPENT $19,691
Like in House No.1, the judges were a fan of the curves in Leah and Ash’s bathroom. Marty thought the dark green look made the bathroom feel like a nightclub. Darren loved the bold style and the venetian plaster walls. The white toilet did stand out, for the wrong reasons. Marty had some layout issues where the door was placed. Shaynna thought the styling was ‘half baked’ which upset Leah. Marty cautioned Leah and Ash to be careful and not necessarily run with the bold and unique style throughout the entire house.
HOUSE NO.3 KRISTY AND BRETT SPENT $17,534
The Moroccan themed bathroom had some mixed feedback from the judges. They thought it felt like a day spa, but it wasn’t executed that well. Marty thought it was bland. They all had issues with the industrial style shower screen. Marty felt the bathroom had no emotional connection. Darren said there were mixed styles in the bathroom and Kristy and Brett had to stick to a style and run with it.
HOUSE NO.4 STEPH AND GIAN SPENT $22,362
The bottom half of Steph and Gian’s bathroom was a success, but when the judges looked up they didn’t like what they saw. The beams are a real mess according to Darren, they don’t even look rustic. Steph and Gian need to think about functionality. They only had one towel rail and it didn’t work.
HOUSE NO.5 ELIZA AND LIBERTY SPENT $26,262
Darren’s initial feeling was “wow.” The girls have done a great job with the tiles. The feeling in the bathroom was divine. The one criticism the judges had was that the mixed metals didn’t really work. The placement of the flush of the toilet was also too high as was the shower. But overall a good effort.
So after a tough week for all of our contestants, Kyle and Leslie take out the win. They are heading to Scott Cam’s house in Gisborne from last season for the night, as a getaway for winning the week.
| Darren | Shaynna | Marty | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle and Leslie | 8 ½ | 8 ½ | 8 | 25 |
| Leah and Ash | 8 ½ | 8 ½ | 7 ½ | 24 ½ |
| Kristy and Brett | 7 ½ | 6 ½ | 7 | 21 |
| Steph and Gian | 7 | 6 ½ | 7 | 20 ½ |
| Eliza and Liberty | 8 | 7 ½ | 7 ½ | 23 |
The judges are still playing the “buyer” narrative when judging.
Do they not pay attention to past auction results?
plus they know the same 3 people will buy anything
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The Block 2023 listings are live: Here’s your first look at the price guides
Agent price guides released exclusively with the listings on Domain range from $2.2 million to $2.4 million for Steph and Gian’s house, to $2.7 million to $2.85 million for Eliza and Liberty’s house. The other three homes fall in the middle, with price guides of $2.5 million to $2.75 million.
Potentially large range in prices for houses this year.
It’s one of four new brands joining the show this year, alongside Arnott’s, Youi and Aussie Broadband. Returning sponsors are Aldi, BlueScope Steel, Disney+, Domain, Ford, hipages, McCafé, Mitre 10, Lite n’ Easy and Xero.
Brands nail viewer engagement as The Block builds a huge Total TV audience
As The Block premiered last week to a Total TV audience of nearly 1.2 million across the four episodes, the 19th season of Australia’s favourite renovation program proved there is no other show that consistently provides a platform for brands to tell their stories.
Attracting a Total TV audience of 1.148 million across the four episodes (625,000 metro/ 258,000 regional/ 264,000 Live + VOD), The Block provides a premium platform for brands that can leverage Nine’s unrivalled Total TV, Total Audio and Total Publishing assets to achieve reach at scale.
Set in the leafy Melbourne suburb of Hampton East, the new series features five houses designed and built in the 1950s, and will feature some of the biggest brands in Australia. Ten brands return this year as major partners including Aldi, BlueScope Steel, Disney+, Domain, Ford, hipages, McCafé, Mitre 10, Lite n’ Easy and Xero.
With The Block proving to be one of the most consistently successful programs on Australian screens, new brands joining the show are Arnott’s, CommBank, Youi and Aussie Broadband.
Nicki Kenyon, Director of Powered, said The Block provides a premium platform for brands to reach audiences at scale.
“The Block continues to provide a premium platform for brands to reach audiences at scale. Year after year we have seen some of Australia’s favourite brands return to support The Block and work with us on exciting cross platform integrations,” said Kenyon.
With partners knowing they can trust the power of The Block brand year after year, it is no surprise that several brands have partnered with the show for multiple seasons, including Mitre 10, which this year marks 16 seasons as a sponsor and McCafe which this year celebrates a decade-long association with the show.
The Block continues tonight at 7.30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
Ive seen Leah someone before this. Is she an influencer or been on some other show?
