Tag: auctions

Josh and Elyse win The Block! Auction recap.

Post author By Jen Bishop
Post date October 30, 2017
2 Comments on Josh and Elyse win The Block! Auction recap.

They did it! The young favourites, Josh and Elyse, won series 13 of The Block in last night’s (well, Saturday’s really) auction. Good on ’em! It was a beautiful house and they worked really hard. Taking home over half a million bucks, it was a great night for the couple, and somewhat underwhelming for others, but everyone was gracious and grateful for their winnings, which was nice to see.

Here’s how the auctions panned out…

First up: favourites Josh (with a man bun and no shoes!) and ever-glamorous Elyse, who humbly said any money was a bonus as the show had already opened many doors for them (I think we all know they’ll have sponsorship deals a plenty!). Bidding started at $2.6m and momentum kept going with buyers’ advocates Frank Valentic and Greville Pabst in on the action. Greville finally had the winning bid for his client of $3, 067, 000. The young couple were clearly overjoyed with their 447k winnings! What a great start! “That’s life-changing,” said an overwhelmed Elyse. And then it was revealed comedian and TV personality Dave (Hughesy) Hughes had bought it! Quite the coup!

Second up: Controversial Jason and Sarah! It was all about buyers’ advocates Frank Valentic and Nicole Jacobs this time with Nicole winning for her client at $3, 007,000. This meant a generous $387k for the couple. “It honestly changes our entire life,” Jason said. “It’s huge. It’s insane.”

Things were going so well!

Third up: That very likeable duo Sticks and Wombat! It was all about Frank and Nicole again! Things stalled at $2,650,000 and everything felt a bit flat with Sticks in particular looking pretty devastated and the other contestants visibly disappointed for him and Wombat. They still ended up with $130k though and took it so well. While Shelley Craft was almost in tears for them!

Fourth up, the polarising (in personality and house!) Ronnie and Georgia! And it was over as soon as it started with Georgia in tears as bidding stopped at $2,600,000, just below the reserve. The house was passed in on Scotty’s strong recommendation. Negotiations with highest bidder Frank brought it up to $2,725,000 as his best and final offer. Then Nicole came to the couple with her client’s best and final offer of 2,781,000, which was accepted. Ronnie and Georgia did seem surprisingly happy with their $161k while the other contestants clearly expected them to be a lot more disappointed. But as Ronnie said, it was like buying the winning scratchie and a good amount for 6 months’ work, tax free. Phew!

Fifth and final, the (albeit lovely) underdogs, Hannah and Clint! Tensions were high after Ronnie and Georgia’s underwhelming result. $2, 410,00 was the starting bid and the bids kept coming. But it was short lived. And the depressing music started as things stalled $20k under reserve at 2,5000,000. And then it started again! Frank got this one at $2,615,000 so $95k for the couple. Hannah said she was over the moon. “We’ve absolutely loved renovating,” said Clint. “It’s been an incredible 12 weeks.” Gosh, I love those two! “What a beautiful couple,” Scotty said. Clint added: “It clears all our debts. The show gives everyone the opportunity to change their lives and it has.” Bless him!

So the youngest couple, and indeed the favourites, did it! Josh and Elyse took home $577k with the extra $100k for winning. What an amazing result for anyone, let alone a couple in their 20s!

We’ll have Greville Pabst’s thoughts on the auction results for you tomorrow!

What am I going to watch on TV now?! Back to Netflix and the Lifestyle Channel it is… Actually, I am absolutely LOVING the new Love It or List It? How about you?

All our Block coverage.

Tags auctioneer, auctions, elsternwick, frank valentic, Greville Pabst, josh and elyse, Nicole Jacobs, the block, winners

The Block

Has The Block jumped the shark?

Post author By Jen Bishop
Post date April 24, 2015
2 Comments on Has The Block jumped the shark?

