Category — The Block

So Dan and Dani blatantly break the noise restrictions by grinding tiles off site, that is across the road, for six hours and all they get is a $1000 fine. Something they guessed the sanction would be.

They should have had a point deducted from the score from their bathroom as this might have been some consolation to the teams kept up by the noise. Dan and Dani also came in second on points even with a cracked mirror. Brad and Lara used their bonus point to ensure they won the room as they needed the $5000 prize money to boost their much depleted renovation budget.

Dani tried to justify the breach in rule saying the other teams would have done what they had done if they had been that behind. Dale said “Don’t speak for me”.

Dale however appears a bit sexist blaming Dani for rule breakage. He said “he had no balls when it comes to her [Dani]….Sophie’s like that as well but I don’t let her get away with it”. Nice. I note he did not mention that Dan appears to be a bit thick.

This week it was back to the three original judges of Shaynna Blaze, John McGrath and Neale Whittaker.

First up were Sophie and Dale’s bathroom. The judges thought they should not have put the laundry in the bathroom as it was too small, and they also criticised them for not having a full sized bath.

The judges thought Andrew and Mike’s was luxury, however they thought the actual bath was a bit ordinary. Neal thought they over styled it with the champagne, towels and cherries. Shaynna would have preferred strawberries rather then cherries. As Mike said strawberries are for people who can’t afford cherries.

Brad and Lara had a larger bathroom and decided to sacrifice the laundry to make it bigger. The judges thought it was very zen. However the bath was very high and would be difficult to get out of when everything was wet.

Dan and Dani got around this with their bath by having a step into it. Their bathroom was indeed deluxe and the judges were gushing over the modern feel and the styling. Also Neale basically said that Dani was the best stylist out of the teams.

However thankfully Dan and Dani did not win, as this would have made them even more ostracised from the others on The Block.

Mike and Andrew who spent a lot of money on styling the room were last and were chumps of the week.

When is a spoiler not a spoiler? Well apparently when your own organisation does it. This morning NINE MSN announced the winner of tonight’s finale of Celebrity Apprentice Australia on the site, via a clip.

It is amusing but in fact it really is a major cockup.

NINE MSN has now removed clip of the winner of Celebrity Apprentice Australia.  Of course it has gone viral with people tweeting all about it. TV Tonight gives a good run down on what happened. Don’t worry if you are one of the few people who don’t know and don’t want to, as he has no spoilers on his post, and I won’t be putting one up here either. However for the curious just google or look at other Network publicists twitter feeds.

This goes down with the TEN putting up five episodes in advance of Masterchef on their website last year, which I kindly informed them of just as I pressed play on the upcoming elimination episode.

However TV Tonight also points out that this is similar to this year’s Gold Logie winner, Hamish Blake, being announced in the media before it actually occurred onstage.

I expect NINE MSN did not have Channel Nine’s legal team contact them as they did the lady who had pictures of The Block, but expect the internal phone conversations were quite terse.

Thankfully Mark Bouris doesn’t work for NINE MSN or someone could have gotten FIRED!

The Block is winning the ratings the war against Masterchef Australia, and there will definitely be another season of the show next year. It appears the show may be returning to Sydney with a report in the papers over the weekend that four houses have been bought in Bondi and development applications lodged with the local council.

However local residents have lodged objections and are not happy about it at all. However the comments below  the Wentworth Courier article are amusing and basically tells the complaining residents to pull their heads in.

Also fans of this season will be happy to know they can inspect the houses on 15 and 16 June, and rumour has it the auction will be on 30 June according to The Age.

Sunday episode is the room reveal and this time it was a smaller bedroom and the powder room under the stairs. I am liking the different judges each week, last week it was due to John McGrath being ill, and this week it was unclear why Shaynna Blaze had been replaced by Lisa Green, Editor in Chief of House and Garden Magazine.

Dale and Sophie’s room was first to be judged and Lisa said it had nice feel. She particular liked the blanquette which is a posh term for window seat. It did cut into the size of the room.  John thought their was too much going on.

Quote of the day goes to Neale Whittaker when he looks into their powder room and says “I am not too excited about it”. What can you do with a room that only fits a loo in it and is wedged under the stairs?

Andrew and Mike did a kids room.  The bunk beds were great, but the huge tv was a tad over powering. John Mcgrath queried the marble desk whereas Lisa liked it and said it was hardwearing.

Lara and Brad were praised for their walk in wardrobe, however their bed head did take up a lot space in a small room. However loved the use of the sink on top of the toilet in the powder room.

