I'm Ally Langdon. Thanks for your company.
# Life could be a dream... #
SCOTT CAM: Last night... # Life could be a dream... #
..The Block moved into five houses in Charming Street in Hampton East.
This is home.
Do we have a key?
Honey, we're home!
The new residents in the neighbourhood
are Melbourne sisters Eliza and Liberty...
I just don't want to bring shame on ourselves,
bring shame on your family.
Oh, my god. (LAUGHS)
..Sydney architect Steph and her tech entrepreneur husband Gian,
who love beige...
'Bhaj'. 'Bhaj'.
How are we?
..serial Block appliers from WA Leslie and Kyle...
Give us a hug.
LESLIE: We first applied in 2015.
Oh, my god! (LAUGHS) G'day.
..seasoned renovators, Queenslanders Leah and Ash...
and South Australian safety officer Brett
and his wife Kristy, the project manager.
Come here, mate. Welcome to The Block.
And I threw them quite the 'welcome to the street' party.
Oh, I love that!
The house decider challenge - build a kids' bedroom with $5,000,
48 hours and some inspo from Disney+.
It's fun! (LAUGHS)
And there were a few initial teething problems...
(THUNDER CRACKS) There's lightning.
(THUNDER CRACKS)
Oh!
There's water coming out of the light sockets.
Like, I was stabbing holes in the roof
so the plaster wouldn't fall down.
..before the new neighbours got their act together.
I said to Ash, "Hey, can you build some bunkbeds?"
This is wow factor, mate, as soon as you walk in.
Having a crack. Well, sort of.
Is this a kids' room? (LAUGHS) What's going on?
PRODUCER: You feel like you've nailed the brief, then? Um...
(WHISTLES) Tools down!
(NEALE LAUGHS) Whoa, look at that!
How cute!
The winner is...Leah and Ash.
The Queenslanders scored first place with 27 points.
(SQUEALS) We won!
They were 8.5 points in front of sisters Eliza and Liberty.
What you served up today, girls, is a well-executed room.
Needed some more layers.
We just cannot believe that they said we had good execution.
We're just shocked.
Kristy and Brett got third place,
Leslie and Kyle were fourth, leaving Steph and Gian in last place.
What?
The brief was to create a kids' room. Fail!
That an architect should know how to meet a brief...
Tonight...
the main game kicks off.
Day one of the new Block...
So, we met Keith and Dan, which was exciting.
They arrived with our house plans.
And with just one week until the first room reveal,
the race is on to come up with the winning design...
Who's here?
..without cracking under the pressure.
This week, we wanted to do something super bold and risky
and just something that hasn't been seen on The Block before.
I just crumbled.
I've gone for...
What's the exact name? I don't know.
KRISTY: (ON PHONE) It's all disgusting and we're gonna lose.
(GULL SQUAWKS)
(RINGING TONE)
Hi. Good.
We've gotta be really, really quick but we just wanted to tell you
we just came second in our first score reveal.
Yep. We're just as shocked as you.
OK. Yay. Alright. We've got to go.
We were worried we would embarrass you
but maybe we won't now - this week, anyway.
Thank you. Are you shocked? Are you shocked?
We're genuinely... We thought we were gonna come last.
With every ounce of our being, we were prepared to come last.
Yep.
I know.
OK. We'll call you in more detail... Bye. Love you. Bye.
We'll call you in more detail later. Love you. Bye.
Now, where were we?
That's right, I'm handing out houses.
Leah and Ash won first place with 27 points
for their 'National Geographic' princess castle-themed kids' bedroom
and it's time to find out which house they want to make their own.
Well, congratulations, guys. Thank you.
Thanks, mate. You've taken out the prize.
Which house do you want?
Should we just have a quick little...
You can do that. Yes. We'll just do our little thing.
You don't really have to whisper,
'cause once you choose, no-one else can get it.
Yeah.
OK. We are going...
It's pretty much what everyone wants.
Two. Oh...
Go two? Yeah. Going for two.
We're moving out. OK. Lock it in.
I'll help you move out. No worries. Thank you.
(WOMEN LAUGH)
Sexy two. Sexy two.
# You're simply the best... #
So striking and it's...yeah, we were very drawn to number two.
This year, each house will be completely unique,
with their architectural design being the defining feature.
While some will give a nod to the original house,
others will be completely unrecognisable.
Each is on a 600-700 square-metre block and each will have two storeys,
four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a studio granny flat
and a two-car garage.
And Leah and Ash's pick, house two,
was on a lot of wish lists thanks to its dramatic, curvy second storey.
Second place with 18.5 points were sisters Eliza and Liberty,
whose bedroom gave a nod to the Disney character Groot.
Girls?
We're gonna stay in house five,
only 'cause we don't want to move all of our luggage. (LAUGHS)
House five is Australian contemporary in style,
using a combination of brick, Colorbond and timber
to create sleek modern lines.
Before we came on The Block, we did some research into the five houses
and we always wanted house five.
# In my heart... #
Well, the reason we wanted our property is because it was sort of,
like, I'm sure there's a terminology for this but, like, straight back.
No, like, zzzh, zzzh, zzzh...
(LAUGHS)
Up next was the Elsa-themed bedroom by Kristy and Brett,
which scored them 18 points.
OK, who came third? Whatever you want.
We did.
We might go house three.
House three. Taking Nonna's house from us.
(LAUGHTER)
BRETT: We have picked house three.
The whole time, Kristy said she liked four.
Since kind of... So we picked three.
On the spot, Kristy just said, "You pick, you pick."
The corner block was always a standout to me, so I just thought,
"I'll pick" and I went three.
Corner block house three will make a bold design statement
with cantilevered second storey clad in burnt timber
on top of a face-brick foundation.
The corner block, that's an individual selling point in itself
which...you've got to separate yourself from the other houses.
