SCOTTY: Previously on The Block's Kitchen and Laundry Week...
Yeah, this kitchen has knocked me because I really could...
(TENSE MUSIC BUILDS)
..completely stuff it.
(MUSIC SWELLS)
You need to be in charge of your builders
and tell them what you want, not them telling you what they want.
We got some hard truths at dinner from Scotty.
You gotta change your team.
And, if tensions weren't high enough,
during such a massive week,
we also launched our annual charity house challenge.
We're helping out a community centre
who support disadvantaged locals and people in need.
Your challenge is to update the building behind us
between now and Friday.
It was the most incredible feeling
to imagine how much we could improve people's lives.
Tonight...
Your stone's about to come in. I know.
Some are stressed.
Even though I'm not touching the stone,
just watching makes me incredibly anxious.
We're gonna do our best but we're not gonna finish.
We were like, this ain't gonna finish.
We're not gonna finish this.
While others are not.
This is how my life is meant to be and should be.
In the most important week of The Block for us,
she was gone for three or four hours.
We couldn't afford not to have... Three or four hours?
Oh, my dramatic God.
And we announce the challenge winner.
The winning team is...
(GULL CAWS)
(GENTLE MUSIC)
Gonna be a cracking day, I think.
We're into Week 7 on The Block
and stuff is getting tough so it's in these trying times
I'm reminded of some motivational quotes I like to live by.
The first is from my favourite former first lady,
Eleanor Roosevelt, who said:
PRODUCER: Hello!
Morning.
How are you this fine Friday morning?
I'm doing well this Friday morning.
This is the earliest we have painted before, which is so exciting.
It's gonna be a gorgeous day.
Yeah, feeling good.
The second is from my favourite singer-songwriter,
Joe Dolce, who said:
Leave me alone, please.
It's not you, we do it to everyone.
How annoying is it to be woken up every day, Brett?
Ooh!
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
Are you trying to find something and it's frustrating?
I'm not trying to find anything,
I'm trying to find some space from you (BLEEP) every morning,
every (BLEEP) morning.
Go harass someone else, for (BLEEP) sake.
Every single day this week, I was woken up and I'd just had enough.
I was generally trying to...
..put a few things together,
go to toilet and just do my thing, do my life.
I just would like a moment to take a (BLEEP) in the morning
and sort something.
Constantly having the camera in my face, it just annoyed me.
Like, leave me the (BLEEP) alone.
I'm sick of it.
CAMERAMAN: You did watch the show, you know we love mornings?
Do you ever stop, Pez?
No, it's my job.
You know wake-ups are part of The Block, though?
I didn't and I didn't expect it to be every day.
You didn't know that there were wake-ups as part of The Block?
Have you watched the show? Not much.
(TRIVIAL MUSIC)
Um...
Great.
# If you open your eyes and see the pretty flowers... #
Well, one team that actually watches the show
are Steph and Gian from House 4.
Big day? Big day for ya?
Oh, mate... Big day.
PRODUCER: Are you on track with everything?
Are we on track?
We're a little bit behind.
We still were working in the Kinsman
around the bulkheads above the joinery in the kitchen and pantry.
The laundry was top-coated so that's ready for sanding.
So, the goal by tonight is to have everything top-coated
and ready for sanding Saturday morning.
Uh, gang, aren't you forgetting something?
Because this is the current state of your worksite.
Very messy site.
Jack wants a clean-up. Is that fair enough?
Jack. Steph.
Jack, Steph, Gian, Peter, everyone wants a clean-up.
While House 4 deal with that, at the other end of The Block,
House 5 are dealing with something very special of their own.
Your stone's about to come in. I know.
It's very, very...
My heart's racing a little bit. Why?
I don't know.
The stone's coming in for our amazing benchtop in the kitchen
so that's really exciting
and I cannot leave the Block until I see that happen.
With modern timber flooring and lighter grey cabinetry
used to offset a bright orange cooker,
the focal point for Eliza and Liberty's kitchen
is their massive 4-metre-long island bench,
which sits smack bang in the middle of the room.
Can someone grab the top?
I feel very anx-iose.
Even though I'm not touching the stone, nor do I have anything
to do with it, but just watching makes me incredibly anxious.
'Cause look at the size of it!
And this end.
Our island bench is four metres long
and there's two pieces, so there's, like, six or seven people
having to bring it in from the truck and place it on the bench.
How heavy is this stuff?
They're about 50 kilos a square metre.
Oh, my God.
What's that, about four square metres,
including the edge, so you're talking a couple of hundred kilos.
Wowee.
But it's like clockwork how they do it.
Like, it's unbelievable.
They do it with such precision,
and I was kind of just sitting back in awe of how incredible it was.
(EXCITED SQUEAL)
So incredible.
I'm so surprised one of them didn't chop off a finger
but, genuinely, even if one did,
it would've been worth it because it was just magnificent.
If you've gotta chop off a finger,
do that as long as you don't damage our beautiful Cosentino stone.
# And I'm feeling good. #
Oh!
So beautiful.
The island bench in our kitchen is bigger than our whole apartment.
You could play that many games...
Ping pong, beer pong, all sorts of things on there.
You have to, like, yell to get to the other...
I know. ..person at the other end.
Cooee!
I am absolutely loving the kitchen space.
It's honestly exceeding my expectations.
I'm so excited to see it all come together.
Magnificent. Guys, thank you so much.
Amazing.
We're very lucky.
Speaking of luck...
(CHEERING)
..House 1 got very lucky last week when they nabbed the gnome...
..and that luck seems to be continuing
because a problem with their pipes has just been fixed,
which means their late-in-the-game skylight can finally proceed.
We've just come in today and put two VELUX skylights in your kitchen.
As you can see, it's gonna be really dark without it.
Yep.
I think putting 'em in, it just...
You know, someone getting up in the morning,
they don't have to flick on all the lights.
