If there’s one thing The Block fans have mastered this season, it’s keeping receipts. So when Courtney and Sev tied with Adam and Jolene in the latest backyard and garage reveal, The Block fans were ready to pull out their scorecards and compare notes.
After all, how did two teams with some pretty different feedback end up with exactly the same score?
Sunday night’s episode delivered the first tie of the season, with House 1 and House 4 both scoring 34.5 out of 40. The judges loved Adam and Jolene’s statement sculpture and wine storage, but weren’t so keen on the lack of privacy around their pool or the garage layout that made squeezing in two cars difficult.
Courtney and Sev, meanwhile, impressed with their garage and expansive backyard, but Marty Fox wasn’t sold on the stepping stones or whether the yard was actually family-friendly.
Two very different sets of feedback, but the same score. Naturally, fans had questions.
And the timing hasn’t helped. The result comes amid the ongoing drama over Courtney and Sev’s custom wine cellar, which was classified as artwork after the girls faced the threat of disqualification due to lack of funds.
With budgets, loopholes and judging decisions already keeping viewers busy, this latest reveal has given them plenty more to pick apart.
The Block fans aren’t buying the judging
One viewer was particularly unimpressed with the result, writing: “I honestly think the judging this year has been nothing but inconsistent. I totally get it when people comment about it being rigged this year.”
They questioned why the two teams had received the same score despite the different feedback, arguing that the result felt like a setup to create drama.
Another viewer was even more suspicious, suggesting the wine cellar controversy had production fingerprints all over it.
“Nah I smell a production rat,” they wrote, questioning whether the artwork arrangement had really been planned weeks earlier or whether the idea had emerged after Courtney and Sev faced the threat of disqualification.
They also suggested the tie conveniently set up a winners’ dinner with Scott Cam between the rival teams, calling it a “win-win” for producers because it created more drama.
That’s quite the theory, but there’s no evidence to confirm whether production interfered with the result. But it does show just how closely some fans are watching every decision, with even a tie becoming another talking point.
Why did Courtney and Sev’s wine cellar cause so much drama?
The judging debate is only part of the story. Courtney and Sev’s custom wine rack has also sparked debate over the show’s rules. The installation was classified as artwork rather than a standard product purchase.
Contestants usually pay 50 per cent of a product’s recommended retail price, unless a sponsor supplies it. By classifying the wine rack as artwork, Courtney and Sev could use a different valuation.
Subsequently, Courtney and Sev reportedly paid $14,500 for a piece valued at more than $100,000.
That has raised questions about whether all teams are playing by the same standards. Particularly given the controversy surrounding the girls’ spending and their reported $89,000 outlay against an $85,000 budget this week.
One viewer argued: “The rules aren’t even guidelines at this point. The show just leaves everything up to the contestants and nothing really happens so why not find ‘loopholes’”
But not everyone thinks Courtney and Sev have done anything wrong. “It’s been approved. It’s within the rules so it’s not cheating. So you have to accept it even if you don’t like it,” one viewer wrote.
Another viewer pointed to House 3’s approach to winning the weekly budget challenge. They questioned why Courtney and Sev were facing so much scrutiny for working within the rules. Some fans see the wine cellar as clever game-playing. Others think the rules are becoming a little too flexible.
With the contestants heading into their final build week and a $50,000 reserve-price prize on the line, the pressure is only increasing.
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