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The curse of the Bonus Room on House Rules

Only one room passed so far this season, but were they really all THAT bad?

On last night’s episode of House Rules, Troy cracked it at judge Drew Heath after Drew scored their rooms a 3/10.

But Drew wasn’t the only judge that was unimpressed with their work, with Wendy admitting that she felt their work in the bonus room was “a massive disappointment”.

Throughout this season, the Bonus Room has been a curse for all teams bar one. Surprisingly, Fiona and Nicole were the only team to receive a pass for their renovation of Andrew and Jono’s study.

But were the Bonus Rooms really all that bad? Or could there have been a bit of strategic scoring going on this season?

“In the end it was just a curse, really, the bonus room,” Kate says. “You just couldn’t win with it.”

We’re no renovation experts, but some of these rooms look pretty impressive to us!

Andrew and Jono

Andrew and Jono renovated Fiona and Nicole’s outdoor area. Their stunning work failed to achieve a pass rating from the girls. We’re struggling to see what’s wrong with this space… We can understand why the boys were disappointed with this score. And they weren’t the only one’s surprised by the result.

“I think that’s where it [the Bonus Room] kicked off to a bad start,” Kate says. “Everyone thought for sure that was going to pass.”

Judge Wendy was also taken aback by the fail. “I was absolutely shocked when it didn’t get passed, because I couldn’t imagine the girls not loving it,” she tells TV WEEK.

Andrew and Jono’s Bonus Room.

Aaron and Daniella

Aaron and Daniella had the challenge of the Bonus Room during the renovation of Kate and Harry’s home. From the outset, Drew felt that they had failed the brief as he felt the design wasn’t for all ages.

Kate and Harry agreed, with Kate explaining that although Harry would spend hours in there, “big kid” Harry felt forgotten about.

Aaron and Daniella’s Bonus Room.

Fiona and Nicole

Fiona and Nicole renovated the twins’ study. While the judges were unsure about this space, thinking it was too cluttered, the boys were happy with the room, awarding Fiona and Nicole the first and only pass of the season!

Kate and Harry

Kate and Harry’s bonus room involved creating a Kim Kardashian-inspired bedroom for Bec’s daughter Hayley.

Wendy thought that this room could have been Kate and Harry’s “saving grace”, but Bec and Tory disagreed, ultimately deciding to fail the room despite the fact that Hayley loved it.

This decision re-sparked the debate over strategic scoring with both Kate and Harry, and Sean and Ella, feeling hard done by after all the work they had put into the renovations.

“The judges love our room, Hayley loves our room, Troy and Bec fail the room. If that’s not strategy, then I don’t know what is,” Kate said.

Kate and Harry’s Bonus Room.

Bec and Troy

Bec and Tory felt they had mastered the brief of the “Nordic hideaway” for the guest bedroom in Sean and Ella’s Tasmanian home. The judges agreed, with all three gushing over the artwork in the room and styling choices.

However, Sean and Ella felt differently. While they liked the colour scheme and idea of the room, they didn’t feel it was executed properly. This led to Troy and Bec walking off set in a huff. While it was childish behaviour, we can’t say we blame them for feeling disappointed – it looks like a pretty impressive Nordic hideaway to us!

Bec and Troy had a second attempt at the bonus room in Daniella and Sean’s Gold Coast home. Alas, their renovation of the gym, was a “massive disappointment” according to judge Wendy… This time, we might have to agree.

Bec and Troy’s Bonus Room.

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