Sliding into fourth spot with 17.5 points were Kyle and Leslie
for their 'Mandalorian'-inspired outer space room.
What's left? One and four are left.
You pick. I told you you were picking. Go.
House one. House one.
STEPH: I wanted four all along.
There you go!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
I'm so happy!
MAN: Everybody's happy.
Oh, my god!
Yes. OK. I lost, so...
It's a win. It's a win for me.
Oh, my god. It's a win. We'll take that.
Good on you. I'm taking that.
# You've got me high on you... #
You'd think Steph and Gian had won with that reaction
but it's actually Kyle and Leslie who beat them to fourth place.
Kyle and Leslie's pick, house one,
will transform into a white Colorbond masterpiece
reminiscent of a suburban barn.
KYLE: I think we're in a pretty good spot with house one.
LESLIE: Yeah, we liked the facade of it initially
because it's suited in our minds to what...
Our... ..our sort of style...
..style... ..that we think we're gonna go with.
And even though they came in last on 14 points,
it looks like Steph and Gian got exactly what they wanted.
Oh, I'm so happy, Gian. I know.
It's actually good.
Did you see how I reacted? It's like I won.
Four... That's...
Four... That's a relief.
That was weird. So, in my head, we won.
There was a bit of a carry-on.
(LAUGHS) Yeah.
# Earth angel... #
House four won't end up being quite as ultramodern as its neighbours,
standing out from the pack with an American Hamptons-inspired facade.
House four is actually... I'm pumped.
..it's the best house.
It's got the best orientation, guys. I'm still tripping out.
It's got the best sun.
We were sitting in the backyard in house four
and we were, like, "Everyone's gonna want house four."
And we got house four for being last?
Anyway...
Now that we've got all our houses,
let me tell you about a few extra little things.
Building and renovating a two-storey house is a massive task.
Doing it in 12 weeks, well, that's just about plain crazy, really,
and almost impossible.
That's why I think that this Block series
could turn out to be the hardest Block we've ever done.
So, having thought about and said all that,
I've decided to make a few changes this year.
Stop it. (EXHALES) OK.
(LAUGHS)
Changes are never good.
Just relax. I'm freaking out.
It's alright. It's half good and half bad.
OK. Yeah.
It's all bad. It's all bad.
ELIZA: It's always bad.
Change number one, I'm gonna be giving you your budgets upfront.
Oh... Yes!
Wait, for the whole lot?
Thanks to CommBank, you'll be getting $250,000 cash.
KYLE: A quarter of a million.
There's that pressure of knowing how to balance your money out.
But out of 250,000, how much would you allocate for a kitchen?
50. But why?
Because it's a big important bit. Like, this is the thing.
It's really hard to allocate money to each thing.
We'll just spend 20 week, then.
(LAUGHS)
And then when we win every week, we'll just get another ten.
(LAUGHS) Isn't that how it works?
Didn't anticipate it to be like that
because watching all previous seasons on The Block... GIAN: Mmm.
..it wasn't like that,
so any bit of, you know, something not being familiar...
Yeah. First curveball.
Change number two - I will be supplying you with a team of plumbers
and a team of electricians... Oh...
..to handle all your needs.
Thank you.
Now, they will be working for me as well...
OK. ..because I will be paying the bill.
Oh!
Lovely.
Did you get that? Yeah.
Music to our ears. We get it now.
Yes. Thank you.
So, what does that mean?
Lights everywhere. Lights everywhere.
No more will contestants be blowing their budget
with sparkies and plumbers hanging around,
waiting for you guys to get ready.
If you're not ready for them,
they're just gonna move next door and you'll lose your spot.
Nothing bugs me more than contestants wasting coin like that.
Perhaps except contestants that cheat.
If you remember, the last time we were in Hampton...
(GULLS CRY)
..one contestant snuck into my office
and took a photo of the schedule for the whole season.
(CAMERA CLICKS)
PRODUCER: So, Tanya, you didn't take the photograph?
Of course I didn't take the photograph.
MEN: Who took the photograph? I don't know.
By a tradie... So you didn't take the photograph?
No.
PRODUCER: Tanya, did you take the photograph?
Yes, I did.
Yeah, I took the photograph.
Unbelievable.
No need for that this year.
No way.
(GASPS) No need at all...
Oh, my god, this is amazing! Oh, my god.
(MAN LAUGHS)
..because this year...
I am giving you the schedule.
What?
# Oh, yeah
# Oh, yeah... #
The whiteboard, it told us what our schedule is gonna be
for the next 12 weeks
so we know what's coming up.
# Oh, yeah # Chicka-chicka! #
Alright. Oi.
Week one, bathroom.
(GASPS)
Look, think about now.
You can start thinking about what you're gonna do in week 12.
Mmm. Imagine that.
That's it. 12 weeks.
No surprises. No changes. This is not a set-up.
It's the first time it's ever been done because this job is so massive,
we're giving you the entire schedule.
Thank you.
I can't believe we have the schedule.
And you know that we love a schedule,
so there's another win!
Yeah, it's...
I don't understand where we've lost here tonight. (LAUGHS)
Get your phones out and take a photo.
This is amazing.
Hurry, I'm gonna change my mind. Oh, what is it?
Hang on, hang on, it's...
Hey, Leah, have you got it all? We'll wipe it out.
(OTHERS LAUGH)
Hang on, what's this? This is the other six weeks.
Seven, eight, nine... Oh, right.
As soon as I saw it pop up, I thought, "This is great.
"This is Kristy's world."
And a lot of people won't be able to handle it,
having that just all there at once.
That's, like, my jam. This is, like, my domain. Yeah.
That's what I'm used to having, like, schedules and budgets
and you divide it out and whatever be the case.
I think that's gonna be a really strong point for me,
so that was so exciting. Yeah.
OK. You got the photo? Yep.
OK. Righto. Back to your spots.
Did you see what we're starting with?
