Tag: adam and lisa

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House Rules Interviews RENO ADDICT

House Rules’ winner Adam Dovile on his new role on Better Homes and Gardens

Ever since watching House Rules last year, I’ve been a big fan of Adam Dovile, one half of the winning Victorian couple, Adam and Lisa. With his happy-go-lucky attitude, broad grin and roaring laugh he has a personality that seems made for TV. So it comes as no surprise he’s now back on our screens, this time as the resident builder on Better Homes and Gardens.

Adam Dovile interiors addict

“I was working back in Melbourne when I got a phone call asking if I’d like to join the team for 2015. I actually said to them are you sure you want me? I was absolutely blown away. So now Lisa and I have moved to Sydney. It was a big decision, but we just thought you only live once you, have to give it a shot!”

The move to Sydney meant Adam had to put his building business on hold, Lisa quit her job and they both had to leave their newly renovated House Rules’ home. However for Adam it’s all been worth it, being able to share his love of building and DIY with the rest of the country. “As the resident builder and carpenter for the show, I’m basically there to show people the DIY tricks they can do around their home and also the big projects both indoors and out. We’ve been doing bathroom and kitchen renovations, so people will be able to get ideas and tips on all the processes that are involved in renovating. There’s a lot of steps people aren’t aware of.”

Adam Dovile interiors addict 1
Adam on set

While the building and DIY jobs have come naturally, Adam does admit that the biggest challenge has been talking to the camera! “In House Rules it was completely different. That was reality TV and the camera basically just captured Lisa and I doing work. But as a presenter, you have to talk to the camera like it’s a person and that feels a little weird!”

However, what has made the process easier is getting to just be himself (as he says: “If I can’t do that, there’s something wrong with me!”). With no script or teleprompter in sight, instead he just speaks his mind. “When I got offered the role I said to them, yes I’m a builder and I understand all the processes, but I’ve never presented in my life. But they said they just wanted me to be myself and I didn’t need to read anything. That took a lot of the pressure off.”

Adam with presenters Johanna Griggs and Demi Harman
Adam with presenters Johanna Griggs and Demi Harman

Having had a whirlwind 2014 after taking home the House Rules’ grand prize of getting his mortgage paid off, Adam is ready for an equally big year. “Winning was amazing! Not having all that money taken out of our account each month (for the mortgage) has been great. It’s opened up a lot of new opportunities and I’m very excited for what this year holds.”

Better Homes and Gardens starts Friday 6 February at 7pm on Channel Seven.

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House Rules RENO ADDICT

Interview with House Rules grand final winners Adam and Lisa

They were my favourites from day one and on Sunday night, Victoria’s Adam and Lisa took home one of television’s biggest prizes, their entire $526,000 mortgage paid off!

2014 HOUSE RULES CHAMPIONS ADAM DOVILE & LISA LAMOND.
Adam and Lisa

“It’s very surreal,” says Adam. “I’m just in shock. It’s a massive prize; I still can’t believe it’s happened. It’s amazing!”

The engaged couple took out the House Rules win after beating WA’s Carole and Russell in one last renovation challenge – to transform a secret room in each other’s homes. The judges then scored the rooms (which were a bar and a spa area for both teams), with those scores then being combined with a public vote to determine the winner.

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Before: Carole and Russell’s secret room transformed by Adam and Lisa

For Adam and Lisa it was the viewers’ vote that propelled them to victory, as they trailed Carole and Russell after the secret room scores were revealed, with the VIC team getting a combined score of 17 out of 20, versus WA’s 19.

“I was happy with the scores from the judges, we loved the room we created and we wanted to have fun with that last challenge,” explains Adam. “But I’m not going to lie, I was a bit concerned with the scores. I think at that time we didn’t think it was possible to get the mortgage paid off, I don’t think we ever thought we were going to win anyway.”

But win they did, with their design skills and their likability getting them over that finish line thanks to the public vote. “It’s awesome to have been received so well by the public,” says Lisa. “I said to Ads it’s made me feel a little guilty of how much we have received from the competition, because I really don’t know how to thank all the people who have supported us. It’s so humbling.”