They've just got natural light over the island bench.
They're a great feature, as well, so...
Because of the shape of them, it's like ceiling
and then the skylight's, like, here,
so, in a house that's got a lot of soft edges and curves,
you sorta got this sharp shaft going this way sort of thing.
To soften their big, sharp shaft,
House 1's plastering will follow the shape of the ceiling slant
so the light from the VELUX curves around into the kitchen.
We think it'll look fantastic. Yep.
Discuss with Sammy, the plasterer, and, yeah, it's capable, Sam?
It's a bit of extra work but it will look great.
Yeah.
Give you a bigger shaft area.
Yeah, and we haven't done that before.
So, it'll be great for us to do it, as well.
Amazing. Yeah.
It's all very technical.
There was a lot of people in there.
Alright, perfect.
Alright, thank you very much. Thank you.
# Come to my window
# Crawl inside wait by the light of the moon. #
So, while we're all admiring a massive curved shaft...
Good?
So delightful.
(SHELL CHUCKLES)
Shell. I didn't recognise you.
You're in camouflage. That's right.
..I reckon Shell and I should check it out, as well.
Kitchen Week, I love it,
it's my favourite week, and you should see some of the benchtops.
They're all new, I heard?
Yeah, Cosentino, it's fantastic, and, uh, let's start in House 1.
You gotta see it.
House 1's kitchen is situated at the back of the building,
with the laundry on one side and a butler's pantry on the other.
Kyle and Leslie's signature neutral colour palette
continues in the kitchen with floating floorboards,
timber-look cabinetry and a travertine island bench.
They also have a fridge-freezer on the left and a wine cooler
on the right, plus, of course, that huge curved-shaft skylight above.
You know what, I love it when the cabinetry starts coming in
'cause it means you're almost there, right, in a build once this arrives.
Yes, yes. It looks beautiful.
I have to say, what about your chippies?
Like, look at this curve coming through here,
the curve coming through here.
Oh, look at it, reverse, it looks like a wave.
You know, your aesthetics throughout the home is divine.
It's beautiful. The colour palette's beautiful.
This ties in perfectly
with the Christian Cole pieces they've already got.
It just feels like home. Yeah.
You've done a beautiful job.
You've brought something new
and, also, you inspire people around Australia to put curves in.
Plasterers around Australia are going to hate you.
I reckon they're gonna love you 'cause this must cost a fortune.
So, how much have you spent this week?
In all honesty, we've probably spent around 40.
Historically, I like this word, when you say 40, it means 50.
Scotty was concerned about the budget again,
so I just don't know how much more to pull back.
Basically, the curves are putting all your budget on red.
Yes.
To double up. Yeah.
And this possibly gives you a ten and you've got a gnome.
You're a big chance.
Sometimes, red comes up. 50% of the time.
Sometimes, black comes up.
I was gonna say, sometimes, zero comes up.
Even if we got, like, a couple of tens,
and we didn't win, I probably wouldn't use the gnome.
Ooh, I don't know. Ooh.
Let's just... Controversial?
Let's just hope for good feedback.
Oh, OK, let's just hope for good feedback, that's true.
Do you want to save the gnome?
I'd love to save the gnome but I don't know for what.
# If you gamble everything for love If you gamble everything for love.
Another team who has a big bet this week are Steph and Gian,
who changed the architectural plans
for the placement of House 4's kitchen.
Hello, kids.
Hey, dad and mum.
It feels like that, isn't it?
We've come over for tea.
Yes, welcome.
Can't put the kettle on yet but we will shortly.
Beige is back for Steph and Gian in their kitchen this week.
Light, muted tones have been used for the floor, walls and cabinetry.
This also ties in with their marble island bench with cooker.
Opposite that is a sink that is lit by three goose-neck wall pendants.
I love this, I love this and that is an extraction fan, isn't it?
Yeah. Yes, it is.
So, you've got an induction cooktop
and that's basically your rangehood, isn't it?
Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
'Cause, obviously, it leaves this as beautiful open space.
Yes.
And it's interesting 'cause the timber look that you've got
on your cabinetry, I would never have thought
to put the two together, but it's a very soft palette you've created.
Thank you. Mm!
It's very sophisticated, sweetie. Thank you.
Thanks. Very beige.
BOTH: Very beige.
I'm getting hints of a massive butler's back here.
Huge. Where would it have gone, up here?
There was no butler's. No butler's?
We actually couldn't extend that wall further back
'cause that's the entrance to the house.
So we would've compromised on a butler's if we did go with that.
To increase the size of their kitchen, back in Week 2,
architect Steph made the bold move to swap the location
of the existing kitchen and living room spaces.
This means their butler's pantry now sits behind a floor-to-ceiling
divided wall, and their laundry is located at the front of the house.
OK, well, it better be worth it. Let's have a look.
You folks at home, go that way and you'll see us.
(MARCHING BAND MUSIC)
Hello.
They found you.
That is some serious storage options back here.
Who has this much stuff to fill up so many cupboards and drawers?
Like...
Well, you've got a pantry on these two sides,
and then you've got appliances and then, obviously...
Have you got powerpoints in there
so you can just leave them in their spots?
You don't have to take 'em out. We've got six.
And then these two columns will be pantry,
and then cutlery and larger, sort of...
Pots and pans. Pots and pans.
Where's the coffee machine?
Have you got one? Yes, we do.
Where's that going? In here?
Yeah, I would like it to go in there.
I was thinking potentially on there
but people don't really want to see it so...
Oh, no, a coffee machine is a piece of art
so it should go out there, really.
That's what I was thinking 'cause it's a really nice design, as well.
We haven't come to a conclusion on that.
It's either that, there or...
We're honestly back and forth. No, no, he wants it out there.
It's going there.
It doesn't matter what he wants.