What’s going on? Other states seem to have an episode tonight, but nothing in Melbourne??
Melbourne will get tonight’s episode on Thursday due to FIFA Women’s World Cup.
What? Do they think only Melbourne is watching? The bloody game is even being played in Sydney.
Nine is showing live NRL on main channel in Sydney and Brisbane tomorrow, so it couldn’t move the episode to another night.
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Oic. Ok thanks for the explanation. Calms me down a tad lol
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Melbourne/Adelaide/Perth — The Block pushed back to tomorrow
Episode 9 - Week 2 Studio reveals
It’s 26 hours until tool’s down and our Blockheads have to finish their self contained studios, which they will also live in as the build continues.
Eliza and Liberty in House No.5 have no renovation experience and they are giving their all. They end up doing two all-nighters just to finish.
Melbourne is known for rain, and it pours down on The Block which causes some water damage to the studio apartments, mostly in Leah and Ash’s studio in House No.3.
Steph and Gian in House No.3 are having a better week on The Block compared to their disaster last week. They have new builders and everything is going well.
Scotty arrives on The Block and calls “tool’s down” and our couples head to HQ for the second time for judging.
HOUSE NO.1 KYLE AND LESLIE SPENT $27,051
There was a serious wow factor when the judges walked into the studio bedroom, Marty, Shaynnna and Darren all impressed with the size of the room.
Shaynna thought everything from the artwork, lighting, and Kinsman wardrobes was incredible.
Walking into Kyle and Leslie’s Pilates studio, while it was very well done, our judges questioned the purpose of it.
Marty thought for the real estate market in Hampton East it was a wasted opportunity and they should have delivered a kitchenette to make the studio fully self contained.
The judges also thought the fact there was carpet and not floorboards was a mistake, especially as the studio will lead to the pool down the track.
HOUSE NO.2 LEAH AND ASH SPENT $21,094
As soon as they walked in the judges loved Leah and Ash’s choice of timber flooring. But that’s where the positive comments finished.
Darren said the studio gave him “display home vibes,” a comment that devastated Leah.
He thought the Murphy pull down bed was the wrong choice, as was the placement of the furniture.
They liked the fact there was a kitchenette, but that’s about it.
Shaynna thought the studio design had no connection to their bold and risky bathroom from last week.
Leah was miffed about the judges and their comments, and doesn’t know where to go from here.
HOUSE NO.3 KRISTY AND BRETT SPENT $30,895
Darren loved the impressive Velux skylights and their design on the roof of the second story studio.
Marty noted the design was a bit like a New York City loft which was a plus for the Hampton East market.
Shaynna was a fan of the colour palette.
But all the judges had concerns about the layout and some of the styling.
No rug, no microwave.
Shaynna thought the studio had no connection to the Moroccan styled bathroom underneath.
This was a real issue for her.
HOUSE NO.4 STEPH AND GIAN SPENT $23,822
Marty thought Steph and Gian’s studio has a lovely warmth to it.
The beams on the roof were a miss last week in their bathroom, but the judges loved them in the studio.
Even Darren, who was initially skeptical, came around.
Marty thought this space could work as an extra bedroom which will be fantastic come auction time.
Shaynna praised Steph’s architectural work, which made her very happy.
Marty said if this style is applied to the whole house, Steph and Gian will be a very strong team on The Block.
HOUSE NO.5 ELIZA AND LIBERTY SPENT $21,518
The judges were impressed the studio space was fully self contained, with a sink, kitchen and microwave.
They did however have serious issues with the layout and styling.
The wall paper, which featured a map of Melbourne but not Hampton East, was slammed as juvenile.
Marty made the comment that Eliza and Liberty would have been better off delivering a room with nothing in it.
The judges felt this room wasn’t luxurious enough for a house of this size in Hampton East.
They were tough comments to take for Eliza and Liberty.
WEEK TWO STUDIO JUDGING SCORES
| Darren | Shaynna | Marty | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle and Leslie | 8 | 7 ½ | 7 ½ | 23 |
| Leah and Ash | 7 ½ | 7 | 6 ½ | 21 |
| Kristy and Brett | 7 ½ | 7 | 6 ½ | 21 |
| Steph and Gian | 8 | 9 | 7 ½ | 24 ½ |
| Eliza and Liberty | 8 | 6 ½ | 7 | 21 ½ |
Steph and Gian take out the win and they are absolutely delighted.
This new Marty fella is a bit monotonous. All he says is ‘from a marketing perspective’. We get you’re a real estate agent but you can be a bit more imaginitive with your feedback.
Yeh agree. He’s a bit much so far.