Not sure why there was all the love for Dan and Dani’s bedroom . The colour was overpowering and made the room look small. However the judges liked the Indigo colour and the art in the room.

Dan and Dani gambled and used their bonus one point to win the week, just half a point ahead of Mike and Andrew, and the boys did not look happy. They consoled themselves by saying the judges had actually liked their rooms the best.

At this stage it has been Dan and Dani, and Andrew and Mike winning the rooms, but as we know anyone can win on the night of the auction as Polly and Waz did last year.

I know by nearly 1.5 million people last night but I am finding it really difficult to get into The Block this year.

Maybe I am finding it difficult to emotionally connect with the couples or the cast. Obviously I watch it but does it have my full attention? No.

Apart from Mike and Andrew, I feel I have seen the other three couples before in previous seasons. Attractive, nice but not particularly charismatic or even that bright. Each week we have the same plot line of the room being renovated, the problems dealing with the three million tradies that actually help get the room ready, the shopping and the sleep deprivation.

However clearly I am on a silo on this one, as the ratings do speak for themselves.

However one addition I am liking is Shaynna Blaze being a judge as she is adding an interesting perspective to the show, with views that may not align with John McGrath and Neale Whittaker’s. In fact I even liked the new dynamic guest judge gave Darren Peters last night. More guest judges should be brought in.

Dan and Dani did not finish their room as there was a problem with the sink in their ensuite, so they had no hope of winning. Also Sophie and Dale may need to switch it up a bit as their retro style does not appear to be getting the love from the judges. I also find it amazing that anyone can spend $200 on a cushion for a bed. Go to IKEA….

The boys one with their bedroom and ensuite even though it did not have a towel rack. Lucky for them they won $10,000 towards their renovation budget.

Tell what you like or don’t like about The Block.

You’ll find it more difficult today to stumble upon potentially spoiler-iffic pics from The Block.  News.com reports that a Melbourne blogger who posted some shots of the properties responded to a request from lawyers to remove them.

“They asked me ‘out of respect to their fans would I take them down’,” Jo said.

“I think they wanted me to take the whole lot down, but I said I was happy to take down the ones of the backyard and inside the house but I didn’t see a problem with posting ones of the street where anyone can drive past.”

Out of respect for the fans, perhaps The Block can stick to schedule tonight so the rest of the night’s viewing doesn’t end in the wee hours…?

Tonight was the first room reveal on The Block and wow what a positive addition Shaynna Blaze has made to the judging team. She is not backwards in giving her assessment of the rooms at all, and also provides a different view point from Neale Whittaker and John McGrath.

The other good thing about the room reveals is we start to get a sense of how the teams are going to decorate.

As usual we get to see the teams push themselves physically and emotionally to get the rooms finished, and then stand before Scott Cam in a zombie like state before the judges do their assessment.

The room this week was a small room that could serve a variety of purposes and all the couples did something a little different.

First up were Sophie and Dale who did a dining room. Their style is quite similar to Josh and Jenna from last season. They were sticking to the retro style the viewer saw in their children’s room they did to actually win their way onto The Block. Shaynna said retro rooms also needed some level of sophistication to make it a great room. She also did not like the curtains, something that appears to be a bug bear for her judging on her comments on the other rooms.

Neale hated the chairs of the dining room and the bon appetite sign. They did like the light feature which they made themselves.

Mike and Andrew did a study, which had the clever feature of a bed in the wall. The issue the guys had according to the judges were they over styled. This is not going to be their strong point, however they were also criticised for bad skirting and architraves. Also the football in the fireplace earned the ire of the judges.

Lara and Brad who had been wracked with indecision earlier in the week actually ended up with a separate living area. The judges liked the concept and some of the execution particularly the arm chair. However Neale was not rapt about the TV as it became the focal point of the room.  John realising it was a sponsor gave it a plug saying it was up todate technology.

Dani and Dan did a 4th bedroom and study. John queried whether there was a demand for a four bedroom house in this area. Shaynna was critical that there was not one feature in the room said it was a beautiful period home.  John McGrath was not bothered about Dani and Dan going modern. I must say I was not a fan of the built ins.

However the judges obviously were fans of their execution and style as Dan and Dani surprisingly won the room of the week and received an extra $5000.

As most readers know The Block has already been completed which means that fans of the show can drive by the South Melbourne location and see the finished product. One blogger took voters not only of the front of the finished houses but managed to get some shots of Mike and Andrew’s finished kitchen. Alerting readers – be warned that internet surfing might result in tripping over spoilers!