After: Carole and Russell's secret room transformed by Adam and Lisa
After: Carole and Russell’s secret room transformed by Adam and Lisa

Adam and Lisa were long referred to as the dark horses, with their first renovation in week one, seeing them get scores of three and four from the judges. It wasn’t until weeks later, at the Townsville renovation, that things finally changed, with the duo receiving three perfect 10s from the judges and homeowners.

“After that first week, I didn’t see us going past the first phase of the competition, purely on me, nothing on Adam,” explains Lisa. “I still think we were hard done by on that first week but you couldn’t let yourself get down about it, you had to pick yourself up and dust yourself off and go again. My coping skills throughout the competition definitely got a lot better.”

ADAM & LISA CELEBRATING THEIR WIN

Now that they’re mortgage free, many of their long-term plans can now be fast-tracked, with their wedding set for September and the possibility of starting a family and going into business together, real possibilities for the near future. For both of them, they’ll have House Rules to thank for the rest of their lives and could not recommend the experience highly enough.

“You’d be crazy not to apply,” says Adam. “Not many people will go on this journey. It’s hard, it’s challenging but the rewards and the feeling you get when you complete your zones and challenges, it is the best feeling you could ever feel. Definitely apply, if you’re thinking about it or you’re not, it’s a journey you’ll never forget!”

Applications are still open for the next series of House Rules until the end of July. For further details, go to the official website here.

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House Rules RENO ADDICT

Post House Rules reveal chat with Grand Final contestants Adam and Lisa

House Rules judge Wendy Moore had said they could be the dark horses if they got their vision right and stuck to it, and last night she was proved right, with Victorian duo Adam and Lisa being the first team into the Grand Final, receiving a score of 18 out of 20.

adam and lisa
Adam and Lisa

“I loved that comment Wendy made,” says Adam. “Obviously if you haven’t worked together as a team and you haven’t done this stuff before you’re not going to be the best straight away. So when she said she thought we could have been the dark horses I really loved that. It really drove us and I thought that’s what it’s all about, we are trying, we can get there. So it was fantastic, her words came true!”

The engaged couple will go up against Perth grandparents Carole and Russell to determine who will live mortgage free, after the WA team narrowly beat NSW’s Candy and Ryan — 17 points to 16 — to claim the last spot in the Grand Final. “It feels really good to be going up against Carole and Russell,” explains Lisa. “I think it’s going to be quite competitive! I did say it’s a bit like the apprentice and the master, but I can hopefully, no I know I can keep up with them now. It’ll make for an interesting race.”

WA (Russell & Carole Bramston) & VIC (Lisa Lamond & Adam Dovile)
WA (Russell and Carole) and VIC (Lisa and Adam)

The charity house challenge, which was revealed last night, saw the three remaining teams transform a tired holiday home on the NSW south coast used by Barnardos Australia foster families. With the largest zone in the house consisting of the dining room, main kids’ bedroom, laundry, hallway, second toilet and deck, the odds were stacked against Adam and Lisa repeating their semi-finals win, but they did.

“It was hard, but in a way it was good. It just made sure we had to put into place all the planning we had learnt along the way,” explains Adam. “If we failed it just meant we didn’t deserve to be in the Grand Final. But I think we succeeded and we had such a big zone, so I think that really cemented the fact that we had learnt so much along the way and really deserved to be there. I love a challenge anyway!”

Before: Adam and Lisa's main kids' bedroom
Before: Adam and Lisa’s main kids’ bedroom
After: Adam and Lisa's main kids' bedroom
After: Adam and Lisa’s main kids’ bedroom

But as Adam and Lisa could agree, though the week was hard, they had to put it in perspective. “Everyone at Barnardos would ask: Is it hard?” says Adam. “And like I said to them, this might be hard but nothing can be as hard as what these kids have gone through, so I’m not going to stand here and whinge about the size of my zone! What I was hoping is the kids would watch what we had done and see that nothing is impossible, and try to keep positive no matter how hard it is. Hopefully it may have motivated them.”

