This Sunday, in a dramatic conclusion to the epic 21st season of The Block, five exhausted teams step into the auction arena to find out if it’s all been worth it. What will they have to show for three months away from families, careers and even pets? Will it add up to life-changing profit – or heartbreak that no one is ready to wear?
“I’m incredibly nervous for the auctions,” show creator Julian Cress tells TV WEEK. “I have real friendships that we’ve built with the cast and the crew this year. We love these guys and the thought of seeing any of them fail at auction is really hard to bear. It would be painful to the point of heartbreaking if any of them didn’t sell their house on auction day.”
But Julian doesn’t sugar-coat the likelihood of this happening. He reveals that, despite Daylesford’s picture-perfect setting, the real estate reality in the town is anything but easy. He warns contestants to brace for the worst.
“On any Saturday of the year, there will be at least five auctions in Brighton [Victoria] and all of those houses will sell,” he explains. “But there has never been a Saturday in Daylesford when five houses have sold at auction… ever.”
With billionaire bidder Adrian Portelli not in the room this year, as he has been for the past few seasons – swooping in at the last minute to make a purchase – the show won’t be steered by one single deep pocket. Julian is clear that, although on-screen personalities can dominate conversation about the show, chequebooks are rarely swayed by social media noise.
“I don’t think people parting with millions of dollars are basing their purchase on the personalities they’ve seen on the show,” he says firmly. “That happened with Adrian once [in season 20], but not in the other 19 series.”
He doubles down on his rejection that an ‘edit’ can make or break a team’s fortunes, insisting that the camera doesn’t invent behaviour – it merely reflects it.
“There’s no such thing as a villain edit on The Block,” Julian states. “That is a term invented by Sharon [Johal] from the 2022 season and it’s simply not true. If the audience makes decisions about people’s behaviour, it’s about the way they’ve behaved – let’s be super clear on that.”
If there’s a couple who’ve born the brunt of online heat this season, it’s Sonny and Alicia, who Julian defends vehemently.
“They’re the sort of people who would give you the shirt off their back and buy you a beer with their last dollar,” he insists. “Our kids are mates; we holiday together. They’re wonderful people.”
Relationship speculation has also followed bickering couple Han and Can, and Julian dismisses any rumours that they won’t last because of the show. “They have arguments like any couple,” he explains. “But they’re both really bright adults who are well and truly still together now.”
Britt and Taz from House 3 also hit back at speculation that Han and Can wouldn’t show up on auction day. “They’ve just gone completely off socials,” Taz tells TV WEEK. “The main thing for them was they were so focused on the build that they forgot about the seven cameras watching them. I have no doubt they’re going to be there for auction. They’re still a very strong couple and are very talented girls.”
So, if auction day isn’t going to be a popularity contest, what will sway the bidding paddles? Julian still believes it will come down to the wow factor of the homes and, potentially, some of the A-grade inclusions that have been won throughout the season.
“You’ve got to look at Britt and Taz’s house, which has got nearly $200,000 worth of appliances in the kitchen,” he says. “You’ve got to look at Robby and Mat’s… all five houses are identical except theirs, which has this incredible wine cellar. And then, of course, Emma and Ben won the Domain Jury Challenge – the buyers picked their house over the others.”
With no billionaire safety net, a tough regional market and five very different homes going under the hammer, the stage is set for a nail-biting finale that not even the show creator can predict.
“Anything can happen on auction day – and usually does,” he teases.
