The Block entered Week 3 on Monday night with the fallout from Courtney and Sev’s controversial bathroom victory still hanging over the site, before the Blockheads turned their attention to their biggest spaces yet — the main bedroom and walk-in robe.
Things were decidedly frosty at the sharehouse following Sunday night’s judging, with Jolene particularly frustrated after she and Adam missed out on the bathroom win by just one point.
The result had delivered Courtney and Sev their second winners’ getaway in a row, along with a major $250,000 kitchen appliance upgrade, but their victory remained a sore point for some of their rivals.
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For Jolene, much of the frustration centred on the amount of last-minute assistance Courtney and Sev had received from trades belonging to other teams.
She vented about the pair getting “every f**’en Tom, Dick and Harry to help them”* finish their bathroom, with the coveted Cursio brothers among the trades who had helped House 4 get across the line.
Open for Inspections gets awkward
The mood did not improve when the contestants headed into their weekly Open for Inspections.
There was plenty to admire inside Adam and Jolene’s bathroom, with the other contestants impressed by the finishes and design details in House 1.
But the inspection of Courtney and Sev’s winning room was another matter.
After seeing the paintwork and finishing inside the $53,000 space, Jolene was unimpressed, describing it as “an absolute dog’s breakfast”.
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The fact the winning bathroom had not been completely finished only added to the frustration.
Wyatt agreed that the result was difficult to understand.
“I feel like an unfinished room shouldn’t be allowed to win,”
The inspection left Adam and Jolene feeling even more aggrieved about missing the victory by a single point.
For Jolene, there was also the knowledge of what had been at stake. Courtney and Sev had not simply edged them out on the scoreboard; the win had also secured the substantial appliance upgrade.
There was, however, some consolation for House 1.
Adam was named the McCafé Hardest Worker, earning $5,000.
Jolene quickly kept the achievement in perspective, joking that Adam had “the styling ability of two rocks.”
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Tayla has her own judging grievance
Jolene was not the only contestant unhappy after seeing how the judges had scored the bathrooms.
Over at House 5, Tayla was struggling to understand how she and Rick had finished only one point ahead of Lisa and Rosco, despite House 3 presenting a bathroom that had progressed little beyond waterproofing.
The result left Tayla furious.
“I need to speak to someone about this!
It’s just a joke,”
She later declared: “I’m f**’en fume’n!”*
With the bathroom judging continuing to generate arguments, attention finally turned towards the next challenge: the main bedroom and walk-in robe.
Each team had a $20,000 budget and substantial spaces to transform, with the judges’ expectations adding another layer of pressure.
Chantel and Wyatt stop sharing
The bathroom result also prompted a strategic rethink from Chantel and Wyatt.
Having watched trades they had shared contribute to Courtney and Sev’s winning bathroom, the pair realised their generosity could potentially work against them.
They had already felt like chumps after helping another team secure a major victory, and they were not prepared to keep repeating the exercise.
From this point, Chantel and Wyatt decided they would no longer share their trades.
That left Courtney and Sev officially without access to the Cursio brothers as they began trying to work out how to continue their winning run without spending at the same level.
After using significant amounts of money during the opening weeks to secure their preferred house and then the appliance upgrade, the pair were attempting to control their spending during main bedroom week.
Their idea of restraint was still ambitious.
Plans for House 4 included inlaid carpet, a coffered ceiling and, if the budget allowed, a fireplace.
Courtney and Sev inherit the ‘blush box’
The house swap also presented Courtney and Sev with another complication.
Their walk-in robe had already been designed by Lisa and Rosco, leaving the new occupants working with a layout and colour direction they had not selected themselves.
Sev was not entirely convinced.
“I’m calling it the blush box.
It’s a bit too pink.”
Rather than starting again, Courtney and Sev planned to soften the inherited wardrobe with their own design choices.
Those plans included custom carpet, Grafico walls, curved joinery and a dropped bulkhead, while an electric fireplace was also under consideration.
The pair had a substantial design vision, but getting it built was another matter.
Rick and Tayla clash over a curve
At House 5, Rick and Tayla were also pursuing a statement bedroom.
Their plans included venetian plaster walls and an oversized bedhead, but a late suggestion involving a curved wall created some tension between the pair.
Rick was initially resistant to changing the plan so late.
Eventually, however, he came around to the idea, accepting that the curved feature could become one of the room’s standout elements.
While Tayla remained frustrated about the previous night’s bathroom scores, House 5 was at least making strong progress on its new room.
Uptown houses face enormous bedrooms
For Houses 1, 2 and 3, the scale of the challenge was particularly obvious.
Their larger bedrooms measured about 40 square metres, giving the teams considerable design opportunities while simultaneously increasing the amount of work required.
After their unfinished bathroom the previous week, Lisa and Rosco were determined to recover.
Their plan was for a calm, textural and neutral master suite as they attempted to put the previous room behind them.
Adam and Jolene, meanwhile, were resetting after the disappointment of narrowly missing the bathroom victory.
