Last night’s second semi-final saw only one point separate third and fourth place, with the teams having to transform the remaining four gardens. Unfortunately, when the scores were counted it was time for SA’s Ryan and Marlee to go home. Now only three teams remain, who will battle it out for a life-changing place in the House Rules grand final.
So what did judges Joe Snell and Wendy Moore think?
Bronik and Corrine — 18/20
After winning the first semi-final, Victoria again blitzed their competition, scoring 18 points for their landscaping efforts in SA’s backyard. Bronik and Corrine hit the Australia Day party house rule for six with a cricket pitch embedded in the lawn, a large deck for entertaining, a pergola and an orchard to relax in. “The timber retaining wall around the cricket pitch was terrific,” said Joe. “It made it feel like a stadium.”
Ben and Danielle — 17/20
Queensland bounced back after their last-place finish in the first semi-final, scoring 17 points for their work in Victoria’s front yard. Ben and Danielle nailed a classic design with a deck in the entry way, an arbor gate, a new concrete aggregate driveway and white-themed flowering plants. “The clean, simple lines of the garden beds were lovely,” said Joe. “What we saw this week was some very graceful, sophisticated design.”
Steve and Tiana — 14/20
NSW escaped elimination by only one point, scoring 14 for revamping team SA’s front garden. The father and daughter duo righted a wrong by lining up the decking boards along the front of the house as well as adding a roof to cover the two front decks, a bold and structured pathway and a burst of floral colour in the raised garden beds. “You had some really strong ideas and you picked the right things to change but you didn’t push your ideas far enough to really finish them as well as you could have,” said Wendy.
Ryan and Marlee — 13/20
The Adelaide pair finished last after their efforts in Victoria’s backyard failed to impress the judges, who gave them a combined score of 13 points. Ryan and Marlee took the ‘urban cool’ house rule too far with their lime green fence and street art graffiti wall. “I liked your plantings but it was your artistic feature wall where you really lost control of your vision,” said Wendy. “I know it was urban but it just didn’t make for a cool backyard.”
Combining the scores with last week’s, Ryan and Marlee came out with the lowest combined score and were eliminated. The remaining three teams will now battle it out for a place in the grand final and the chance to live mortgage-free. Tonight they’re given their hardest but most heart-warming challenge yet, and with a grand final spot up for grabs, teams collide as they push themselves to the limit.
House Rules continues tonight at 7.30pm and Sunday at 7pm. For more House Rules.