Things are a bit different this season,
which some might say is advantageous but we find overwhelming.
Let's be fair, we'd find it overwhelming regardless.
Now, I have given you all these things
because I think the task at hand is absolutely massive
and you probably would've had zero chance of completing it if I didn't.
But having said that,
I really believe that you guys, all of you, have got this.
You're all good.
After the last two days, of what I've seen,
I have ultimate faith that you're gonna get the project done.
Thanks, Scotty.
And don't forget, I'm gonna be here the whole time, every step of the way
to help you get through it.
It's gonna be hard but it's gonna be fun.
Yeah. OK?
OK. We're excited. Alright, good luck, everybody.
It all starts tomorrow!
Get out of here. Can we take that?
WOMAN: Thanks, Scotty. Can we take the board with us?
No. (LAUGHTER)
It's mine.
Congratulations, guys. That's amazing.
Good job, guys.
# Keep playing my heartstrings faster and faster
# You can be just what I want My true disaster... #
Winners!
I reckon we've got some targets on our backs...
Mmm. ..which, you know...
Who got fifth?
Steph... Yeah, Steph and Gian.
STEPH: OK, so we lost but I'm really happy
because we still got the house that we wanted
and the best part is we get to sleep in our beautiful bedroom.
Yes, they were harsh but at the end of the day, next week's a new week.
I get to design something beautiful that's gonna go with our home.
We've got the house that we wanted...
so, yeah, things were low but they're looking very up.
Goodnight.
(GULLS CRY)
# Baby (GULLS CRY)
# You were always gonna be the one
# You run to paradise... #
SCOTT: It's day one of The Block,
which means this morning everyone will be swapping houses
for the one they are renovating for the next 12 weeks.
Well, almost everyone.
We're, like, just cruising around here this morning
'cause we're staying in the house that we got given
and everyone's out here frantically running around
and we're just, like, "Whoopie do," watching everyone else.
And laughing. And laughing at everybody. Yeah.
(BOTH LAUGH)
As winners of the house decider challenge,
Leah and Ash decided on house two.
We woke up this morning and we were pumped.
We were ready to go. Week one.
Yep, they're pumped to move from house four to house two,
so pumped they slept there last night.
The only problem is their new besties Kristy and Brett
haven't got the hint that it's time to go.
Hi. Good morning.
Oh, my god. What is going on in here?
(LAUGHTER)
Kristy really doesn't want to move, so... (LAUGHS)
This is our house, so we're having a little...
We're having a Saturday night sleepover.
(LAUGHS) This is ours.
We want two.
Yeah, we're, like, kicking them out.
Maybe they won't leave. We're staying.
(LAUGHTER)
We'll just live together.
Yeah, this is actually fine.
You would like it. Yeah, we like it.
Moving from house one to house four this morning are Steph and Gian,
who feel like they've scored an upgrade.
We got house four, which was our preferred house always.
Thank god. (LAUGHS) I know.
How many boxes can I hold?
Last week didn't really go to plan.
Obviously, the 48-hour challenge,
we were building our room to hopefully get house four.
Funnily enough, none of the other couples chose it, so we ended up...
We got it.
..getting it, so it was really bittersweet.
As an architect, forward planning,
working to a schedule and organisation
are just a few of Steph's favourite things.
Do you know where Leah is? MAN: That way.
I went that way. She's not there.
Because Leah and Ash had a sleepover at house two,
they are yet to move their stuff out of their old place,
which is now Steph's place.
It's safe to say the delay is not one of her favourite things
and it's caused a little tension.
I'm just trying to be organised.
Everyone's got their stuff everywhere.
It's a bit much.
I'm not a fan of a disorganised space.
And, like, I think it's time to put the china away.
We're on a construction site.
MAN: Leah? Leah? MAN: Flat out, Leah?
Yeah.
PRODUCER: Is there anything you should be doing right now?
Oh, moving. Yep.
I have a Youi boom.
That's all I've moved so far.
(IMITATES PUMPING DANCE MUSIC)
Whose stuff is this? Is this your stuff or...?
Oh, no, this is their stuff.
There you are.
I was trying to find you.
Yeah, we just weren't moved out as quickly as she was hoping,
so had a bit of a push along.
OK. I think...
Yeah, just those suitcases. Good luck. There's a rat.
There's a rat. A rat's living under that bed, so...
A rat? Yeah. It scratches it every night.
Oh, funny. I slept in the challenge room.
I don't believe you.
OK. Have fun.
Leah? Yeah.
You're gonna take these suitcases in the hallway.
Yeah, yeah, we know. Yep.
PRODUCER: Is it alright?
Oh, yeah, it's fine.
Look, whatever, but just, you know, I can only carry so many bags.
I'm not bloody Popeye.
# Well, tell me, do you hate me? Or do you want to date me?
# It's kind of hard to tell... #
Yeah, so, we're just... We're kind of in the transition period.
The only thing I can carry... (LAUGHS)
..the entire universe life contents in my hand.
I honestly have all of this...
She's, like, "You still have all of that."
Yeah, no (BLEEP), Sherlock. (LAUGHS)
Like, what do you think I'm doing?
Kristy and Brett are relocating to house three...
Brett, did you steal my wheelbarrow? No.
Get out of here.
Someone did.
# Well, tell me, do you hate me? Or do you want... #
Definitely stole his wheelbarrow. Sprayed red spray paint on it.
Like, that's...
Oh, it's already dry.
I was gonna say, he caught me red-handed, but, no.
Sorry, guys, we got the better house, so you've gotta go now.
(LAUGHS) Gotta hurry on out.
..sending Kyle and Leslie to one.
And the sisters, Eliza and Liberty, are staying put in five.
Look, I don't want to be dramatic
but I've probably got the worst news you've ever heard.
McCafe is not opening for another week.
Oh, god. Honestly...
How's that? What?
Honestly feel like they're doing this for the drama
to try and make us so tired and cranky.