It’s the question many are asking after Wednesday night’s dramatic Anastasia walk-off. Do I think so? Absolutely not. I’ve said before I unashamedly enjoy the drama of The Block. It’s reality TV. I expect a very different viewing experience from The Block than I of, say, Grand Designs. I love both shows. And Selling Houses Australia! So for the purists out there who say unless it’s design-related it shouldn’t be on the show, I don’t agree.

[contextly_sidebar id=”dvQ8aZkbGAL6QUGkkO33HolIDvXZOgLP”]That said, I wonder if things have got a little out of hand in the drama and editing stakes. This week did feel a little over the top. But the producers didn’t make up the fact that Tim and Anastasia couldn’t afford to pay a nearly $20,000 tradie bill. That actually happened and they seemed to be well aware of the fact, and whether in denial or not, that’s not really cool is it? And this is a game after all, where someone wins, so everyone should be on a level playing field for it to be fair. And it wasn’t. In my opinion, Scotty offered them a very generous solution to pay their bill and take it off their reserve. They probably should have grabbed it with both hands.

That said, if I was confronted en masse and embarrassed on national TV, would I feel like walking off and giving it up! Probably a big fat YES! With tears! (Then again, I’d never ever volunteer to be a contestant on this kind of show!). Was it Darren’s place to ring Tim and Anastasia’s builder and find out whether he’d been paid? Probably not, but like I just said, it’s a competition and he and Dea had already had their integrity questioned over the whole wine cellar affair. I think calling it bullying is a little over the top. Dea certainly thinks he has nothing to apologise for (and we all know I’m not usually a fan of these two, although their design is great):

Then again, I also can’t help but agree with my favourite Jess (biased much?) when she says that Tim and Anastasia shouldn’t have been bullied and that “we’re all human beings”. So while I may sound like a big, diplomatic fence-sitter, I’m really not 100% which side I’m on! Probably nobody’s. But I do think that in a reality TV show, you should expect drama and editing designed to highlight drama and to have a camera in your face if you start crying. No, it’s not nice to watch, and I think we may have slightly crossed the boundary of what is comfortable and acceptable (and even kind) viewing, but it’s TV. It is what it is.

So, do Tim and Anastasia come back for the auction (I predict they do)? Rumours abound! And what’s your opinion on all of this? Are you still watching (because many of the critics obviously still are!) or have you given up? I can’t wait for Sunday night to find out and to see the garden reveals!

Read all our Block latest!

Tags auctions, bullying, dea and darren, garden reveal, pauly the plasterer, reality tv, room reveal, the block, tim and anastasia

House Tours The Block

The Block Glasshouse: Apartment six final reveals

Post author By Jen Bishop
Post date October 10, 2014
9 Comments on The Block Glasshouse: Apartment six final reveals

Once again, I think the judges made the right call on picking Michael and Carlene’s laundry as the winner last night. The fact that a laundry is such a hard room to impress with made their gorgeous space even more worthy, don’t you think? And yes, Max and Karstan’s terrace was fabulous, but let’s be fair, they paid the experts to pull that off for them. While it’s not against the rules, there would have been some serious bad feeling if they’d won, right?!

Here’s that lovely laundry (and powder room) from Michael and Carlene. Pretty and practical:

(Read our tips on how to turn your laundry into a beautiful, multi-purpose hub)

Chris and Jenna’s living room: I didn’t like this one. Sorry guys! Too much TV, too much black, and I’m not a massive fan of yellow.

Dee and Darren’s kitchen: This was not a patch on the kitchen in their own apartment but still very nice. Couldn’t really knock anything about it but thought it lacked a bit of personality. Loved the timber pendants.

Max and Karstan’s terrace: Gorgeous! And works so well with the inside I think. But, as mentioned before, the pair can’t take much credit for this one. Maybe we should be applauding their smart decision to outsource though?

Shannon and Simon’s terrace: LOVED the fire pit and thought this space really worked well in general. Nice and neutral with timber for warmth. A cosy space I’d love to curl up and have a drink in!