On Sunday, I want to see it out there 'cause he wants it there.
Scotty, it can't go next to the sink.
Yeah, but you want it on display. I'm on Scotty's team.
Gian and I want it on display. It's a piece of art.
I'm on Scotty's team.
You know I'm not.
It's going out the front next to the sink.
Do you actually want that? Yeah, I like that.
Have you thought about that? I have.
You didn't. I have.
I've been thinking about it for a while.
It's not going there. It's going there.
This is fantastic, coffee machine in the main kitchen.
And, Shell, they've been together since year 8, did you know that?
I didn't know that. Are you serious? Yeah, yeah.
Since they were 13. It's unbelievable.
Same age as my daughter. I know.
What if my daughter found her future partner now?
Oh, my goodness me. Give us a hug.
We love it.
Year 8, year 8!
Thanks, guys. Aw!
(GULL CAWS)
With 48 hours until tools down,
the Blockheads are definitely up against it for Kitchen Week.
Earlier this morning, this happened.
# Look I don't want to talk. #
Every single (BLEEP) morning, mate, go and harass.
I spoke harshly to someone.
It was an outcome of just, like, constantly being poked and prodded.
CAMERAMAN: But you did watch the show, you know I like mornings?
Dude, do you ever stop, Pez?
No, it's my job.
And now this is happening.
Hello. How are you, mate?
Um, I just heard this morning, mate, you went off at some of the crew.
I mean, you would understand. The pressure gets to ya.
Just trying to get up and you can't even have two minutes to yourself.
It's been every morning this week.
I've been woken up every day,
tired, big weak, a lot on
and I just, yeah, I (BLEEP) lost my cool, man.
We just can't have that with the crew.
They're just doing their job. 100%.
Yeah, when you get a chance, go apologise.
Yeah, will do, mate. Nuh, cheers.
Thanks, mate. Thanks.
So, knowing he's in the wrong,
Brett, literally with cap in hand, decides to do the right thing.
I just wanted to take two minutes
to say I should not speak to you like that.
Like, that's very disrespectful of me.
I blew up and, yeah, I just...
The thing is that, like, I get it.
Like, I get, you know, sometimes, it's too much and you just don't...
Just don't talk like that.
I don't talk to you like that.
If you would've gone,
"Mate, I'm in a really foul mood, give me ten minutes,"
then we would've gone, "No worries."
It's the path I should've taken and I do apologise.
I should not speak to you like that,
I was very disrespectful to you, man, so yeah.
Thanks, mate. Appreciate it.
As Brett calms down, Kitchen and Laundry Week heats up,
and it's turning some worksites into absolute bombsites,
which may make Shelley want to detonate.
Hello. Hi.
Whoa, hello, how are you? How you going?
Come hang in the kitchen 'cause that's what you do.
Exactly, that's it.
Now, we've been having budget chats along the way.
We don't need to talk to you about budget 'cause you won,
like, a million dollars last week or the week before.
45 grand.
Budget is good.
But you could've afforded a couple of drop sheets to cover up
your gorgeous furniture, which looks like a bombsite in there.
I know.
That's not cool at all. Mum's going cranky.
Someone's coming in an hour.
Too late.
Your lounge room's a mess
and your table over there is getting destroyed, cover it up!
I get nervous when Shelley's getting cranky.
I don't get cranky often but that's so sad.
Shelley was a bit upset with our...
She was actually mortified...
Mortified.
..with how messy and everything our room was
from the other week, our living and dining.
The hallway got ripped up
so then everything that was in the hallway is out...
We're just tired, it's annoying. It's overwhelming?
It just upsets me, that's all. Yeah.
It's beautiful furniture getting covered in dust.
Yes. I like your benchtops.
Sorry.
(LAUGHTER)
House 2's kitchen sits at the rear of the property
with a north-facing butler's pantry,
and their separate laundry attaches to their downstairs bathroom.
At 15.7 square metres,
Leah and Ash are hoping the smallest kitchen on the Block
will still pack a punch,
with a darkened cabinetry
contrasting against lighter flooring.
They'll also have storage and cooking on one side of the room
and a curved island bench/breakfast bar is on the other side.
It's amazing.
I mean, again, you designed your kitchens in, what, Week 2?
Yeah, something like that, Week 3.
So, to know how that's going to ever tie into your house is unbelievable.
I commend you on your bravery
'cause this is what you do, you know, this is obviously, again,
taking your business to the next level by showcasing what you can do
and the brave steps you're prepared to take.
BOTH: Yeah.
Yes, it's gonna alienate some buyers
but, God, it's going to inspire some others.
BOTH: Yeah.
Which is what The Block's all about, isn't it?
It's to get out of your comfort zone.
It was nice to hear, "You're doing something different.
"Don't ever lose, I guess, the vision
"of why you came on The Block."
Alright, well, you'll see you soon.
We'll see you down at the challenge joint.
We gotta go. OK, alright.
They want us to go, Shell.
They're rattled.
As Shelley and I continue our walkarounds onsite,
offsite, contestants are buying up big
to give their kitchens a little kick.
Leslie's assessing appliances.
I would just like a...
Yeah, so maybe just a matte 2-slice, then.
OK, yes. And the matte kettle.
Perfect.
Kristy's sussing out styling.
OK, darling, we've got these two bags.
Amazing, thank you very much.
Liberty is cracking on with crockery.
You gotta have a dance party in Freedom.
Speaking of House 5, sister Eliza is holding the fort back at the Block.
Hello.
Hi!
What? Jesus.
I know, fit for a queen.
House 5's open-plan design continues this week,
with a walk-in linen cupboard, butler's pantry, laundry,
a 24-square-metre kitchen housing that massive island bench.
Isn't it amazing?
Four metres. Four metres.
And nothing going on there? Nothing.
No sinks, no cooktops, no inductions, no nothing? Love it.
