“We don’t know who to trust!” As The Block’s cheating scandal unfolds, friendships are ripped apart

A week after the bombshell that two Block teams have cheated, the dust is still to settle in the reality renovation competition.

With Melbourne parents Tanya and Vito admitting they had been given a photo of the production schedule by a mystery builder and had shared it with Sydney twins Josh and Luke, friendships have been ripped apart, alliances have collapsed and suspicion hangs over every house.

And nobody is reeling more than NSW married couple Kirsty and Jesse.

“We didn’t know who to trust any more,” Kirsty, 33, tells TV WEEK.

“When you go into a competition, you expect it to be fair, an even playing field for everyone.

“To think that there are contestants who aren’t taking this seriously, who are taking the opportunity they’ve been given for granted… It’s just disappointing.”

Feeling isolated by the fact that their house is the only one with no Block neighbours and by the sheer amount of work they’ve been putting into their build, Kirsty and Jesse were “just stunned” by the cheating scandal and expected those involved to be removed from the series.

“I was worried for them, thinking they were going to get kicked off the show,” Kirsty says. “That was how big it was, but two points [deducted from their score]? I reckon they got off very, very lightly!”

Light punishment or not, those at the centre of the controversy were hoping it would all be put in the past as the teams get down to the business of building their master ensuites this week.

But any hope of peace is shattered when Kirsty and Jesse’s “Winners Are Grinners Dinner” rolls around and the country singer serenades the group with the classic “Your Cheatin’ Heart”.

And while some contestants laugh and clap along, for one team it’s too much.

As soon as Kirsty finishes, NSW twins Josh and Luke put down their meal and storm off with a trail of swearing in their wake.

“Oh, well,” Kirsty says.

“It’s not my fault if they have a guilty conscience. It could have been about anyone!”