Although they may have joined the construction site just under halfway through the build, sisters Maddy and Charlotte continually impressed both the judges and fans with their incredible house-flipping skills – which meant their win come auction day came as no surprise.
While their aesthetic choices and attention to detail helped them clinch a major profit margin, their massive win has led to viewers speculating about whether the sisters will keep the entirety of their auction winnings, given that many rooms in House No.1 had been completed by former contestants Jesse and Paige prior to their arrival. But now, the winners have set the record straight in an interview with Yahoo! Lifestyle.
“We have been told that contractually, [the profit and prize money is] ours as we sold it, but you know, they [Paige and Jesse] have been looked after and they’ll be just fine,” Maddy told the publication. “They were very gracious and sent us a message and congratulated us and were very excited which was really lovely.”
Earlier in the season an insider spoke with Yahoo! Lifestyle, telling the publication that the “good-natured Aussie” sisters had offered to split the prize money but were contractually barred from sharing the profits.
“The sisters were open to splitting the money with the Western Australian couple but producers have advised them that it is in their contract that they can’t split money with other contestants,” they explained. “The reason being that it promotes collusion and that could affect future seasons.”
Sharing more insight into the girls’ contract, the insider added, “In most competition reality [shows] the contracts will state that you can not make an agreement to split prize money and the reason is more obvious than what people would think. You can’t pal up with other contestants as it creates an advantage and that is unfair to the other competitors.”
After facing hostile behaviour from their fellow contestants Kylie and Brad earlier in the season, viewers campaigned that Maddy and Charlotte should take home the win – asking for renowned Block buyer Adrian Portelli to splash some cash to give the sisters the largest profit margin.
“If anyone should walk away from this season as millionaires, it’s the girls purely for all the crap they’ve had to put up with,” one insider told New Idea.
Following Adrian Portelli’s shock purchase of all five Block houses, it seems fans had a similar mindset to the entrepreneur, who revealed in an interview on HIT WA‘s Allan & Carly he planned for Maddy & Charlotte to win.
When asked why he chose Maddy and Charlotte’s house as the top buy, Portelli praised the duo’s journey. They joined the show mid-season after contestants Jesse and Paige quit early, and according to Portelli, they faced a tougher road than others. “The girls deserved it,” he told Allan & Carly, noting that they faced alleged bullying and “unAustralian” behaviour from some contestants. His partner, a fan of the season, had one directive: “Make sure they win!”