Except my oranges. Bowl of oranges.
Oh, hello, yes, no wonder, right?
Look at this stunning Smeg rangehood,
and we've got a matching stovetop induction.
In the orange? In the orange.
OK.
Ever since Week 1, we've been getting Lite n' Easy,
I've been collecting oranges ready for this exact moment.
Really?
Talk about preparation.
It's the only thing I've pre-prepared this whole time.
So, you're gonna have a big bowl? Yeah, a really big bowl.
You know, we've been looking at amazing stones today and benchtops,
and Cosentino's delivered,
what, five brand-new products that we've never seen before.
This is, like, a monolith.
This is outstanding. This is Dekton.
It is.
It should just be called Indestructo, shouldn't it,
'cause you cannot do anything to damage this.
I mean, you can wipe it with anything.
And we were testing it, like the whole team,
like, I had permission, with keys.
They were scratching it.
I was like, "Don't do it!"
Unbelievable.
And most importantly it's safe to install
for the tradies that are working.
That's right, it's got minimal silica...
like, natural...that naturally occurs in beach sand
or something like that so it's very safe.
Mm.
Um, how did you start painting so early?
Why did your plasterers finish early?
So, we got a new team of plasterers.
Oh, my goodness.
Painting on it was joy... actually joyful.
Because... It was so smooth.
So, you're saying your previous plasterers...
The care factor, maybe, wasn't there with our previous plasterers.
So, you got new plasterers and you were then able to paint on Thursday.
We were. That's never happened.
I've been talking about that for seven weeks, by the way.
Exactly, so we're pumped.
Your budget is cooked.
Absolutely cooked. Yes.
You're saying that with a big smile on your face,
that your budget's cooked, so what I've arranged
is for someone from the Comm Bank to come down here tomorrow
to sit with you, and I will come down as well
and we'll work out a future budget
'cause, if you got three tens and a win, which is 40K,
you'd be back on track.
We would. It'd save us.
And I feel there's a ten in this room.
Well, there has to be three tens in the room.
With that and that and that.
A dream scenario is three tens and winning
because we need monies and that would be $40,000.
You know, we've just sort of been a bit like...
(SQUEAKS)
We want to go whoo!
We're backing ourselves but I don't want to get arrogant.
Ten, ten, ten, win, win, win and then, you know, like,
something happens and you're like...(RETCHES), ones.
Confidence.
(JOVIAL MUSIC)
(GULL CAWS)
To be in the running for an incredible $30,000 each week,
thanks to Disney Plus,
simply head online and vote for your favourite room.
And while you're there,
don't forget to check out all our amazing room galleries.
The kitchen is the heart of the home.
Kitchen and Laundry Week on The Block
might just give you a heart attack
knowing the amount of work that's still to do for some teams.
# I'm dressed to kill and if I don't somebody else will.
So, the spaces that we're doing today,
we really need to make sure that the stone is delivered,
it's getting installed, we're doing final appliances.
We're getting our floor grouted in our laundry
and, on top of all that, we've got a challenge decider
and we've gotta get over the line to make sure it's done by 3pm today.
Mm.
House 3 are revealing four rooms this week.
Their open plan kitchen/dining space
sits across from a butler's pantry and next to that is the laundry.
With dining on the left, Kristy and Brett's kitchen
will see light muted tones across the flooring and cabinetry.
This will help highlight
their massive Palazzo Rosso island bench,
which sits across from their secret weapon,
the rise-and-fall splashback.
Now, I want to see the secret weapon.
Secret weapon?
It is...
Where am I looking?
What am I looking...? Oh, hello.
Hey, wait for it, wait for it.
(MAJESTIC MUSIC)
Oh! No way.
What do you call that, love?
Rise and fall, apparently. Rise and fall.
Rise-and-fall splashback. Rise-and-fall splashback.
What's not to be impressed about, you know what I mean?
It's a rise-and-fall splashback.
Wow, so go down again.
Fall, please.
Sure.
(MAJESTIC MUSIC)
Shelley was all about it.
She was like, "Up, down, up, down, up, down."
Oh, and lights on.
(MAJESTIC MUSIC)
Magic. That's magic.
Magic.
OK, 'cause, otherwise, it looks like a very simple kitchen.
Yes. Doesn't it?
And a nice big island.
It's gonna be a beautiful big island.
Well, the description of your stone that's going in here sounds amazing.
Yes.
Sure does.
Last week, Kristy and Brett
really doubled down to make sure their benchtop pays off.
I didn't realise how much I loved natural stone
until this piece has come along.
Wow.
Oh, how impressionable is that.
That is unreal. Ooh!
But to actually see it in your face was amazing.
I could look at this all day.
And then, on a safety perspective,
silica dust is such a big thing in the industry.
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
This is actually made using all low-silica technology.
We're the only manufacturer that has a low-silica reconstituted stone.
Nothing gets cut dry, nothing gets cut be hand.
All machine.
They can set up whatever angle you need cut,
punch it in the computer and I was very impressed.
That's gonna look terrific, I think, Shell?
It'll be beautiful.
But how much did this cost you this week?
'Cause, traditionally, Kitchen Week
should be, you know, within your budget of 20K.
If we guesstimate 20K per room, it should be within that.
Is it or is it over? It's definitely over.
Is it?
Yeah, so, this week alone, we're spending about 40.
Yes, right.
Yeah.
Which really jeopardises other rooms.
What we need to do is work towards getting you a couple of tens,
and that could do it.
Big bikkies. Yes.
Yes, big bikkies from Arnott's.
Ten is worth ten grand.
So, secret weapon could get you a ten.
Oh, yes. Oh, yes.
I need it, I need that ten.
To be honest, touch wood, we're absolutely smashing it.
And we just don't want to jinx it, have anything go wrong.
That's why we're...
(MATERIALS CLANG)
Alright, you gotta go touch it.
