The Block has never been short on things for fans to argue about, but apparently we’re adding a tiny piece of unfinished skirting to the list.
Courtney and Sev won another room reveal on Monday night, scoring an impressive 29.5 out of 30. The judges were full of praise for the Rumpus and Laundry rooms, with Marty Fox and Shaynna Blaze both handing out perfect 10s. Darren Palmer was slightly less generous, giving the pair a 9.5 and leaving them just half a point shy of a perfect score.
There was, however, one small problem that viewers couldn’t quite get past. The contestants hadn’t finished the skirting in the laundry before judging.
While Darren docked them half a point for the unfinished detail, fans questioned how the room could still score two perfect 10s when the contestants hadn’t technically finished it.
Fans question whether an unfinished room deserves a 10
While plenty of viewers were happy to see Courtney and Sev take the win, some couldn’t quite get their heads around the perfect scores.
“Unfinished or damaged rooms get 2 x 10?? Judging’s a letdown,” one viewer wrote.
Another questioned whether any room is ever truly perfect, pointing out that previous 10-scoring spaces have also had minor imperfections.
But others were much more blunt.
“Yep I agree, unfinished rooms should not get tens,” one fan said.
“I’d like to know how in the hell unfinished rooms get 10 from 2 so-called judges,” another wrote.
And perhaps the most reasonable take of the lot was: “They deserved the win BUT didn’t deserve a 10 for an unfinished room.”
Because what exactly does a 10 mean if the room isn’t technically finished? Is it a 10 with a little asterisk? A 9.9 that we’ve generously rounded up?
Honestly, we’re kind of with them. If a 10 is supposed to mean perfect, surely the room needs to actually be finished?
The Block judges have docked points for this before
And this isn’t without precedent.
Back in 2022, Dylan and Jenny found themselves in a very similar position during Hellway Week. Their enormous hallway, laundry and mudroom impressed all three judges, but they couldn’t finish the skirting boards before the tools-down deadline.
The judges were still glowing about the space, calling it “close to perfection”. But rather than handing out a 10, they said it would deserve a perfect score once it was completely finished.
Then, in 2024, Darren marked down Maddy and Charlotte’s guest bedroom because of the paint and lack of finish, saying he would have given it a 10 otherwise.
So you can see why viewers are scratching their heads over Courtney and Sev’s two 10s.
To be fair, there’s a pretty big difference between an entire room being unfinished and a small section of skirting still needing attention. And Courtney and Sev’s room was otherwise clearly a hit with the judges.
But if we’re being strict about the meaning of the number 10, shouldn’t everything be finished before you hand one out? Then again, perhaps we’re overthinking it.
It is The Block, after all. If contestants can spend an entire week arguing over a few millimetres of cabinetry, we can certainly spend a few paragraphs arguing over some missing skirting.
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