The Block’s 2026 season delivered a spectacular finale, but controversies over judging, budgets and contestant behaviour divided viewers throughout the competition.
OPINION
Five auctions, five sales and millions in profit, for one glorious night, The Block let the houses do the talking.
Now that the dust has settled on its Mount Eliza finale, Channel 9 has plenty to celebrate. It also has a few things to fix.
I met this year’s contestants in July, before the first episode aired, and thought producers had assembled one of their strongest casts in years.
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Three months later, I still reckon they got it right.
Courtney and Sev were confident, ambitious and unafraid to back their designs.
Rick and Tayla’s father-daughter dynamic gave the season heart.
Adam and Jolene brought a practical approach, Lisa and Rosco provided warmth and humour, and Chantel and Wyatt certainly kept people talking.
Adam and Jolene brought their country renovation experience to Mount Eliza, eventually walking away with $455,000 after 12 weeks of competition. Picture: Nine
Not everyone was likeable all the time, that’s reality television and why we’re so drawn to it.
The problem wasn’t a lack of interesting contestants, it was how often the show seemed more interested in their arguments than their renovations.
Putting the teams under one roof was a clever idea, at least initially.
Scott Cam oversaw a major format change in 2026, with contestants living together away from the building site, creating plenty of drama beyond the renovations. Picture: Nine
But as the weeks rolled on, disputes about spending, favouritism and who said what began swallowing airtime and it started feeling very Big Brother.
Drama belongs on The Block, a builder walking off site or a room falling behind schedule is compelling because there is something at stake.
Another household argument isn’t necessarily worth an entire episode.
Meanwhile, the actual building work too often took a back seat.
Chantel and Wyatt became central to one of the season’s biggest budget controversies after an accounting error incorrectly added $8200 to their renovation expenses. Picture: Nine
The Mount Eliza homes were impressive, but the quiet luxury brief, similar layouts and endless neutral finishes made some Sunday reveals feel interchangeable.
The show used to make ordinary renovations fascinating.
We watched contestants wrestle with awkward floor plans, discover problems behind walls and work out how to fix them or work out how to challenge and play The Block for the game it is.
This year there was plenty of shopping, styling and personal conflict, but not enough explanation of how those enormous homes came together.
Show us the construction, give the tradies more airtime and let viewers take more ideas home that doesn’t require a multimillion-dollar budget.
The Block judges Marty Fox, Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer faced questions over scoring consistency, with some weekly results contrasting sharply with auction outcomes. Picture: Nine
Judging criteria also needs attention, Shaynna Blaze, Darren Palmer and Marty Fox have experience, but inconsistent feedback and scoring drew repeated criticism.
Rick and Tayla struggled in the weekly judging yet finished second at auction.
The houses without direct bay views also claimed the top two sale prices.
A room score isn’t an auction prediction, of course, but I’d welcome a builder or independent buyer’s advocate adding a more practical perspective.
And can we make the rules easier to follow?
The $8200 accounting error that wrongly inflated Chantel and Wyatt’s expenses, arguments over discounts and the last-minute auction-order change created avoidable questions about fairness.
That would have been an incredibly difficult experience for them to have gone through and it ultimately may have set the tone for the pair for the season.
None proves the competition was rigged, Courtney and Sev won because buyers were willing to pay $4.72m for their home and they played The Block.
Courtney and Sev’s winning Mount Eliza home sold for $4.72m, producing a $1.27m auction profit and securing the pair additional winners’ prizes. Picture: Nine
Weekly room scores weren’t always a guide to buyer demand, with some of the season’s most heavily criticised teams achieving impressive auction results. Picture: Nine
But clear budgets, consistent penalties and prompt explanations would save everyone a lot of unnecessary drama and keep The Block fair.
The AI-generated jingles could also take a holiday, yes one is funny but a seemingly endless procession of them is enough to make you reach for the mute button.
For all that, the finale was terrific.
After Daylesford’s disappointing auctions, seeing every house sell under the hammer was enormously satisfying.
Rick and Tayla turned a difficult run of weekly judging into one of the finale’s biggest successes, finishing second despite their earlier struggles. Picture: Nine
Rick and Tayla’s $905,000 auction profit provided one of the finale’s most emotional moments, rewarding the father-daughter team after a challenging season. Picture: Nine
Courtney and Sev made a $1.27m auction profit, Rick and Tayla $905,000, Lisa and Rosco $550,000, Adam and Jolene $455,000 and Chantel and Wyatt $367,000.
The emotion was real, particularly watching Rick and Tayla react to their result.
And it was refreshing to see genuine buyers compete without Adrian Portelli sweeping in to rescue the night.
So what next?
Sunbury’s Jacksons Hill heritage buildings offer exactly the reset I’d like to see in 2027 and a lot of fans online I have seen share the same sentiment.
Converting three historic buildings into five homes should mean awkward spaces, restoration challenges and genuine problem-solving rather than another round of expensive new-build interiors.
The Block’s 2027 season will return to heritage restoration at Sunbury’s Jacksons Hill, replacing Mount Eliza’s new-build format with historic buildings. Picture: Nine
Sunbury is also a different property market from Mount Eliza, that uncertainty should make auction day more interesting.
Nine is expanding the franchise too, The Block: The House Next Door will have former contestants renovating a sixth property, with their competition shown on Stan.
I’d happily watch familiar Blockheads return, but the main show already asks a lot of viewers.
Requiring another subscription to follow next-door action might be pushing it, as a superfan I of course will be watching it.
Three historic buildings at Jacksons Hill will be converted into five family homes, with returning contestants tackling a sixth renovation for a Stan spin-off. Picture: State Library of Victroia
The former institutional buildings will present a different challenge for The Block’s 2027 contestants, with heritage features requiring careful restoration rather than complete replacement. Picture: State Library of Victoria
Then there’s the overseas Celebrity Block idea I discussed with co-creator Julian Cress and Nine executive Adrian Swift last year.
Italy, Dubai and Monaco were floated as possibilities.
It’s an exciting concept, not a commissioned series, and I’d watch a shorter celebrity edition if the famous faces were actually doing the renovating.
But there’s a risk of too much Block, remember the days when we had two Block seasons a year?
The 2026 cast was terrific, the finale delivered and Sunbury has real promise.
Nine doesn’t need bigger arguments, more AI songs or another spin-off to keep me watching.
It needs to give its interesting contestants more time to build houses.
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