There's a gnome in play, you know?
Ooh, yeah, I know, it's a very tight week.
But, strategically, would you play it this week?
Absolutely. You reckon?
I'd play it any week I could get a win.
If you were half a point behind on the turn of the board,
then the little bloke's comin' out.
Careful.
So, as I remove my foot from my mouth...
..teams are putting their best foot forward
because they'll be offsite for the rest of the day.
Do you want me to read it?
You see, on Monday, along with Kitchen Week,
I also kicked off our annual charity house challenge.
Blockheads, it's time to give our neighbours a helping hand.
This week, we're giving BayCISS a facelift.
It's the Bayside Community Centre that helps support people in need.
An amazing charity that does tremendous work
with people doing it really tough.
Contestants were divided into two teams.
Steph and Gian led the outside team,
and, along with Kyle, Leslie and Dave Franklin's crew,
were tasked with transforming the backyard and side alley.
While the inside team,
captained by Kristy and Brett, had Leah and Ash and Eliza and Liberty
tackling the kitchen, storage area and three consultation rooms.
And, at the moment, the challenge house
seems to be a real challenge for the inside team.
There was a lot to do.
Cleaning, unpacking, styling.
When we walked in, Carpet Court was still doing the hallways
so we were sort of climbing over Carpet Court.
It was very overwhelming when we walked in there.
While that happens inside...
(TRANQUIL MUSIC)
..it seems to be a different story for the outdoor team.
To be fair, we weren't racing around.
It was more so just, like, planting.
What have we got? Some mint.
Coriander, controversial to some.
Bit of parsley.
Little herb garden.
Our stepping stones are in.
The floor has been compacted.
The styling pieces are also in.
Perfect.
That actually looks really good.
Yeah, I mean, it was a really productive day.
(LIGHT ROCK MUSIC)
Also lending a hand with some food donations
for the community centre, my mates from Lite n' Easy.
# It's so easy easy
# When everybody's tryin' to please me baby. #
I've just heard you've got an insane amount of meals.
Would you like to come have a look? Yeah!
Let's see what you've got.
They dropped off 250 meals. Yeah.
Oh, they're chockers, too. Are they?
Yeah. Oh, yep.
Reckon you can handle that? Yeah, yeah.
Hi-ho, hi-ho...
There you go, big fella.
# Off to work we go
# Hi-ho hi-ho hi-ho hi-ho. #
And, as the Lite n' Easy goes in...
Gonna be packed to the brim. Yeah.
Gonna need a bigger fridge.
..outside, Steph's pizza oven backs up.
(OPERATIC SINGING)
(GROANS)
They wanted to create a space that people can gather with food.
I see that as, like, a really important part of community centres
and, true to our Italianness, let's get a pizza oven.
Wow. Gorgeous.
Let's get it burnin'.
(SONG CONCLUDES)
And, as the clock counts down,
things are only ramping up for our inside team.
We were all...
Flat biscuit. Yeah.
There's so much to do and so little time.
Kristy and I were starting to put furniture into the rooms.
We're not going well for time.
We really need some, like, chippy help.
The outside team have had a huge team for Dave Franklin.
We've got cupboards that need to be built.
We've got things that need to go on the walls.
Oh, it's just a lot.
The boys needed to build flatpacks.
The boys have put a flatpack together
and they've nailed the backing on, except that's the back.
Oh, we were goin' for the rustic look.
Lib was doing flatpacks.
Where does one begin?
Constructiones.
Christ, it's a whole book.
This is a cooker, genuine cooker.
Meanwhile, it's very zen in the garden for the outdoor team.
(UPLIFTING ORCHESTRAL MUSIC)
We were kind of just doing a lot of finishing touches, really.
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
Think you'll get it all done? Yeah, we'll get it all done.
We're just really...it's more so decorating now more than anything.
A lot of pots that we'll just put a few of the little plants in.
Yeah, we obviously want to deliver a clean space, as well,
not just have it nice here and dirty here, so...
Yep. Alright.
Beauty.
# Oh no what's this? #
Think we had, like, 15 minutes left
and we were like, "This ain't gonna finish.
"We're not gonna finish this."
(ELECTRONIC SONG PLAYS)
We've got cupboards that need to be built.
We've got things that need to go on the walls.
We were just flying.
There was arms and legs everywhere.
We were just frantically trying to make it done.
I know this all sounds really frantic.
Justin's calling me. I'll call you back.
These carpets are filthy.
I just need him with a good vac.
We're gonna do our best but we're not gonna finish.
There's not a chance that we're gonna get this done.
I, for some reason, thought it would come together because I...
Do you know what it is?
They don't normally work under these circumstances.
They're normally done, like, a day in advance.
We push right to the end so I could see...
I'm like, "Mate, you have no idea
"how this will come together in the end, like, it just happens."
Mate... Move that chair.
That's what I'm saying, over there. Yeah.
Can we put that in there and then move that in here?
Anywhere you need a plant? On the desk.
The outdoor team didn't really put much effort in.
(TRANQUIL ORCHESTRAL MUSIC)
Little bit lacklustre, guys.
Let's just get a bit more energy. Oh, sorry.
It was indoor team versus Dave Franklin's team.
(ELECTRONIC MUSIC)
We're gonna put it in and then Lib's gonna tell us where to move it to.
Shell, I'll do the whistle, you do the call.
What's the time?
Hey.
Oh, my God almighty.
I could suck it up quicker with my mouth.
(SHRILL WHISTLE)
Tools down!
Tools down. Good work.
Smashed it.
(CHEERS AND EXCLAMATIONS)
Team huddle! Team huddle!
Appreciate it. That's alright.
Mate, it looks good.
Good work. Good work.
(CHEERING)
It was a lovely, lovely feeling. Lovely.
We finished!
(CHEERING) Yew!