That is torture.
(CLATTERING)
# And every time it rains, it rains pennies from heaven
# Shooby-dooby
# Don't you know each cloud contains... #
SCOTT: With everyone settled in/ dreaming of a McCafe latte,
now is a good time for Block Santa Claus to drop in
with some really, really good presents.
Hello. Hello. Hello.
Oh, it's my favourite couple.
You say that to everyone.
Folks at home, they've been together...
Give me a hug. They've been together since they were 13!
(LAUGHS) What?
(LAUGHS) 13!
STEPH: We've always been each other's support and stability...
GIAN: Yeah. And we were married last year.
Yep.
When we first met, we went to the movies
and we watched 'High School Musical'.
This is so bad. We watched 'High School Musical'.
and I said, "Gian, like, I really love peanut M&Ms.
"They're my favourite." So we got it.
And he was, like, "Same," right?
And then it's only until maybe a month or two later,
I called the home phone to ask to speak to Gian
and his mum answered and we got talking about food,
the Mediterranean version,
and I was, like, "I've gotta make you tzatziki" or something.
And she goes, "Gian doesn't eat dairy."
And I go, "Really?
"'Cause I went to the movies with him and he had the M&Ms."
I'm struggling straight away.
I was literally just saying, "Yeah..."
And you know what he did? He put them in the chair.
Right.
Block bucks. Block bucks.
Oh... Oh...
Look how many there are in here. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
Yeah, Scotty bringing Block bucks,
I'm gonna start calling him 'The Postman',
because he just keeps delivering.
It's all our sponsors here.
You're not gonna believe this.
It's over 400 grand's worth. Wow.
Over $400,000 on sponsor money.
That's incredible. Plus $250,000 cash.
You do the maths.
25, ten, 20, 57, 20, 35, 12.
Feast. There's Beacon. Beaumont...
It just goes on forever.
57...
They're your Block bucks.
Yes. Thank you.
Like, googling straight away, like, everything, seeing what they had.
This folder's gonna change your life.
OK. 440...
$440,000 worth of gear,
so we plan to use that all in one room and win...
win one week.
The other big gift I'm giving this season
is free electricians and plumbers.
# I've been running wild Had a good time... #
And that's not even the best bit. # But I can't stop now... #
# Oh, my dear lord... #
This is.
# Oh, my dear lord... #
(WHISTLES)
Oh! Hello, mate.
Look out. How are you, brother?
How are you, mate? This is your plumbing team.
How are you, mate? Nice to meet you.
How are you? Yes.
Tommy, of course. Yeah, what a weapon.
# Oh, my dear lord... #
Everyone's favourite plumber Tom from last season...
TOM: How good's that!
..will be heading up a fleet of Hipages plumbers.
# Oh, dear lord... #
So, Blockheads will get their toilets installed
with a side of Tom's special brand of wisdom.
It's first in, best dressed with the plumber, man.
The quicker you get plumbed,
the quicker you get plaster and waterproofing done.
The quicker you get ready, the quicker you get it done.
Exactly. Of course.
We want to make 'Waterproof Wednesday'.
And he even comes with a delivery of a special brand of water heater.
Potty delivery!
Ah, perfect spot.
Alright. Off to the next.
Hello. Eliza. Nice to meet you.
How are you? I heard a rumour.
Golly, you've got a big team. They're the A-team.
Hello, everyone. The Hipages boys.
Eliza. Justin. Hello.
Bill. Nice to meet you. Hello.
Oh, my gosh. I'll forget your name. Big crew.
We interrupt Eliza meeting Tom's fleet of plumbers
to bring you the house plans delivered by The Block's foremen.
# We make plans to kiss the sun... #
So, we met Keith and Dan, which was exciting.
They arrived with our house plans.
Dan, lovely.
Keith, scary AF. (LAUGHS)
KEITH: Hello. Hello. G'day, guys.
WOMEN: Hello! Welcome.
How are we? Eliza.
Dan. Eliza.
Liberty. Dan. Hello.
Who? Liberty, like the statue.
Oh, like the statue. (LAUGHTER)
So, basically, we're sorry in advance.
We don't know much. (LAUGHS)
Well, firstly, I think you need these.
Have a quick look at it, guys.
I know you're gonna have hundreds of questions
but we've gotta get these out. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Fair enough.
We'll come back. Thank you. Bye.
See you.
I love the design of our house. So do I.
I actually think it's my favourite. Me too.
Oh, my god. I don't know what this all means.
I've got absolutely no idea. Thank goodness...
We do not know how to read house plans,
and that became very clear very quickly.
So I feel like we need to start a questions list.
There was the same... Mmm.
..floor plan in about 12 different ways.
Like, those little degrees and...
We don't understand... Like, give us one sheet of paper.
Yeah, we thought a floor plan would just be one sheet of paper
with the rooms in text and measurements and that's it,
but it turns out...
There's other things involved.
Oh, my word. This is going to be interesting.
What does every page... OK.
..on this document mean?
Can you talk us through... BOTH: Every single thing?
We called over our neighbour Steph, who is an architect,
to help us decipher our plans.
Actually, should we all be keeping these secret?
I certainly don't care.
I love yours too.
This is our second choice, did we tell you?
You did tell me.
So you guys have got garages, I've got my guest here
and then I've got something called the studio...
So that's what we've got out the back.
Yeah.
So, is that what room you're doing this week, then?
The guest... No. Is that your guest...
OK. Before you watch the rest of this conversation,
there's one thing I should clarify about this year's house plans.
Everyone has a studio or granny flat, otherwise known as a guest wing.
Within that is the bathroom being renovated this week.
What is not being renovated this week is the guest bathroom.
A little confusing, I know.
So, what room are you doing, then?
We're doing this one because this is guest.
We better definitely make sure we're not doing the wrong bloody one.
I know.
It didn't really bring much clarity to the process.
