Within striking distance of being able to call “tools down” on his 13th season as host of The Block, Scott Cam is driving with his wife Ann to his farm in
Mudgee, in Central West NSW, to enjoy some down time before going back to the grind of narrating the show and laying down voice-overs.
“It’s been a tough series,” says Cam on the phone to WHO. With five teams tasked with transforming St Kilda’s Oslo Hotel from a budget guesthouse to luxury apartments, he says it’s been “massive” for the contestants, “with a few broken minds and bodies among them.”
WATCH: The Block’s Scott Cam: I found a dead body on site
Even usually cool-headed Cam –a carpenter and builder who in 1999 was discovered in a pub and talked into doing a screen test for Nine’s reality series, Backyard Blitz –has found this season in particular a slog.
“Well, look, I had a few blow-ups with contestants, yes,” he admits. “I was getting a bit frustrated with some lippy contestants. I did lose my temper a couple of times, and I don’t hold back when things happen. There were a few dramas.”
Confrontations aside, “They’ve all got something to offer,’’ says Cam, 56, of this year’s contenders. “There’s a couple that struggle early on and then a lot of them run out of money, some more than others. Some are in jeopardy of not finishing the competition.’’
Other possible highlights in store? After all, Cam hinted to WHO at the Logies in June that Kylie Minogue might make a cameo. “She’s an old friend of mine, Kylie,” teases Cam now. “She might make an appearance, you never know.” What he can confirm is that “we do have some old favourites coming back for a short time. Sometimes some of the All Stars can be a bit annoying but I always have fun with them.’’
On the air since 2003, audiences have consistently tuned into the renovation reality show because “it’s good old fashion family viewing’’, reckons Cam. “I think Mum and Dad and the kids can sit down and watch The Block and everybody gets something out of it. And certainly, you’re getting those great ideas from a design and construction point of view too.”
Case in point: “I built a new house at my farm where we’re heading to now, and I copied a bathroom from The Block: Fans vs Favourites for our ensuite,” says the passionate supporter of the Sydney Roosters rugby league club. “It was the winning bathroom, of course.”
A solid foundation at home with wife Ann and their kids, Charlie, 22, and 18-year-old twins Sarah and Bill, allows Cam to divide his time between shooting in Melbourne, their home in Sydney and time on the farm.
“He’s just a good bloke and a wonderful dad,’’ says co-host Shelley Craft. ‘‘I’ve been lucky enough to see his kids grow up as he sees my kids grow up. They call him Uncle Scotty and I’m proud to say his kids are just really good people.”
“We’re always there for our kids, we’re always around,” Cam says of his top parenting tip. “We spent a lot of family time together when they were growing up. That’s the key to it. It’s sometimes tough, but Ann and I are on the same page and we both run a fairly strict household but a fair one. I always say to my kids that good things happen to good people. That’s the motto we live by. If you’re a good person and you do good in life and you work hard, then good things happen to you.”
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