Lib and I have never experienced
this feeling of finishing without wanting to die.
After you. Thank you.
Will it be the inside team?
Oh! Gosh, that's a big change.
Look!
And the colour's fabulous.
(STIRRING MUSIC)
Or the outside team?
Look at this.
Amazing, it's completely different.
Darren Palmer will announce the winner.
The winning team is...
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
(GULL CAWS)
# Oh just want to quit being lonely. #
This year, for our annual charity house challenge,
we've helped revamp
the Bayside Community and Information Support Service Centre.
Doing this charity challenge, it was the most incredible feeling
to imagine how much we could improve people's lives
and we were all just gonna put in and do our very best.
The challenge saw the inside team, formed by House 2, 3 and 5,
take on the outside team,
which included House 1, 4 and Dave Franklin's crew.
This challenge means a lot to us.
We want to make it a space
where people do look forward to going to volunteer,
it gives them that space to break out,
to have team meetings and even to have consultations there.
So, time to grab judge Darren Palmer
and BayCISS executive officer Rose Paduano and crown a winner.
After you.
OK, thank you.
After you, Shell. Thank you.
Let's have a look at this first room.
Yes. OK.
After you. Thank you.
The first room for the inside team was consultation space number one.
(UPLIFTING MUSIC)
Oh, my goodness. It's so posh.
And the colour's fabulous, calming. What was it like before?
Hideous.
Oh, really old, broken.
Didn't have any matching furniture.
Wasn't welcoming.
Didn't look like a nice spot
for a client to come into feeling vulnerable and anxious.
Mm. So, this is beautiful.
It's so soothing and so comforting.
Really nice. Excellent, so colour scheme wise?
Yeah, it's beautiful.
They've chosen something nice and soothing.
Yeah, blue's always a lovely colour for helping people feel relaxed.
You also have kids come through, as well,
so they'll be comfortable on the floor.
It's a nice, fresh piece of carpet.
They can get down and relax
and parents can concentrate on what they're here for.
That's interesting you say that about parents and kids
'cause let's go to the next room and have a look at that.
OK.
The inside team's second space was a kid's counselling room.
(UPLIFTING MUSIC)
Oh, nice, look.
Oh, that's gorgeous.
That's so nice. Oh, the elephant.
It's very kid-friendly, isn't it? So welcoming. Yeah.
So, you have a lot of families with younger kids coming through?
Yeah, we do, people coming in,
you know, looking for supplies for babies, even, nappies...
They've got nothing.
So, if they come in and we need to spend some time with them
and, if they've got children,
there's something lovely for them to do, that's gorgeous.
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
And so that's the thing for today.
It's really about how does the space function for you?
How's it gonna function
for the people that come here and look for assistance?
Yep, yep.
And then we have to really judge on aesthetics.
You know, I can help you with the aesthetic stuff
but you gotta tell me all about the function.
Yeah, exactly.
So, we'll have people come here
possibly on the worst day of their life.
They might be newly homeless or something horrific has happened,
and they need a range of services and, if they've got children,
we need to bring them in somewhere safe and quiet and private.
This will help a lot.
It's just gonna be so much nicer.
We've got a few more spaces to show you, then. Come on.
Next, the inside team transformed an overcrowded pantry
into a much-needed third consultation room.
Oh, wow. Look at this.
You had acoustic problems before?
We did, these were not solid walls.
No way, really?
Yes, they were concertina.
Yeah, so they could be reopened.
Gosh, so that's one week.
They've not only painted all of this timber,
they've painted every single surface in here, filled in the walls
and furnished everything and it functions properly.
How appropriate is a double couch set-up?
Does that work or do you need, sort of, individual chairs?
Most people will be thrilled to see that.
We might bring in one individual chair.
Sometimes, an older person
might need arms to lower themselves and get up.
But, just visually, when you walk in,
it's so welcoming, and, you know...
Stay in your lane there, that's my job.
Sorry.
Now, the next surprise, I reckon, is a beauty,
and what I'm gonna get you to do is close your eyes
once we get out in the hallway 'cause we don't want you to see it
before you get in there.
OK. Alright, come on.
At the back of the building,
the penultimate space for the inside team was the kitchen.
OK, open your eyes.
Oh, wow, look at this.
(TRANQUIL MUSIC)
Oh, my goodness.
So, how different was it?
Well, there was a door here that went through to the office,
so all the chaos in here and all the chaos out there
kind of combined and got noisy.
So, having a proper kitchen to come and...
Oh, my gosh.
Oh! Life-changing!
We've been handwashing dishes.
And a coffee machine.
Oh, it's so exciting.
No, this will be wonderful to introduce the rest of the team to.
So, I was thinking, in the blue rooms,
that they could've actually gone with a bit of a eucalyptus colour
in one of those rooms, potentially, 'cause this is equally as calming.
Like, anything that's green, anything that feels like nature
actually calms you down psychologically, right?
Yeah, that would be nice, yeah, but you know?
Alright, points off there, great.
You found something.
You got in somewhere.
We still have to find a winner.
That was quite hard to find.
Now, we've got one more space, I think, to show you
down the other end of the hallway.
And the final room for the inside team lives opposite the kitchen
where they turned an old office into a food storage room.
(UPLIFTING MUSIC)
My goodness.
So, this was an office.
Right.
But it was sort of down the back away from everyone
so that wasn't always the safest spot to be.
So, how does it work now for you
that they're one, two, three, next to each other?
So much better because we have students do their placements here.
Having them all together is safer
so that they can be supported by staff if they need to be
and, of course, a lot of our food is donated and we're dependent on that,
we don't get enough funding,
so to have enough room to say, "Yes, bring it in."
Well, to add to that, Lite n' Easy have donated 250 meals...
Wow!
..for you, it has filled up the entire fridge.
I know they're going to go to great hungry bellies.
They will.
