NEED TO KNOW
- The Block contestants now live together in one shared house while renovating separate blocks.
- Rooms were randomly allocated — Courtney and Sev got the best one (master with ensuite).
- Courtney initially complained, but stopped once she realised how lucky her room was.
The Block is back with some major twists and turns this season. The contestants will be renovating some of the biggest blocks ever, and to top things off, they all have to live together while they do it.
The response to the news was mixed: some were completely unbothered, while others (particularly Courtney) weren’t having a bar of it.
“I’m not concerned about what room we’re in. I’m concerned about living in a house with all of my competition,” Courtney said during Sunday night’s premiere, claiming she’d rather be in a swag than living in the share house — which just so happens to be Ben and Emma’s house from last season.
Online, many fans were unimpressed that contestants were complaining about the living situation, however, Courtney told WHO what viewers saw on their screen wasn’t the whole story.
Quick recap: What do we know about the contestant’s living situation?
During Sunday night’s premiere, the contestants were tasked with renovating a guest bedroom in each of the houses in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
Each block was randomly allocated to a team, but they were told that whichever bedroom was the judges’ favourite would ultimately give the respective team first dibs on which house they would work on for the rest of the season.
So basically, there’s a lot to play for this week!
After being told they’d all be living together in the same house close to the blocks, they all raced inside in a bid to nab the best room possible, only to learn they’d already been allocated.
While Jolene and Adam were given a caravan parked in the backyard, and Courtney and Sev were given the master bedroom with an ensuite bathroom, the rest were given the remaining rooms (and would have to share bathrooms).
All the rest of the amenities are to be shared.
Contestants weren’t happy about it, admitting they were shocked they would have to live with their competition (and people they had just met).
The change of dynamics has already been a major theme in the first few episodes of the season.
Fans respond to contestants being unhappy with living situation
Just like the contestants, fans had a big response to the house-sharing format this year.
“It’s better than a tent. No matter what you give people, they will complain,” one fan said, while another claimed the new format has been introduced to “generate drama” and that it’s, well, working.
“It’s not like the contestants can’t walk outside to discuss plans or tactics; they’re not being held prisoners for Christ’s sake,” another viewer said.
However, others admitted they wouldn’t like the set-up for themselves, saying it must be strange to “live with strangers”.
“I’m wondering if putting them all in the same house will be a good thing or a bad thing. Was it to stop all the arguments or to start them?”
The Block contestant Courtney explained she ‘quietened down’ quickly
Speaking to WHO, Courtney — a construction site manager — explained that while she initially grumbled about the living situation, she quickly “quietened down” when she realised she and friend Sev had lucked out with their room allocation.
“I hadn’t gone through the house, and I just went straight into my room, and I had no idea… what my brain was thinking, but I almost thought that everyone just had the same set-up. I didn’t realise that they were all sharing a bathroom,” she told WHO.
“So when I realised that, I quietened down a bit. I thought, ‘Yeah, I’m going to shut up whingeing now.
She explained that her and Sev are very much in it to win it, so living with the competition was less than ideal.
‘Realising that we had to live with the competition, share the kitchen, share the dining room table with them… that was crazy.”
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