Before: Adam and Lisa's dining room
Before: Adam and Lisa’s dining room
After: Adam and Lisa's dining room
After: Adam and Lisa’s dining room

With such a large zone it may have been surprising that Adam and Lisa finished at all, let alone had the time to do all the detailed finishing touches of styling the dining room table, labeling the linen closet and putting individual reading lights on all the kids’ bunk beds. “I literally felt like I shopped til I dropped,” says Lisa. “But it was such a special thing for Ads and I to do so I wanted to make it really functional for all the different families that go into the home. What it comes down to, and it took me a little while to realise, is it is all about those finishing touches, going that little bit further to hit home and really deliver.”

Before: Adam and Lisa's hallway
Before: Adam and Lisa’s hallway
After: Adam and Lisa's hallway
After: Adam and Lisa’s hallway

With the live Grand Final this Sunday at 6.30pm, the teams will return to their opponents’ homes for one last renovation challenge. The judges’ scores will then be combined with a public vote to determine the winner, with viewers being asked to vote for the most deserving team based on their work throughout the competition.

For Adam and Lisa the possibility of being mortgage free next week is a real possibility, but that being said they’re definately not getting their hopes up. “We haven’t even dared to dream really,” explains Lisa. “It’s just surreal, you’re this close to having every bit of dream come true, but I’ve certainly not tried to think about it too much. We are holding out hope but you don’t want to be overly confident, so we are far from that!”

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House Rules RENO ADDICT

Post House Rules reveal chat with winners Adam and Lisa

With the teams having finally gained their confidence renovating interiors, it was time for their biggest challenge yet: exteriors and gardens! Last night’s episode of House Rules saw the first semi-final exterior reveal, with the popular Melbourne pair Adam and Lisa taking out the win.

adam and lisa
Adam and Lisa

Tasked with the job of transforming Carole and Russell’s barren and rocky front yard into a tropical paradise, the team was nervous from the outset, though it turns out there was no reason to be!

“Literally Lisa and I hadn’t planted a plant between us, so to win that was an unbelievable feeling,” says Adam. “It just proves that if you stick to a plan, do your research and do the hard yards, then eventually it will pay off.”

Yet receiving a 17 out of 20 from judges Joe Snell and Wendy Moore, didn’t come easy. The pair took on a mammoth task: moving the rocks that littered the garden into a carefully designed rockscape. “Across the road from Carole and Russell’s are magnificent mountains with all these natural rocks, and straight away we noticed there were heaps of them on the property as well,” explains Lisa.” So we were just hoping and praying that there would be enough to set the terracing and create a rockscape down the hill.”

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Before: Carole and Russell’s front yard

With a time limit of just three and a half days, Adam spent most of his time running up and down the steep WA property maneuvering rocks, with them being too heavy for Lisa to carry. “It was an absolute killer,” says Adam. “It was unbelievable. It seriously felt like we were working on Mars, there was just red dirt up there and rock, it was hectic. But I think the harder a challenge, the better the feeling when you’ve finally finished it.”

Receiving such positive comments has also given Adam and Lisa some extra confidence for tackling the next round of exteriors. “We’ve learnt a lot,” explains Adam. “We learnt about grouping, that you need to make sure you have multiple areas in the garden and obviously we learnt about layout and landscaping, that you have to make sure it all flows. So we wanted to take all that forward to the Townsville garden.”

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After: Carole and Russell’s front yard

While Adam and Lisa may have come out on top, not all teams were so lucky, with Candy and Ryan, who made over Carole and Russell’s backyard, receiving a 13 out of 20 from the judges. The other exterior that got a transformation was Candy and Ryan’s NSW property, with the judges scoring Carole and Russell a 14 for the backyard and Maddi and Lloyd an 11 for the front yard.

The second semi-final showdown kicks off tonight at 7.30pm with the reveals on Tuesday night. The four teams must next make over the gardens and house exteriors of Maddi and Lloyd’s Townsville Queenslander and Adam and Lisa’s Melbourne cottage.

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House Rules RENO ADDICT

Post House Rules reveal chat with winners Candy and Ryan

With the first House Rules elimination occurring earlier this week, the pressure was well and truly on! In just four days, the five remaining teams were tasked with what seemed like an impossible challenge: transforming an entire Sydney unit each, in just four days.