Thanks, though, Steph.
Hopefully Keith and Dan can nip this one in the bud.
Already? I'm so sorry to bother you.
We thought we were doing the bathroom
that's in our studio out the back.
Mmm.
Is that incorrect? 'Cause now... 'Cause it says...
KEITH: No, it's correct. ..guest bath...
Yes. Is that right?
Yes. Mmm.
So we're doing the bathroom in the studio? Yes.
Oh, thank god. 'Cause that's what we've designed.
Because that's what we've planned for.
God, we've got on this rollercoaster ride this morning, haven't we?
Stressing already, guys?
Yeah, because it says guest bathroom one and there's a guest bathroom...
No, you're in the studio. Bathroom...
So it's this one. It's that one.
Thank god. That's for you guys.
That's what we planned. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
We'll go ring our builders...
SCOTT: But where does that leave our architect Steph
and her understanding of the plans?
Unlike all the other houses, Steph's guest wing or studio bathroom
is located in the original part of the house
but unfortunately
her builder is demolishing the guest bathroom instead.
STEPH: And that's when they said,
"Hey, you guys have been demo-ing this room.
"That's not the room."
(GULL CRIES) (THUNDER CRACKS)
# I hear trouble coming... #
Well, somebody had to claim it, the first setback of The Block 2023.
In house four, Steph and Gian's guest-wing bathroom
is located in the main part of their house
but they accidentally spent the morning
demolishing their guest bathroom instead.
This is obviously my bathroom, this one here.
The guest.
KEITH: No.
But you don't have the studio here.
Well, that's my studio here. Yeah.
So, then, that one. That's this week.
That's this week? Yes.
Why would it be a studio?
Studio bathroom.
Really? Luckily...
you asked us the question. (LAUGHS)
So, everyone's doing the bathroom within the studio this week.
Everyone's is located in a different spot.
Alright, Gian, we're doing the wrong bathroom.
What do you mean? Oh. Mmm.
So, even though the schedule said guest,
it's a studio bathroom we have to do.
The studios. We're in the studios.
The schedule said guest wing.
OK.
It's great that you got into it... Mmm.
..but you're just in the wrong room.
The orientation of our house... Is different to everyone else's.
..is very different because everyone else has a newly poured slab,
which is a clear guest wing, whereas our studio...
Is attached.
..which we now know is the guest wing is it actually attached to...
To our house. ..to the home.
Like we're saying, that moves along...
Yep.
..and then you've just got a wall there. Yeah.
It's a very tricky situation. Thank you for acknowledging that.
(LAUGHS) Thank you.
Thanks, Keith. Thanks, Dan. All good.
I think, you know, we're up for it, so...
Yeah? ..that's fine.
Alright, let's get all this stuff out. Let's just rip it up.
SCOTT: Now that everyone's on the same page...
it's time to talk bathrooms.
Bathrooms can be the smallest rooms in the house
but the most complicated to construct.
At least five inspections are required.
First, build the floor framing, then get the subfloor inspected,
which includes foundations and floor fall.
Inspection tick.
Erect the wall framing and rough in the plumbing and electricals.
That needs approval to make sure walls and ceiling frames are plumb.
Inspection tick.
Next, install the insulation, which also needs to be checked.
Inspection tick.
Sheet the walls and ceiling
and get that approved before starting waterproofing.
Inspection tick.
Waterproof the bathroom and then get that inspected.
You can't proceed until you provide a waterproof certificate.
Inspection tick.
Then you are ready to go with tiling,
toilet, tapware, vanity, mirrors and painting.
Ready for judging.
We need to stick to the design on the outside.
Now, the easy thing to assume here is that because Steph is an architect,
this will be a walk in the park for her
but, in fact, the opposite is true...
I don't know. I'm just still thinking.
It's... Hold on. I've just got to...
..because architects generally have weeks and months to review plans
before making decisions,
not minutes and hours.
If you were to challenge a marathon runner to compete in a 100m sprint,
they would have to rethink their whole approach,
which is where Steph is at right about now.
I'm just trying to see what else I can do here.
Maybe create something... you know, a point of difference.
We've settled with a Japandi style,
so what that looks like is
Scandinavian sort of architecture with contemporary elements... Mmm.
..mixed with natural warm materials
and that's our Japanese elements coming through.
And, of course, that American farm-style house. Yeah.
Because we knew that the studio was to lead on to the studio bedroom,
we thought, by having these beams run all the way through...
would be a really nice differentiating factor.
To further demonstrate exactly what Japandi is, here's a diagram.
In their bathroom, Steph and Gian's timber ceiling beams
will be enhanced by natural light from a skylight above a shower
adjacent to a vanity and toilet.
Colour palette will be, surprise, surprise, light neutral tones.
PRODUCER: Just so we know that that's...
If people go what's your vibe, you say...
Japandi. Yeah.
While house four is working within the '50s walls,
next door, house three, along with everyone else this week,
has a concrete slab and steel frames
and making changes to them is about as easy as building Lego,
as demonstrated by Peter, Truecore Steel's framing expert.
You can fit it in this spot right here like that
if it's a base fix connection
or if you want to slide it back into the wall a little bit,
you can just bend those tabs back.
Perfect for your mixer. Perfect for your mixers.
What a great idea. Beautiful. Awesome.
And because this is Truecore,
we don't really want you using too much timber in the walls,
so you just use the nice prefabricated steel components.
Lovely.
The building blocks are there.
Now it's up to the Blockheads to dream up that brilliant design idea
to win them week one.
And Kristy and Brett think they've got it.
KRISTY: I was chatting to my builder
about wanting an arch made out of Venetian plaster,
which would be able to block off the shower completely.
So we are actually creating an arch.
We just need some measurements of that and then we're gonna crack on.
So is this whole ceiling gonna be like an arch in here?
So we're just gonna create a floating wall...
Probably from there.