You mentioned where the staff needed to have somewhere to go
to have a cup of tea or sit down and sort of relax.
Decompress. Decompress.
Have we got a space for you outside.
Oh, fantastic.
Let's go. Oh!
The outside team's first area
was on the left-hand side of the building
where they were tasked with giving the centre
some external storage space.
OK, here we go, Rose.
I've gotta go in front here. You're leading the way, are you?
I want to show you the Stratco sheds.
Alright, we're calling this Stratco Lane.
Now, these are lockable and they're also vermin-proof.
Oh, fantastic.
So, you've got shelving galore,
and you've got one, two, three, four, five of those.
This is a really good use of this space for us.
This is what we need. This is perfect.
Non-perishable deliveries.
We can get many, many, many, many, many more donations
of non-perishables to go into the Stratco sheds, everybody.
The final space for the outdoor team
was the overgrown garden at the back of the building.
(UPLIFTING MUSIC)
Look at this.
Oh, my goodness.
Wow, OK. Oh!
Amazing.
It's completely different. Oh...
I don't even think you were able
to get out the back door before, were you?
It was more like walking into a jungle.
It was really unusable.
It was wasted space, completely.
And now, then, with this function, with so many different zones
and so many different reasons to be out here,
this has gotta add so much more amenity and value to your services.
Absolutely, absolutely.
We often have clients coming in who would be quite anxious.
They might need to be pacing, they might have a pet with them,
especially if they're homeless, there's nowhere to leave their pet.
So, having somewhere to take them outside that's open,
they can sit down with a worker and have a chat
and, you know, just not feel locked in,
it's gonna offer us a whole extra area to do our work.
For certain clients, this could be the counselling area.
Absolutely, it will be.
And also what I'm seeing is it's a very low-maintenance garden.
There's no grass to mow.
There's nothing to maintain.
It's just let things grow. Easy.
So, that's a big tick.
And we thought, also, that maybe, you know, once a month,
with all your volunteers, you could have a pizza night
and you could have a little bit of a social out here, as well.
Yep, absolutely, that's a fabulous idea.
And you could host a few fundraisers, as well.
Absolutely. Bring your wallet.
Absolutely. 50 bucks a pizza.
Sounds good.
Well, Rose, Shell and I will go and relax
while you do some work and make a decision.
Don't leave me.
Come on, Rose, we're gonna relax.
Oh, you're really leaving him. Yes.
OK, see you, mate.
Have a wander round, mate, have a wander round.
Unfair. Unfair.
(GULL CAWS)
# Yeah good times
# Live in the moment
# Feel like sometimes. #
It's judgement time for our 2023 charity house challenge.
# Hey hey hey hey! #
Now, gang, I know it was a bit of a juggle
with your kitchens and all back there,
but doing this job was incredibly important,
and you should be so proud of what you've achieved.
It's absolutely amazing.
Give yourselves a round of applause.
Couldn't do it alone, though, Scotty.
Could not do it alone.
For the outside team, I'd like to thank Dave Franklin and his team.
Outstanding job, guys, well done. Thank you.
Nine in Six for inside,
plus Kinsman Kitchens, plus Stratco on the outside.
Lite n' Easy, of course.
Oh, Carpet Court, DIY Blinds,
Provincial Home Living for the furniture.
Of course, all our Block sponsors
love to jump on board when we do challenges like this
that give back to the community,
and, obviously, the word got around that you guys are in town,
so the mayor of Bayside has joined us here.
It's so wonderful to have you here, Mr Mayor.
Thank you. Thank you for coming down.
The community centre gives so much to the community,
and what you've done here is gonna make a big difference not only
to the people coming and seeking help but also to the volunteers.
Well done and thank you. Great job.
Well done. Thank you. Thank you.
Now, the look on Rose's face when she walked into your rooms
and to the garden outside was absolutely priceless.
Did they achieve what you really wanted, Rose?
Exceeded my expectations.
Can't believe you could do that in such a short time.
Amazing.
We've never worked in such salubrious surrounds before.
You deserve it, Rose.
You and your volunteers and the staff that are here,
you need to be rewarded
for all the hard work that you do for the community.
We're in beautiful Hampton
and I think a lot of people would be surprised
that there is people in need
in such a wealthy, established suburb like this,
but there's people in need everywhere.
Absolutely, there really are.
We're very, very busy and demand has doubled in the last couple of years.
Well, that look is probably prize enough for you guys, isn't it?
Yeah. But someone has to win it.
Is it inside or is it outside?
And that is Darren's job over there.
(EXHALES)
Hard as always.
So, Rose can vouch for me.
I pried every negative point out of her I could
because you guys did overwhelmingly such a fantastic job.
Inside and out, in terms of form, in terms of function,
you've all really considered everything.
There is one team, in my opinion,
that considered how everybody coming into the building
is going to use the space, and...
..it's tight.
(TENSE MUSIC)
But..
..the winning team is...
..the inside team.
(CHEERING)
Good job, guys.
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
Winners! (CHEERING)
Yay!
# Number one
# Number one number one number one. #
Hey!
Now, inside team, that is 10,000 bucks from Lite n' Easy.
Congratulations.
I think that's $3,300 each so well done there.
But outside, inside, you all did an amazing job.
Now you've got some kitchens to finish.
Get back to the Block. Thank you.
Thanks, Rose. Thanks, Scotty.
With the challenge house won and done,
time is still ticking on Kitchen and Laundry Week back on the Block.
And our teams have to hustle
if they actually want to make tools down in just under two days.
PRODUCER: After the win,
you were straight back to work, Lib, painting, plenty to do.
Yeah, so, knowing what a huge task our kitchen is this week,
'cause not only have we got kitchen but laundry, pantry,
walk-in linen closet, I was painting on my lonesome.
# All by myself. #
Do you want to explain where you were?
(GENTLE STRINGED MUSIC)
Hello.
