The Block is getting closer and closer to the finish line, but as the houses get bigger and the designs get more ambitious, the pressure on the contestants is only getting worse.
For some teams, that has meant taking bigger risks and spending more to make their houses stand out. For others, it has meant making difficult calls about where every last dollar will be spent.
Rick and Tayla know that feeling all too well.
The pair finished last in Monday night’s room reveal with 21.5 points, while Courtney and Sev walked away with a perfect 30. It was another frustrating result for House 5, who have struggled to keep up with the spending power of some of their competitors throughout the renovation show.
Rick has previously spoken about running out of time and not having enough trades on hand, but now he’s opened up about the bigger issue he believes is at play.
Speaking to WHO, Rick pointed to Courtney and Sev’s winning streak and said their extra prize money has allowed them to push their designs further, and he’s not the only one questioning whether the playing field is completely even.
Fans are also debating whether winning early gives contestants a significant advantage later in the competition.
Rick says some teams can afford to ‘push the boundaries‘
After finishing last in the latest room reveal, Rick didn’t hold back about the pressure his team has been under.
“We just, again, ran out of time. We haven’t got budget for two, three carpenters like House 1, 2, 3,” he said on the show. “It’s just myself and Mitch. We struggle every week.”
Rick told WHO that the gap becomes particularly obvious when he looks at what Courtney and Sev have been able to do throughout the competition.
“They were pushing the boundaries every week because they could afford that. And they took risks and paid off,” he said.
“So we’re in a different box, you know. We have [only had] one win.”
Rick believes Courtney and Sev’s winning streak has given them more money to keep taking those risks.
“They’re winning every week and they’ve got budget in order to do these kinds of things in their rooms where, you know, we’re pulling at shoestrings to do ours,” he said.
And fans have certainly noticed the difference between the houses, too.
The Block fans question whether the competition is fair
One Reddit user questioned the decision to bring back 2024 winners Maddy and Charlotte as team captains for the community challenge, arguing that their experience gave the contestants on their team more breathing space to work on their own sites.
The other team, made up of the remaining contestants, have to divvy up their time between their houses and the community project.
But others think Courtney and Sev are simply playing The Block well. One fan argued that their winning streak has created a snowball effect, with the extra prize money allowing them to keep taking bigger risks.
“Courtney and Sev are just proving that spending money early and snowballing it is the right strategy for The Block, provided you have the talent to pull off good rooms,” they wrote, comparing their approach to previous contestants Steph and Gian.
Another fan took a much more cynical view of the competition, arguing that The Block “laughs at the concept of fair” given the various advantages that can come into play.
Rick has openly said his team is “pulling at shoestrings” while other houses have more money to take risks, explaining that money is a limiting factor for some and not others.
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