..and then it's just gonna be an arched wall to close it out.
As you enter the room, I wanted a vanity on the right-hand side,
a heated towel rack on the left-hand side,
a floating toilet right next to the vanity
and then an arched wall,
which would then enter through into the shower area.
Over in house five,
sisters Eliza and Liberty's secret weapon
is clearly not Eliza's demo skills.
# Right there on my TV
# Horror movie And it's blown a fuse
# Horror movie It's the 6:30 news
# And it's shocking me right out of my brain. #
Oh, golly.
Whoa.
Oh... Oh...
LIBERTY: So, the space is small and quite dark,
so our immediate thought is, you know, we want to lighten it up,
so putting in some skylights, making everything really light and bright
in terms of colour
but also bringing in our theme and vibe,
which is the orange sort of terracotta colour.
So, I went to Beaumont Tiles to start my shopping trip,
which was really fun.
All the people that I have met at all our sponsor stores
have been so incredible.
I'm Michelle. Liberty. Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you. Thanks for having me.
I basically walk in and my first sentence is,
"I don't know what I'm doing, so you need to spoon-feed me."
Our kind of theme for our house
is, like, a terracotta burnt orange... OK.
..colour, with some blue in there as well.
Yep.
So, what we love the look of for a tile
is, like, a patterned floor tile.
Yeah, OK. Yeah. We definitely have something like that.
OK. Cool. Yep. You guys are amazing and helpful.
(LAUGHS) That's what we're here for. Love it.
I kind of, like, went in with an idea of what I wanted
and made a decision really quickly.
Hello. So, we've got a few tile options, right?
This one's really cool.
Yeah, I love that. (ON PHONE) Do you?
'Cause the other options are, like, this, so it joins together...
But I reckon that's a bit too... Yeah, it's olde-worlde.
Too olde-worlde. Or like that.
But I reckon that's the...
I really like that, I think.
Same. OK. Let's do that, then.
Just felt great about it and walked out and was, like,
"Tick, tick, tick. Boom."
PRODUCER: You worked out what you wanted really quickly
and then you just needed your measurements.
So, the lady... (LAUGHS)
So, the lady at Beaumont Tiles asked me
about the measurements for my bathroom
so we could determine how many tiles we needed.
Do you have a measurement?
We did some tape-measuring this morning...
Yeah. ..on a video...
Oh, yeah, yeah. That would be...
..so hopefully that will help a little bit.
Yep.
It's not like a proper...
It's not like a proper measurement but that's OK.
Here's the thing.
Someone will ask us a question and we can answer the first question.
Mmm. Like, "What tile do you want?"
And we'll be able to say that and then they'll be, like,
"So, what measurement?" "Don't know."
"So, what finish?" "Don't know."
And I don't know if tiles have finishes
but I was just saying that for effect.
But, like... (LAUGHS) ..questions like that.
Yeah. I think it will be, like, three point...
3.9, maybe.
The highest point we couldn't get because we couldn't...
Reach? No, we couldn't reach.
And that's where we feel very...
Overwhelmed. ..inexperienced.
(GULLS CRY)
# Welcome to a place where you can play
# A place where you can bring your friends
# But you don't have to stay... #
SCOTT: Day one on the Block, it's a bit like the first day of school,
a school where the principal - that's me -
has asked students to build a bathroom,
which would normally take months of planning and construction, in a week.
# Welcome to the madhouse... #
I don't know who'd be crazy enough to enrol.
It's certainly not for the faint-hearted,
as Liberty has just discovered after her first trip to Beaumont Tiles.
Oh, wowee!
That was quite overwhelming.
But house one's Leslie, mum of two,
is an education assistant who knows about classroom politics
and she knows that enlisting the help of an expert on your first assignment
could earn you top marks.
Hi. How you going? Alright?
Yeah. This is Michelle. Good to see you. Hi.
And her chosen expert is her tiler, Adrian Curcio,
of the Block-renowned Curcio brothers.
Because this is very costly... Yeah, yeah.
Not very costly, but it's a bit more expensive...
Yep. ..than the other ones.
So we'll try and keep that down to a minimum in the shower walls only...
It's coming around and then the shower's here. Yep. Yep, yep, yep.
He is so experienced in terms of choices and my ideas.
And then the finger tiles are gonna go on top...
They'll be needing a tiler of Adrian's calibre
to execute their secret weapon of a design idea this week.
So you've gotta imagine, that's gonna be your internal corner...
Yeah, OK. Right? Mm-hm.
So it was really valuable to me.
So when we put our tiles on, we get that beautiful curve.
MAN: Yeah.
It gives you the illusion that the room's round. Yeah.
The idea that we've got is that we're gonna a curve into the shower.
Kyle's and Leslie's shower will feature curvy back walls,
custom-made curved shower screen and a shelf.
The bathroom will also feature two skylights,
a double green and white vanity and a toilet.
I think with the bathroom, it's gonna feel homely.
So, yeah, it's gonna make someone feel comfortable
and enjoy being in there.
('WHITE RABBIT' BY EMILIANA TORRINI PLAYS)
During the house decider challenge...
(THUNDER RUMBLES)
..house two's roof started leaking during a sudden downpour.
And the flooding in the studio is now the problem of its new owner,
mum of three Leah.
Hey. Hi, Leah.
You've come to save the day.
I'm Leah. Dave. Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
Kennards is the first person I message every day, every morning.
Davo. Dave. I'm, like, "Hey, Dave..."
Dave from Kennards. "Me again.
"I'd really love a wet vac."
Our room is about that far in water.
And he's onto it.
Honestly, he's, like... # Bibbity-bobbity-boo. # Boom.
Once Leah and Ash's wet room is not so quite literally wet...
(VACUUM WHIRRS)
..it's time for the ultracompetitive couple to work out
how they can wow the judges with their first bathroom.
We're going to do a curved ceiling.
Who's here?