NSW
Candy and Ryan

Last night’s episode saw the conclusion of the challenge, with NSW team Candy and Ryan taking home the win. They managed to score their first elusive 10 from judge and Home Beautiful editor Wendy Moore and a nine from fellow judge and architect, Joe Snell.

“I can’t even put into words how it felt to get that 10,” says Ryan. “Candy and I tried for so long, one thing we really wanted to achieve in the competition was a perfect 10 and to be the second team to do it was awesome. We pushed so hard and it felt like for so long as well and to get it for Monica’s apartment… we’re rapt.”

NSW' UNIT_KITCHEN BEFORE
Before: Kitchen

Assigned with the job of making over the home of single, insect-loving Monica, most of the house rules were easy to follow – bar the fact that she wanted an insect theme! “Candy and I got really lucky this week, the house rules Monica wanted were edgy and eclectic and that’s really similar to the style we like ourselves,” explains Ryan. “However, the insect component was the total opposite! We had no idea what direction we were going to go with that. We knew we had to get insects in somewhere and we thought the best way to introduce them was with some creative wallpaper which we think really looked good in the end.”

NSW' UNIT_KITCHEN AFTER
After: Kitchen

Used to spending a week on a renovation and just working on one zone, the change-up in the format was a lot of pressure. “It was crazy. We thought seven days was tough but then to do a whole apartment in four, we were just so under pressure,” says Candy. “I think you could really see how hard it was and how stressful it was, especially for me. When we finished I just broke down, I was so relived it was over. I was exhausted.”

Before: Bathroom
Before: Bathroom

However, because of both the time limit and the budget, the challenge was presented as a makeover challenge rather than a full-scale renovation. “Our budgets were so tight we couldn’t go crazy replacing everything,” explains Candy. “We spent most of our money on the bathroom and completely re-did that. Then the rest was more cosmetic, painting things, adding extra furniture, that type of thing.”

While the makeover was no doubt one of their toughest experiences thus far, Ryan believes it was all worth it for the chance to give back: “It definitely felt great to give something back, but then it was really challenging cause the last thing we wanted to do was to give Monica an apartment she wasn’t in love with. So we really threw ourselves into this week and I think you could tell.”

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After: Bathroom

The unit makeover challenge saw Candy and Ryan come in first with a total score of 19; followed by Adam and Lisa with a score of 15; Carole and Russell with 14; Maddi and Lloyd with 12; and Bomber and Mel with eight. Luckily for Bomber and Mel, they were saved from the expected elimination and instead they, and all the other contestants scores, will be carried over into the next phase of the competition: the 24-hour fix-up challenge. 

House Rules continues Sunday at 6.30pm with the 24-hour fix-up challenge, where the remaining teams must return to their renovated homes and choose one zone to change. The reveals will be on Monday at 7.30pm when another team will be eliminated.

 

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House Rules RENO ADDICT

House Rules has its first elimination

AFTER: Adam and Lisa's master bedroom

Normally, post house reveal I speak to the homeowners, but unfortunately this week’s contestants Bomber and Mel are not doing any press.

Last night’s episode of House Rules saw the completion of the last interior renovation and also the first elimination, with the controversial Tassie duo Brooke and Grant being sent home.

TAS
Brooke and Grant

Despite receiving their highest scores to date, by both the judges and the homeowners Bomber and Mel, it was a case of too little too late, with the duo unable to secure enough points to gain a place in the next phase of the competition.

On that note though, I think Bomber and Mel should be applauded. They were fifth on the overall leaderboard prior to their home renovation (second last in front of Brook and Grant) and by scoring strategically they would have had a real chance of saving their own skin. But while their scores weren’t the highest (ranging between six and eight ), they didn’t do that, and as a result could have been sent home. Either crazy or kind! But luckily for them they live to see another renovation.

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Bomber and Mel

My favourites, Adam and Lisa, took out this week’s renovation for the second time running, for their master bedroom, walk-in wardrobe, ensuite and entry. Brooke and Grant followed in second with a kid’s bedroom, family room and toilet. Both these teams met the brief, of turning a tired century-old cottage into a home that was junkshop chic. Bomber and Mel were wanting the space to be filled with upcycled furniture and for the family room to have a warehouse feel, both requirements which were successfully achieved.