How are you? Good. How are you?
Can you please help me?
I need my fingers and toenails done, please.
Ah, that's very easy.
Look how bad that is.
It costs for you $50. OK, great.
Are you OK with that? Yes, thank you.
Thank you very much, and you can tap on the screen there.
(READER BEEPS)
I went to get my nails done
'cause it was actually a health hazard at this point.
So, they got out the chainsaws.
There's a lot of layers of, like, dead skin
and dead paint and blisters.
I'm not even joking when I say things were really hurting.
Like, things were growing into things
and it genuinely needed to be addressed.
I used to do this every two weeks like clockwork.
I have not touched any of this for seven weeks.
I should have had it done three or four times by now.
This is where I feel at home and my most comfortable like a queen.
This is how my life is meant to be and should be.
I feel really at home here.
Lib was given the option of attending
and she chose not to out of spite.
Wasn't out of spite that I chose not to attend.
I just think, in the most important week of The Block for us,
there needed to be one person on site.
# All by myself. #
She was gone for three or four hours.
We couldn't afford not to have... Three or four hours?
Are you having a laugh? Are you joking?
You were literally gone for three hours.
Oh, my dramatic God.
Do you think you have time if I add a foot massage?
Yep, I will do afterward.
Oh, my gosh, thank you so much.
So, you've had a massage and nails done.
Name one nice thing that I've done for myself...
Lib, you've been given the option.
It's up to you whether or not you want to do it,
you cut off your nails, despite your face.
We'll set up a nice little gym... I'm not doing that at all.
I'm choosing what's important.
We'll set up a nice little gym session for you
tomorrow morning for you to do.
(BLEEP) up, go away.
I mean, honestly, it's boring dialogue.
It's very dramatic.
(GULL CAWS, THUNDER PEALS)
Here's a handy property hint. Did you know
that houses with an island bench
have a median price of $182,000 higher than houses that don't?
And they spend on average seven days less on the market?
(RELAXED MUSIC)
After spending the day offsite at the challenge house,
our Blockheads are keen to check out their kitchen progress back onsite.
(CLEARS THROAT)
That's sick.
You just looked worried, mate.
Nuh, well, I'm just walking into,
like, I don't know what's happened all day.
Substrates, curves in, stone's here.
It's all happening, mate.
Up and about.
Yeah, that looks pretty good in there.
Yeah.
(BLEEP), I should go more often.
But not everyone's happy since coming back from the challenge.
PRODUCER: How are you, girls? Awesome.
I'm just very agitated. Why?
I don't know, perhaps because Eliza
for the past two days has got massages, got her nails done.
I've been here slugging my guts out.
I haven't done one single nice thing
for myself since I've been on The Block.
We've got so much to do
and this is one that we really, really want to win
and I just kind of feel like, um,
she's not taking it overly seriously.
It's annoying me.
What are you eating?
This is McDonald's sweet and sour sauce.
I honestly just want to finish this interview
and get on with painting and not be in the same room as her.
It's not my fault.
Well, this is awkward.
# Talk that talk behind my back
# Whisper about me... #
Let's jump over to House 4.
Yeah, look, definitely not unhappy with where we're at all.
Kinsman was still installing.
Fisher & Paykel were also doing the install of their appliances.
We had our gyprockers trailing off their base coat
and topcoat in both the laundry and the kitchen and pantry.
Fisher & Paykel are still gonna come tomorrow morning
and do a few finishing touches on the appliances,
and we're gonna have all of our gyprock sanded.
What's the plan for tonight? Cleaning.
We want to clean. More cleaning.
Clean, clean, clean, clean.
Alright then.
Let's check in with House 1.
(UPBEAT '80S MUSIC)
What's the plan for the rest of the night?
Our plasterers are probably gonna be here till quite late
putting in some base coats and topcoats and everything...
everything like that.
Everything, everything.
Everything like that. Thing.
But, yes, limited
with what we can do apart from probably tidying up, as per usual.
Meanwhile, back in House 5...
# All by myself. #
I just thought, in terms of this whole experience
and prioritising and choosing what's important,
that staying at the house and painting in our...
the room that we've probably got the biggest chance of winning in
was the most important thing to do,
and I would never, ever be so selfish
as to go and get my nails done
in the most important week of The Block.
But I guess that just shows where our priorities lie as individuals.
Oh, my God.
It's literally the reality.
# I'm like an empty tin. #
Well, one person that has been back
and painting for a while is Brett in House 3.
# We only have one life to live. #
Welcome back to, well, my channel
'cause Kristy is a little sook who went to bed.
So, I am doing an undercoat all on my ownsome, but it is what it is.
# Yeah
# Yeah-eah. #
So, it's 2:30am. (WHISPERING)
Lib's in bed.
I've been up a bit later doing some extra painting.
I feel bad because I had my nails done today, and now look at them.
Anyway...
Hopefully, it wipes off.
# I'm like an empty tin. #
You've been hiding it... (CLOCK TICKING SOUNDS)
..for a long time.
(INTENSE MUSIC PLAYS)
VOICEOVER: This explosive Sunday,
one diabolical secret...
Umm.
Scotty.
..is said... Yes?
Um. To death mate.
Oh god.
When the girls...
Everyone was in uproar about this secret (BLEEP).
..unleash a secret move.
I want to see the secret (BLEEP).
All bets...
A secret (BLEEP), seriously?
(MUSIC INTENSIFIES) ..are off.
This was not anything tonight but a joke.
So let's just make that clear. (OVERLAPPING SPEECH)
Brace yourself... We've all got secrets,
obviously, don't we?
For one blockumental...
Awh, this is incredible! This is phenomenal.
Very bald move. Wow.
..reveals twist.
This is not OK.
It's a game they're playing.
You're playing a strategic game.
The secret is revealed.
Sunday, 7o'Block on Nine.