Nine Network last week announced that The Voice, The Block, and Celebrity Apprentice will all being doing the rounds again for another season.

The Voice and The Block I am not surprised about, but I am a little about the renewal of Celebrity Apprentice Australia.

Series two has not been hitting the ratings highs as the first series did, however it should be noted the first series was stripped and in the 7.00pm timeslot which may be a big factor. When NINE bring it back next year they should consider screening it then.

However maybe NINE should drop the celebrity and bring back The Apprentice, made up of unknown people who are doing real challenges without having to chase the corporate dollar.

The first series of The Apprentice was never really given a chance with it being buried in the 9.30pm timeslot. With some good casting, interesting challenges, backed by a good publicity campaign and a prime screening time I think it would be a ratings winner.

This story normally comes up most years of The Block what the houses or apartments looked liked when they were bought by the show and what the look like when production starts.

Here are the current block houses in South Melbourne when they were being advertised for sale, and OK there may be only one inside shot, but those floor boards look like they were in OK condition.

Thanks @Ooly13 for sending it to me.

Also there appears to be complaints already on Twitter that there are too many challenges and not enough focus on the renovations, what are your thoughts?

The Block won the Logie for Best Reality TV Show, but it also could have won Logie for most unsubtle product placement. At this stage brand names are getting more close ups then the contestants.

It was the last chance to get on “the block” and it was mother and daughter team Rana and Brett versus brothers, Andrew and Mike.

The piece was a moroccan style dresser, however it was bit unfair as one was black and white, and the other was pink and white. Rana and Brett got the pink one and they really ran with that colour, with it on the walls and wall paper. I would have loved to have known what Neale Whittaker and John McGrath really thought of the colours.

Brett who is a drainer was very handy with a paint brush and it was a pity  Rana was not as efficient at the shopping. Her returning with one rug after hours of shopping was amusing.

Andrew and Mike were far more efficient, they had pictures from magazines and spent a lot of time planning. Then they both went shopping together a different strategy from most of the teams this week. The commentary was trying to hint the boys were running late because they did not start painting until late afternoon. However because two of them painting they easily got it completely.

Andrew and Mike were making a sitting room, and they were not going to put in a TV. When Scott Cam queried this Andrew said “not many people have TVs, Mike doesn’t”. Scott Cam drawled “Well if not many people had televisions I would be out of a job.”

Actually Scott was on fire last night with his quips when Mike looked like he was about to keel over he said “First rule of building, don’t faint with a stanley knife in your hand”.

At judging time Scott kindly pointed out the holes in the walls in Brett and Rana’s room, and it was no surprise the brothers won. Andrew and Mike with one being a handyman and the other a labourer must have an advantage in the competition over some of the other teams. However as well as being handy with a power drill this pair are also easy on the eye.

It was battle of the newly weds last night on The Block with two young couples going head to head and it was a fairly even playing field as neither of them had much renovation experience. It was Sophie and Dale versus Michelle and Brendan, the closest that one of them came to being a tradie was Dale who is a landscape gardener.

Here is a few thoughts on the episode:

• Finally some ethnic diversity on The Block with Michelle looking like she is part asian;
• It appears the casting  has very much focused on looks as there are some good looking couples this year, come to think of it all the couple last year were attractive as well;
• Sophie and Dale showed they could have some serious renovations chops, their children’s room was delightful even if some of their style did remind me a little bit of Josh and Jenner, particularly the suitcases stacked on top of each other;
• Also they saved time by leaving the original white, and drawing a very nice tree mural over it;
• Sophie proved they were smart by going down to Geelong and buying all their accessories in the one spot. It saved money and I suspect time as well;
• The alphabet on the wall was fantastic and they even admitted they finished the room with an hour to spare;
• Michelle and Brendan were always struggling, Michelle couldn’t make a decision and phaffed about, in fact I am surprised they finished the room on time;
• The judges gushed over Sophie and Dale’s room the only criticism being that it was over style but then that is not a negative thing;
• Also Shaynna Blaze, who I am loving, did think the swing was impractical, but if you were judging on practicality they should have pointed out there was no place that stored the child’s clothes;
• Michelle and Brendan’s lounge room was nice but just ordinary so it was no surprise when Sophie and Dale won; and
• The highlight of the episode for me was I finally like one of the couples so at the moment I am Team Sophie and Dale.

The Block official website has got interviews with the couples as well as videos in fact it looks like NINE has really amped it up this year.