The Block’s iconic foreman Dan Reilly, who has been on the show for 14 years, just had an experience like no other.
As the five houses were finishing off their living, dining and alfresco spaces, Dan received a call from his wife Dani that caused him to suddenly rush off-site.
What was the news, you may ask? Dani was in labour!
It was a special moment to be a part of, and after fans saw it play out on their screens, they have been placing their bets on who exactly will replace the foreman during his time away.
Dan told WHO exactly how the moment played out behind the scenes, revealed how long he’ll be on leave, and teased his replacement.
What happened after Dan found out Dani went into labour?
Reflecting on the day months later, Dan told WHO that the moment he received that call and had to wrap up his time on The Block was quite the “head spin”.
“It was a Thursday on site [when Dani rang],” he said. “And she goes, ‘We are having the baby tomorrow’.
“And you’re thinking to yourself, s–t. It was a bit of a head spin.”
Before leaving, Dan had to speed through a series of tasks for the show.
“We had to get some promo, had to do some McCafe stuff, had to do some budgeting stuff that day, and then had to run around site, try and tell everyone what I’ve been checking in on,” he explained. “I still had to get signed off for the contestants with fireplaces and barbecues.
“I had to do a big handover in not a lot of time, and it was pretty funny watching it back and going back to that moment.”
Dan recalled that he and Dani drove to Melbourne at around two o’clock in the afternoon, stayed the night in Melbourne, and then Fletcher, their baby boy, was born around two-to-three o’clock the next afternoon on April 10.
A “head spin” indeed!
How long will Foreman Dan be away from The Block?
Before the show even started filming, Dan and production knew that the baby would be coming sometime throughout the show.
“So I asked if I could have the two weeks off when the baby came,” he said, which production, of course, granted. “It was really nice to be at home with Dani at that time for two weeks.
“I do pop in once in the middle of that to say hello, but yeah, it was a nice little holiday away from The Block for two weeks.”
While Dan had a chaotic departure from the show, that won’t be the last you see of him this season.
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Fans predict who will replace Foreman Dan
Naturally, fans are curious about who will fill the foreman-sized gap that Dan will leave in his absence, and have been flooding social media with predictions.
“Anyone know who the new foreman is going to be now that Dan’s on paternity leave?” one fan asked online. “I’m sure it’s not Keith [a previous foreman on the show], but it’d be great if it was.”
“Yes bring back Keith, I reckon he would pull some people into line,” another user agreed.
“I read somewhere that Sarah Jane comes in for a bit, so maybe it is Tom,” a third viewer suggested, referring to 2022 fan-favourite contestants Tom Calleja and Sarah-Jane Calleja.
“I assumed Scotty would take over,” another viewer chimed in.
When WHO asked Dan to weigh in on his potential replacement during his time away, his lips were tight.
“You know, time will tell,” he teased.
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