The Block has always split opinion, but this season fans have landed on one big complaint: the show has stopped being about renovating.
According to viewers, what was once an accessible, hard-yards renovation show has turned into a luxury build competition with too much drama thrown in.
From the shift to new builds over renos, to this year’s “quiet luxury” branding, fans think The Block 2026 is a long way from where it started – and they’re not shy about saying so.
Why fans think The Block 2026 has lost its renovation focus
Over on Reddit, The Block thread has been busy. One fan pointed out how often The Block was called a “renovation show” during the first episode of the 2026 season – despite this year’s contestants building five new houses from scratch and being advised to model them on Kim Kardashian’s home.
“I really miss what The Block was about,” they wrote. “Attainable renovations where the contestants did the hard yards around their actual lives.”
The user added: “For years this has been descending into a way for influencers to get followers, with nothing but money=design as the philosophy while dealing with manufactured drama. Please go back to basics Channel 9.”
Another fan went further, questioning the show’s “quiet luxury” theme against the backdrop of Australia’s housing crisis, and slamming this year’s editing as “AI slop.”
“What ever happened to The Block being a renovation show? Seriously with Australia’s housing crisis we do NOT need to be making more houses that only the rich can afford,” they shared. “Putting the contestants in a share house this season is an obvious attempt to milk as much drama from them as possible. On top of that with this season’s AI slop editing it’s unbearable to watch.”
They urged the show to bring back rundown apartments and everyday buyers, writing: “They have such a great opportunity to revert to their old concept and renovate older, rundown apartments and market them to the more average Australians.”
Former The Block contestants respond to the drama backlash
Former Blockheads Emma and Ben Cox, who went through the experience themselves last season, see it a little differently.
“You can’t lock five stressed couples together with no sleep, huge budgets and impossible deadlines and expect zero drama,” they tell Woman’s Day. “Honestly drama is part of the experience, it’s real and it happens naturally. The renovations are the hero of the show and the drama just comes along for the ride. That’s what makes The Block so special.”
The pair also point out that cameras are rolling close to 17 hours a day, which means most of the actual renovation work never makes it to air.
“We know firsthand just how much work goes into every room, and there are so many incredible renovation moments, design decisions and problem solving challenges that never make it to air,” they say.
As for the idea that this season is more drama-focused than usual, Emma and Ben aren’t convinced.
“To be honest, I don’t actually feel like this season is any more drama-focused than previous years,” they say. “I think social media has just become a lot louder, so every episode people jump online to share their opinions. Ironically, all that conversation just gets more people talking about the show and tuning in to see what everyone’s discussing.”
Meanwhile, fellow 2025 contestant Alicia Aplin tells Woman’s Day that “drama is all subjective.” She adds: “Maybe it’s just contestants fighting for what they want, or their rights! It’s a high pressure environment and s**t is moving at such a fast pace.”
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