The Block fans aren’t exactly thrilled with the judges, with viewers accusing the panel of becoming increasingly harsh and, at times, downright rude. Sunday night’s reveals only added fuel to the fire, with several contestants facing some seriously brutal feedback from the judging panel.
But it was Rick and Tayla who appeared to cop the worst of it, with the judges not only tearing apart their Guest Suite Week room but laughing at some of Tayla’s styling choices.
And honestly, there’s harsh feedback and then there’s making someone feel like their design choices are something to laugh at. Marty Fox went as far as declaring the room “unsellable”, while Shaynna Blaze agreed that it “pretty much” was.
For some viewers, though, it wasn’t just the criticism that rubbed them the wrong way. It was the way the judges delivered it.
And Rick and Tayla clearly felt the same way.
Rick and Tayla hit back at the judges
The Blockheads didn’t hold back when discussing the feedback they received from the judges.
“There are ways of judging. Standing up there on a Sunday night, having your daughter be criticised by these judges. I mean, Darren is a legend… but they pretty much took the p–s out of Tayla’s styling,” Rick told Chattr.
And it’s clear Tayla is getting a little tired of having her styling choices picked apart week after week. For her, the issue isn’t simply that the judges don’t always agree with her vision. It’s that she doesn’t think some of the details they’re focusing on should matter when it comes to the bigger picture.
“I think it’s ridiculous,” she said, arguing that some of the things the judges focus on shouldn’t ultimately change the value of the house.
And you can understand the frustration. The contestants are encouraged to take risks. But when those risks don’t land with the judges, they can quickly become a problem. Tayla knows that feeling all too well, with her design choices questioned throughout the competition.
And it seems she’s not alone in feeling frustrated by the panel.
Fans have questioned the judges before
This isn’t the first time The Block judges have come under fire from viewers this season.
Fans have previously accused the panel of being “petty” and have questioned inconsistencies in their feedback, with one viewer even saying the judges seemed to “contradict each other”. Others have debated whether the teams can actually win when the goalposts seem to keep moving from one house to the next.
Now, after another round of brutal feedback, it seems those complaints aren’t going anywhere.
“I can’t understand why she’s being torn to shreds over styling when others have functional issues,” one viewer mused on Reddit. “Like, whoever buys the house will have their own style and likely change it all anyway. And the plant under the table, while hilarious, who cares? It takes 10 seconds to move it back outside. Crisis averted.”
“So, to be clear, the complaints from the judges throughout this season have been wildly inconsistent,” another added. “They’ve varied from ‘too adventurous’ to being ‘too plain’. First they want colour, then they want plain and beige, and now, who knows.”
The judges are obviously there to critique the rooms, and not every Blockhead can expect a glowing review every Sunday. But there’s a difference between telling contestants something isn’t working and making them feel like they’re the punchline.
And judging by the reaction to Sunday night’s episode, plenty of viewers think the panel might be getting a little too comfortable with the latter.
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