AFTER: Adam and Lisa's master bedroom
Adam and Lisa’s master bedroom
Brooke and Grant's family room
Brooke and Grant’s family room

Yet not all teams got it right, with Maddi and Lloyd scoring the worst for their kitchen, dining room and a second kid’s bedroom, with the judges singling out their modern kitchen cabinetry and DIY painted splashback as not fitting into the space or the house rules

Maddi and Lloyd's kitchen
Maddi and Lloyd’s kitchen

After scores from all six interior renovations were combined Carole and Russel finished first on 107 points; Adam and Lisa second on 105; Candy and Ryan third on 103; Maddi and Lloyd fourth on 101; Bomber and Mel fifth on 97; and Brooke and Grant sixth on 91 points.

Following the elimination of Brooke and Grant, the leaderboard has now been wiped clean for the next phase of the competition, which starts tonight. All five teams are once again on a level playing field as they face their toughest challenge yet, to transform an entire home in just four days!

House Rules airs Tuesday and Wednesday at 7.30pm and continues Sunday at 6.30pm.

Read ALL our House Rules coverage.

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House Rules RENO ADDICT

Post House Rules reveal chat with contestants Maddi and Lloyd

Last night’s episode of House Rules definitely got the waterworks going. I’d be lying if I said a tear didn’t escape my eye. Reality TV shows are emotional, people!

Maddi and Lloyd
Maddi and Lloyd

But with my favourites Adam and Lisa not just taking out the top spot on the leaderboard for their kitchen and guest bedroom, but also getting 10/10 from both the judges and the homeowners Maddi and Lloyd, you were bound to see some emotion (from contestants and viewers alike)!

“As soon as I walked through the house and got a glimpse of that kitchen I was speechless,” says Lloyd. “How good it was, the location, everything, I just couldn’t fault it. The kitchen’s definitely my favourite part and that lounge room just compliments it really nicely.”

KITCHEN AFTER SHOT_VIC ZONE
Adam and Lisa’s winning kitchen

With this being the first perfect score from the judges and the homeowners, Maddi and Lloyd’s scoring was in complete opposition to last week’s more strategic style, which didn’t win Brooke and Grant many fans.

“We never wanted to be strategic,” explains Lloyd. “We told ourselves we were going to mark with our hearts and our initial reaction, because for us, we wanted to walk in and get an amazing feeling from each of the rooms. The kitchen and the guest bedroom were a 10/10 and that was exactly what it deserved. We would have felt like we would have let down the team who did it if we scored them any less than that.”

The kitchen before the renovation
The kitchen before the renovation

However, the whole house wasn’t a success, with Brooke and Grant’s master bedroom, walk in wardrobe, linen closet and deck being a miss in the eyes of the homeowners.  They received a score of six.

“It was definitely not what Maddi and I wanted,” says Lloyd. “We like things open and light and the hessian ceiling and external paneling on the walls made the whole thing quite claustrophobic.”

MASTER BEDROOM AFTER SHOT_TASSIE ZONE
Brooke and Grant’s master bedroom

Yet that said, Maddi and Lloyd are still both ecstatic with the final result and have only had to make minor changes since moving back into their home post-show. “We were very lucky we were towards the end and not the front of the competition,” says Lloyd. “Because a few of the houses at the beginning were just practices for ours!”

Having lived in their Queensland home for a year prior to the show beginning, they had bought it with the intention of renovating. “We saw the potential in our house, but the amount of work that needed to be done, it would have taken us years and years,” explains Lloyd. “We were in a position where we could apply and thought what’s the worse that can happen?”

Tune in tonight at 7.30pm as the teams begin their last interior renovation in South Australia.

Read all our House Rules coverage.

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House Rules RENO ADDICT

Post House Rules Reveal chat with contestants Lisa and Adam

“I felt really in control walking up to the house,” explains Lisa. “I thought my emotions were in check. But when you open that door and you see all the effort that’s gone into the last seven days… it’s an incredibly humbling experience. An overwhelming feeling that’s for sure.”

adam and lisa
Adam and Lisa

On Monday night’s episode of House Rules we saw the completion of Lisa and Adam’s renovation. With a house that had some challenging house rules – they wanted a wow statement in every room and the walls dressed up with wallpaper and mirrors – the Victorian home had the possibility of turning into a clashing nightmare. But lucky for homeowners Lisa and Adam, they were ecstatic with the final results.