They opted for a bolder approach to their main bedroom, including a recessed feature wall and curved luxury detail.
At House 2, Chantel was finding the sheer size of the room daunting.
Her aim was “quiet luxury”, using curves, venetian plaster, marble bedside tables, soft lighting and a warmer palette.
Unfortunately, she was increasingly facing the possibility of having to get the room moving without much help from Wyatt.
Wyatt’s tooth brings House 2 to a halt
While the other contestants wrestled with flooring, plywood and design decisions, Wyatt had another problem entirely: a painful tooth.
The issue quickly became the dominant story at House 2.
Wyatt was struggling to focus on the renovation and admitted he felt “useless” as Chantel continued trying to finalise their plans and keep work moving.
His tooth was causing enough trouble that he could not even manage his usual Youfoodz meals.
Despite the pain, he initially resisted going to a dentist.
The delay proved costly from a renovation perspective.
Foreman Dan informed Wyatt that his frames had already been signed off, meaning insulation work could have been under way while he was sitting out.
Eventually, Wyatt conceded that professional help might be necessary and booked an appointment.
The diagnosis was not encouraging.
His tooth was cracked down to the gum, and the clinic could not fix the problem there, instead referring him to a specialist.
With Wyatt largely out of action, Chantel was left pushing ahead with insulation and trying to keep House 2 moving.
The result was limited progress, with the pair falling behind the other contestants.
Their belief that “slow and steady wins the race” was being severely tested by the pace required on The Block.
Dan warns teams about the floor
Across the site, Dan made it clear that getting flooring down early would be crucial.
That immediately separated the teams that had ordered their materials in time from those already scrambling.
Houses 3 and 5 were among the leaders, having organised materials early enough to keep moving.
A delayed plywood delivery threatened to leave some contestants waiting around, but Adam decided not to accept the hold-up.
Instead, he hired a ute and went to Bunnings to collect the plywood himself.
It allowed House 1 to keep chasing the leaders rather than waiting for the material to arrive.
Courtney and Sev, by comparison, were delayed while waiting for their flooring.
Their schedule was further affected when they left the site early for their winners’ getaway.
Ensuite planning begins before the bedroom is finished
Even with the main bedrooms barely under way, the contestants were required to look ahead.
All five teams headed to Reece to begin planning their upcoming ensuites.
It meant the Blockheads were already making decisions about another major space while still dealing with the logistical and design challenges of the current week.
For Courtney and Sev, there was also the matter of cleaning their workspace before heading off to enjoy the rewards of their bathroom win.
After getting the chaotic area under control, they departed for their Chery getaway at Chadstone Hotel.
The experience included a special E&S dining experience with Rob Sinclair and Scott Cam, following the pair’s major $250,000 kitchen upgrade victory.
The race starts taking shape
By the end of the first day, there was already a noticeable divide between the teams.
Lisa and Rosco and Rick and Tayla were moving strongly, while Adam and Jolene were trying to keep pace after taking matters into their own hands over the plywood delay.
Courtney and Sev had slipped behind after their flooring delay and early departure from site.
But it was Chantel and Wyatt who had the most ground to recover.
With Wyatt’s cracked tooth disrupting the day and Chantel carrying much of the workload, House 2 was the furthest behind.
Lisa and Rosco reveal their secret
Away from the competition, Lisa and Rosco were dealing with something much bigger than room scores.
Lisa was seven weeks pregnant, but the couple had not yet shared the news with the other contestants.
The pregnancy had also left Lisa missing their two-year-old son Lando.
The timing gave her an opportunity to speak with two people who understood the unusual experience of tackling The Block while expecting a baby.
Former Blockheads Emma and Ben, along with their son Bailey, arrived for the weekly losers’ dinner at the property they were renting to this season’s contestants.
The gathering offered a welcome change in tone after a day dominated by resentment over judging, strategic trade decisions and renovation delays.
Lisa spoke to Emma about her experience of being pregnant during the previous season.
Emma, who had dealt with fatigue and morning sickness while continuing through the competition, was able to offer some perspective on what Lisa was facing.
Then came the reason for Lisa’s questions.
She and Rosco privately shared their news with Emma and Ben.
Lisa told them: “We found out on Friday that we’re pregnant.”
The other teams remained unaware that another Block baby was on the way.
For Lisa and Rosco, it was a significant personal moment at the end of a day in which they had otherwise been trying to recover from the disappointment of their unfinished bathroom and get their main bedroom campaign back on track.
It also echoed Emma and Ben’s experience from the previous season, with the former contestants now able to offer advice from the other side of the competition.
By the end of Monday, the bathroom controversy had reshaped relationships, Chantel and Wyatt had decided to stop sharing trades, several ambitious bedroom designs were taking shape and the race to finish the enormous spaces had already produced clear leaders and laggards.
And with the contestants beginning to discover that some of their rivals may have landed on similar design ideas, the pressure of Main Bedroom Week is only getting started.