(LAUGHTER)
This week, we wanted to do something super bold and risky
and just something that hasn't been done before
or seen on The Block before.
That is a really big focus of us
for the rest of the series as well, so...
So... ..our weapon this week is the curve.
I think we've got a few weapons.
There's a few weapons in that bathroom.
But it's the curve. But the thing is, like...
Say 'the curve'. (LAUGHS) The curve.
The curve, made from Venetian plaster,
will create a ceiling feature in Leah and Ash's bathroom
even more bold with the dark colour scheme.
We wanted it to be moody and sexy
and really play on the fact that there's not a lot of natural light,
so it's all very, you know...
You've got ten people in a room, right,
and you ask all of them if they like curves and I think maybe...
I've done it. Average, it's probably about eight.
On auction day, ten people, eight of them want a curved house.
(MOUTHS WORD)
Coming up, while some see their ideas take shape...
Yeah, that's amazing. I love it.
This curve was magical.
..others are sent back to the starting line.
STEPH: Me and my analytical brain is a negative in this circumstance.
I've gone for... What's the exact name? I don't know.
Sort of beigey but not... No, that's not the right word.
KRISTY: (ON PHONE) It's all disgusting and we're gonna lose.
Kristy, I just...
We can't work together with this type of mentality.
(GULL CRIES)
SCOTT: It's Monday of studio bathroom week...
# My sanity comes to question... #
..which means everyone is hitting up Reece
to lock in their bathroom wares...
# It's like honey inside my head... #
..including house three's Brett...
Excited to see what they have here
and we'll create a very cool guest bathroom.
..who told us in his casting video that he's a safety officer.
But that's not all he is, apparently.
So, I am a former tiler but I haven't told anybody,
so that's why Kristy's not here picking things out.
I may have a little bit more of an idea
of what we're selecting today, so...
Yes, yes, so, not just a safety guy.
About seven, eight years of tiling experience up my sleeve too, so...
Hi, Brett. How are you? Hello.
So, Kristy's not here today, I understand.
She's not. I've come on in.
So I've got a little bit of bathroom experience...
Alright. ..so I thought I might maybe know...
Beautiful. ..a little bit about it instead, so... OK.
It'll definitely be an advantage being a tiler in those spaces.
PRODUCER: You've gotta have something up your sleeve.
Yeah, exactly,
so I can caulk and grout quite well, along with lay tiles.
But, yeah, just that finish off,
where everyone else is kind of trying to call their tiler in
and I can be in there, it's a silent part of the trade
and I can be in there at 2:00, 3:00 in the morning, whenever,
getting away with it and...
WOMAN: Tell me what your vision is for this room.
We're gonna have, as you approach straight through the opening door...
Yep.
..you're gonna be presented with an archway
that separates the shower from the rest of the bathroom.
OK.
So it's not a huge space, so we want to be able to utilise that
by putting in maybe some smaller curved vanities, things like that.
So, this was actually created by Alisa and Lysandra.
Yeah, of course it was. So, yeah...
It's stunning, that's why. It is.
Yeah. This is talking to me. (TAKES PHOTO)
SCOTT: While Brett has been at Reece,
back on site, his wife Kristy has encountered a roadblock
to her arched wall shower idea.
We've had quite a few changes today, just based on materials and whatnot,
so we've just made some changes which changes the whole concept
of what my shower screen looks like.
Being a small shower, she would need an arched glass shower screen
with a door for it to comply.
Yep, that's a hard one.
Brett calls Kristy to fill her in on all his choices for their bathroom.
Call Kristy.
MALE ELECTRONIC VOICE: Calling Kristy.
(RINGING TONE) But she's not really in the mood.
KRISTY: (ON PHONE) It's all disgusting and we're gonna lose.
Kristy, I just...
We can't work together with this type of mentality.
Like, we have to adapt.
I think we need to work with what's going on here.
Really wants an arched one.
Apparently that's not happening in Australia right now.
Goodbye, arched wall idea.
Back to the drawing board, guys.
Picture a big glass panel, square, right,
and then the door of that enclosing the whole thing
could be an arched door.
No, you can't 'cause you can't get them in Australia right now.
OK. Well... Fail.
Alright, I have to get back on my phone and start calling
because everything's taking two weeks to come.
Alrighty. Chat to youse more. Alright. Bye.
Bye. (CALL ENDS)
Hello. My name's Kristy.
I called earlier regarding glass arched shower screens.
I'm actually looking for some full-framed ones now.
A bit of a change of plan, change of design.
WOMAN: (ON PHONE) Yes.
And I was just seeing if you did have any stock.
We need it installed by Friday.
MAN: (ON PHONE) Not a chance.
Alrighty. Well, thank you very much for your help.
WOMAN: (ON PHONE) No problem. Thanks.
Bye. Thanks. Bye.
What an attitude.
What a can-do attitude.
So we're looking to have something delivered and installed on Friday.
MAN: (ON PHONE) No.
No, we couldn't do that.
# In the sun, I will come... #
Next door in house two,
Leah and Ash's secret weapon, the ceiling curve,
is still very much alive and kicking.
Yeah, that looks so cool.
It's been framed up, ready for Keith's first inspection.
Yeah, that's amazing.
I love it.
This curve was magical
and the detail of the curve, like, was very specific.
We were having, like, either a 500 or 600 radius.
Because it all had... I don't really know what that means.
It all had to work with the height of the mirror,
so if you had a curve coming down and your mirror was too high,
you'd hit the...and also the top of the shower screen.
A lot of preplanning. So there was a lot of thought in it.
KEITH: Mmm.
Pretty good. Really, Keith?
Mmm.
Oh, you boys are bloody rippers.
That's quite tricky. The boys have done well.
When they've cut their templates... Youse have done a good job.
Yeah. Good job, boys.
That's... That's good. We've had a win.
That's a win, honestly. We've had a win.
