As the new season of The Block hits screens, fans are preparing to get to know this year’s contestants, discovering favourites among those undertaking the stunning renovations.
At the same time, the cast are excited – and a little nervous – to see their journeys on screen.
Two of those contestants are newlyweds Kristian and Mimi, who landed on “Block Island” after tying the knot in November 2023. On the eve of Season 20’s premiere, they tell WHO all about their experience.
You guys got married recently, did you plan together? Did that translate to The Block?
Kristian: I think Mimi definitely took the reigns for the wedding organisation. I had my input where I could. I went to a couple of the flower meetings. But ultimately, yeah, Mimi did an amazing job organising the entire thing.
Mimi: We found that was the case for The Block as well. I would run things by him, but then he kind of just trusted me with the decisions I made.
The couple’s gorgeous wedding went viral, when Mimi’s bridal party lip-synced to ‘What Dreams Are Made Of’ from The Lizzie McGuire Movie as they walked down the aisle. And it turns out Mimi was behind that too,
“I’m not even in the video, but now it’s got, like, 15 million views on TikTok,” Mimi tells WHO.
Check it out here:
Back to The Block, how are you feeling about the show starting to air? Any nerves setting in?
Kristian: There’s a mixture of emotions. I’m excited, I’m nervous, I’m scared. It’s a crazy ride that’s just about to begin.
Mimi: We’re feeling everything, until Monday, I guess. Then we’ll know how we’re going to feel.
People can come across differently on reality TV. Are there any moments you’re worried about airing?
Mimi: I feel like I was really authentically myself the whole way through, you know, given the circumstances of being in a pressure cooker. I think if something bad happened or I didn’t like how I said something or behaved, I can always just reflect on it and speak about it as well. Kristian: I’m not necessarily scared about it or anything, but I think watching the last couple of weeks, where I was sort of slowly falling apart, is going to be hard. Just going back into all those feelings. But apart from that, I think everything is going to be pretty straightforward.
Was the show different to what you expected?
Mimi: Much worse.
Kristian: I think it was a lot harder.
Mimi: It was probably, like, 10,000 times worse than we thought it would be. I think with the added layer of it being on Phillip Island as well, just being so far away from civilisation and then having to drive and whatnot. It was quite a challenge.
Kristian: I think that probably the first maybe four or five weeks during the show, I was like, “Maybe it’s not as hard as it seems.” But then towards the end, it definitely got harder with the lack of sleep and your body being so tired and you’re always thinking about something.
How did it impact your relationship?
Mimi: Being recently married, it was definitely the ultimate test, but we got through it. I think when we got out, we were like, “OK, we have to just be super proud of ourselves that we were able to do something so crazy like this.” It’s not normal what we’ve done.
What was your relationship like with the other contestants?
Mimi: I felt that we all got along. But obviously times when there’s a judging and someone wins and you don’t agree with it, all of us, we really backed our houses and backed our rooms, so it was disappointing. And then if you don’t think they deserve it and feel like you deserved it – that’s when things get hard. But at the end of the day, we just want each other to do well. I know that sounds crazy, but it’s true.
Mimi, it’s been said you’re interested in acting. Is that what you want to pursue?
Mimi: I’ve actually never mentioned this ever. I saw an article and it said, “She’s desperate to kickstart her acting career.” Where did they pull that from? I’m a dancer. I would love to [stay in the entertainment industry], but not on a series or anything. That’s definitely not what I want to do.