Viewer Feedback
Online reaction to The Block was particularly critical following Monday night’s episode, with some viewers arguing the program had become too focused on storylines away from the renovation itself. One summed up the frustration bluntly: “ISN’T THIS A RENO SHOW?!” Another went further, writing: “We’ve literally, and I mean fucking literally, spent more time hearing about his toothache than we have seen construction.” A third agreed that the balance had shifted too far, saying: “Safe to say we have only see what 30 minutes of building.. maybe less.”
Much of that frustration was directed towards Wyatt, whose cracked tooth dominated a significant portion of the episode. While some viewers acknowledged the pain involved — one noted, “Look Wyatt is incredibly dumb but a cracked tooth really really hurts” — others struggled with his decision to avoid renovation work before later heading to the gym. “Can’t do manual labour, can lift weights. Jesus,” one viewer wrote, while another observed: “Can’t insulate but can gym… ok.”
The criticism of Wyatt continued as viewers questioned why he had waited so long to seek dental treatment. One wrote: “Okay so Wyatt cannot tolerate being moderately inconvenienced or uncomfortable. Thats not gonna work on the block.” Another was baffled by the detour into dental products, asking: “A waterpik and teeth whitening kit is to help your toothache, how?” His contribution to House 2 also prompted sympathy for Chantel, with one viewer declaring: “Chantel is an extremely forgiving woman. I’d lose my marbles.”
There was a much warmer response for Adam and Jolene, particularly after Adam received the hardest-worker reward. One viewer said: “Adam (and Jolene) absolutely deserved the hardest worker reward.” Another was equally positive about his presence on the program, writing: “He’s probably the most genuine person on this show this season 😅 he’s just here to have a good time and always seems to lift the spirit which is good.” Not everyone was convinced, however, with another admitting: “I can’t quite work Adam out because I’ve never come across someone like him, not sure if he’s genuinely funny or an idiot. 🤔”
The continuing fallout from Courtney and Sev’s bathroom victory also divided viewers. Some remained unhappy about the result and the help the pair received, with one declaring: “Last nights episode will be my last .. can’t even hate watch it anymore. I really don’t like how it’s played out with the 2 girls winning both weeks.” Another viewer questioned the broader storyline being built around the result: “I don’t really understand why the producers think that this whole jealous of the winners storyline works for them every single year, because it is so tedious and predictable.”
There was also criticism of how unfinished rooms were being judged. After the contestants revisited the previous week’s bathrooms, one viewer wondered whether incomplete spaces would become a recurring feature of the season: “So is that going to be the ongoing judging issue – unfinished rooms?” Another questioned some of the design decisions being made for properties at this price point, writing: “Some of these design choices are questionable af for a $4-5m house… Exposed plumbing under vanities, a “beam” in the middle of the shower for a shelf, whatever tf the WC door situation was…”
Product integration was another recurring complaint throughout the online discussion. One viewer wrote: “All this sponsored talk is a bit of an overload, I’ll be dreaming about E&S, Reece, McCafe, Bunnings, also and CommBank. Will go back to watching reveals.” Another was even more direct: “This whole show is just one big ad now. Can’t have a dinner without plugging Aldi.” Courtney and Sev’s winners’ outing also failed to impress everyone, with one reaction reading: “This is a bit of a downgrade from the winery last week.”
Viewers similarly took aim at the use of AI-generated music during the episode. One pleaded: “Also shut the F up with that disgusting AI music 🤬😤😭”, while another wrote: “If I didn’t know better, the Producers are seeing the online hate for the AI and doubling-down. It’s killing the show.” The frustration was not universal, with one viewer offering a more forgiving assessment: “I don’t mind it the editors are playing with their new toys. I’m sure it’ll calm down by the end of the season.”
The arrival of former Blockheads Emma and Ben and their baby provided one of the episode’s better-received moments. “The baby is so stinking cute,” one viewer wrote, while another called him a “lil ginger baby so cute”. Their return also prompted some typically dry commentary about their previous season, including: “Getting Ben and Emma back to tell these contestants they made 0 profit on the Daylesford sale will lift spirits.” Another joked: “Let’s bring on Ben and Emma so they can share just how much they liked making zero profit.”
Finally, the revelation that Lisa was pregnant generated a mixture of surprise, concern and debate among viewers. One simply reacted: “Omg how is this happening again”, while another joked: “It’s clearly a new KPI for the show. One Block pregnancy per season.” Others defended Lisa’s ability to continue competing, with one viewer writing: “Women have been juggling a bajillion things while being pregnant forever, it’s not an illness or a disability. She’s capable of advocating for herself and resting if and when she needs to.” Whatever viewers thought of the individual contestants, the strongest recurring complaint remained the lack of renovation footage, neatly captured by one exasperated comment: “WHERE IS THE RENOVATING???!! I don’t give two shits about prada and toothaches ffs.”
The Block continues Tuesday at 7.30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
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