End of Monday, had the curve up. Pretty happy with it.
That's probably the only little bit you're gonna use.
(GULL CRIES)
SCOTT: Something people may not realise about The Block
is while you may have a brilliant design idea,
it means nothing if you can't make it happen.
KRISTY: I need to get a full closed-in shower now.
House three's Kristy had to ditch her archway shower idea
and is now struggling to find the alternative,
a custom glass wall shower screen.
It was just noes after noes after noes after noes.
Mmm.
Which is hilarious to watch
because Kristy hearing no just never goes down great.
I'm not used to hearing no very often.
(BOTH LAUGH)
MAN: (ON PHONE)
Yeah. So...
So he came in with a no but then he's checking with the owner
to see if they can put existing orders on hold
to be able to then put us first to make sure that we get it by Friday.
So, the owner of the business is the only person that can actually do it,
so we'll see if he's in a good mood today.
I'm optimistic right now that they're gonna come through with us.
(RINGING TONE)
Hi, Damian. It's Kristy.
How are you?
Amazing. Thank you so much.
Got the screen, got the screen door.
MAN: It wasn't that hard. It was very hard.
So, today I've got a lot of noes
and a lot of changes to the original design
but I'm staying optimistic and I think we'll definitely finish.
# School's out for summer
# School's out... #
In house four, architect Steph has been unsettled by a morning
that didn't quite go to script
after starting demo and planning on the wrong bathroom.
It's fine. Of course it's fine.
Stop stressing.
Is it Reece that I've gotta go to now?
Where is Reece? Yeah.
As an architect, people expect that you, you know, get plans, all good,
great, you've got them, you should know what you're doing.
Anyone in the profession needs time to analyse,
to think about where all the rooms are, how it's laid out.
Me and my analytical brain is a negative in this circumstance.
I would consider this to be a tricky day.
It just so happens to be the first day. (LAUGHS)
After the crazy morning,
I jumped in the car and I knew that I had a Reece and Beaumont meeting.
A bit of retail therapy. Yeah. Therapy.
At this point, I'm still working out The Block
because I didn't realise that I had to pick everything then and there.
MAN: Tell me about your project. Yes.
The style that we're kind of going for is Hamptons, like, farmhouse
but sort of like a Scandinavian version,
so hardwood timber beams along ceiling...
Yep.
I'd like to kind of contrast it with a lighter-tone vanity.
Yep. Like that one there. Yeah.
Mmm.
That was honestly overwhelming.
They were, like, "Oh, yeah, you need to pick everything by, like, 5:00"
and I'm, like, "Really? I just got my house plans."
Mmm.
Gunmetal? Gunmetal is very limited in its offerings.
There's more options in brush nickel.
There's more option in brushed gold, even.
I'm wanting to use gunmetal in pretty much the whole house
but because obviously this is super last-minute
and they didn't anticipate someone to use gunmetal,
we are just checking to see if they can run it for this room.
Then had to rush to Beaumont.
My meeting was at 4:00.
Traffic and everything in Melbourne...
I got there at 4:30.
I'm Steph. BOTH: Nice to meet you.
I had half an hour to pick the tiles for my room.
So, do you like that colour toning? Yep, I do.
Beautiful.
Oh, we just have enough.
It's risky without wastage
because we only have, like, 19 square metres.
Everything I want is either clearance or going or gone.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
So we might... OK.
..have to look for an alternative. Yep.
Alright, so we're gonna go with the Debris White... Mm-hm.
..for the floor and also in the shower alcove area. Yes.
Then we're gonna go with this feature tile around the vanity. Yep.
And then you've got that timber coming through in the ceiling.
Mm-hm. And then this is your vanity and...
Tapware. And this is... Yep.
The benchtop. Benchtop. Yep.
I went in there with a mission.
I sort of picked everything and then I sort of stopped
and when I stopped, I just crumbled.
I've gone for... What's the exact name?
I don't know.
I'm going for a sort of beigey but not...
No, that's not the right word.
I'm doing a plain... Yeah, I'm doing a plainer...
I'm doing a...
a larger format.
A larger-format tile on the ground, on the floor
and that's gonna be inside the shower and inside the shower recess.
I crumbled because the time in which you need to make the decisions...
GIAN: Mmm.
..is what is stressful and then I think that got into my head.
(HALF-LAUGHS)
# Sweet
# Disposition... #
And that brings us to a close of day one.
G'day, guys. It's 6:00pm. Stop work.
And no more power tools.
With a traditional celebratory Macca's feast to mark the occasion...
Oh, look at that. Oh, my gosh.
Nice. WOMAN: So good.
Oh, my gosh, that's so good... It's good.
Because the last time I ate was 7:00 this morning and it was Macca's too.
(LAUGHTER) It was Macca's too. (LAUGHS)
A weary Steph has returned to house four,
straight into the arms of childhood sweetheart Gian.
PRODUCER: Is it hard for you, Gian, to hear that Steph was...
Mmm. ..so fragile by the end of today?
I thought, in my head,
I knew that it was only a matter of time before the load... Yeah.
..just became too much and I'm glad that...
It's day one. No...
..basically.
But I'm glad that it happened now so she can just realise,
like, what has caused it.
And, I mean, look, I'm just pumped to deliver an amazing room
with all the finishes that she's designed.
Like, that's what it comes down to. Super proud.
100%. 100%. Very proud. (KISSES) Very proud.
Thanks, babe.
Tomorrow night...
Have you picked downlights?
I thought you got downlights from Beacon.
No? Far out!
Week one of the Block was never gonna run smoothly.
Building a bathroom in one week is no joke.
But when two houses came up with the same design,
it's the battle of the curves.
Our weapon this week is the curve.
No-one has done a Curcio curve before, so this will be interesting.
I'd like to keep it secret because I think it's our secret weapon.
And architect Steph's battles are far from over.
(TEARFULLY) I have been struggling a lot internally.