South Australia’s Bomber and Mel took out their first win, scoring the highest for their kitchen and entry, a zone that Lisa and Adam scored an eight out of ten for.

adam and lisa
Before: Kitchen

“The kitchen was certainly my favourite,” says Lisa. “We went from having a horrible kitchen, with mice popping in and out of our oven, to this phenomenal open plan kitchen. The kitchen definitely has my heart.”

adam lisa
After: Kitchen

Having now been living in their newly renovated home for a month, they didn’t get to enjoy their house until after the show’s completion. “You just walk through the house for the scoring and then you’re off again,” explains Adam. “I was absolutely devastated, I said to the producers can’t I just sleep here the one night? You literally just get a couple of hours to look through.”

For Adam, a builder by trade, the experience of putting his house reno into someone else’s hands was a surreal experience: “It was stressful, I wouldn’t say the week was relaxing. We stayed in a beautiful place but unfortunately at the back of our minds was the fact that we had basic strangers doing up our house and we had no idea what was going to happen. It was very strange, very surreal.”

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Yet, if it hadn’t been for Lisa they wouldn’t have been there in the first place, with her applying for the show behind Adam’s back (something he’s now very thankful for!)

“We had been in the home for two years and all our money had gone into the home,” says Lisa. “We were money and time poor so that was my driving force behind applying. I may have lived to regret it, who goes on one of these shows with absolutely no experience? But it’s been an incredible journey that’s for sure.”

Tune in tonight at 7:30 as the teams continue in Tasmania, for what promises to be the toughest reno yet!

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Competitions House Rules Interviews

Host Johanna Griggs tells us what to expect from this series of House Rules and why she’d never be a contestant!

Host Joh Griggs

The gaping hole that The Block left in my life has officially been filled, with last night seeing the premiere of the second series of House Rules.

house rules candy ryan
The house of NSW contestants Candy and Ryan

The episode got straight into the renovations, with the first house on the chopping block belonging to NSW couple Candy and Ryan.

“You can expect a lot of chaos in this first house,” host Johanna Griggs tells Interiors Addict. “It was funny but I found when shooting the contestants kept saying: ‘I can’t believe this is a week, we thought it was a TV week!’ They were really under the pump, even the ones with trade backgrounds; they just found it so overwhelming. It’s so far from their comfort zones.”

Straight up, there are a few differences in the show’s format compared to last year’s series, with Johanna saying they needed to throw a few curveballs, because all the teams had watched the first series: “They just arrived a bit savvier this year, so we had to mix it up a bit. I think the biggest change you’ll see will be at judging time, as this series we have the judges in the studio. We just found last year that because the contestants never saw them face-to-face, it was very easy for them to dismiss the judges’ comments. But this time round they’re standing two metres away and that adds a really interesting dimension.”

Host Joh Griggs
Host Joh Griggs

Johanna in her own right is quite the renovation expert, running a construction company with builder husband Todd Huggins, and of course hosting Better Homes and Gardens, but she still doesn’t fancy herself as a House Rules contestant. “I think it’s a brilliant concept and I love that no one goes home a loser but I could not do it,” she says. “My husband and I would kill each other on camera! We wouldn’t make the 7.30pm time slot, we wouldn’t be allowed, our language would deteriorate too quickly!”

Even though Johanna and her husband work well together in the real world, she is quick to say that the show is nothing like a traditional construction site: “It’s not a normal building site, it’s everything exaggerated a thousand fold. You’re condensing a three-to-six month renovation into one. You’ve got 50 tradies on site, five other teams, you’ve got cameras in your face and you have one week where you have to get all your supplies, all your furnishings, everything delivered and all your tradies organised.”

With the next episode on tonight at 8pm, I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next. I’ve already found a favourite in Adam. That man is just so smiley, but only time will tell if he and partner Lisa are a good prediction for winners.

For more information.