Tag: tim and anastasia

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RENO ADDICT The Block

The Block’s record-breaking auction!

How I feel about The Block auction is how I imagine sport fanatics feel about grand final night. Emotional, excited and exhilarated! And I can happily say last night’s did not disappoint!

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Photo credit: Scotty Cam

Having had to choose the auction order from a hat, Tim and Anastasia picked out a big, scary ‘1’, meaning they were first up. First seemed to be the position no one wanted, so I must admit I let out a sigh of relief that it was them over my favourites Dea and Daz.

With their reserve standing at $1,420,000, the auctioneer started and in what felt like seconds, it became a bidding war between buyers’ advocate judges Frank Valentic and Nicole Jacobs. Tim and Anastasia’s profit shot past $500,000, then the bids shot past $2 million and suddenly they were making a brand new Block record. Holy moley! A minute later it was over, the property sold for $2,175,000, $755,000 over reserve. Which saw their winnings stand at $100,000 higher than we’d ever seen on The Block! And to think they were going to walk away from it all! My goodness. No words.

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Tim and Anastasia. Photo credit: Scotty Cam

Next up were Ayden and Jess, Jen’s favourites. Down to earth Jess said she would love $250,000 for a house and would be happy with $50,000 for a deposit. Turns out she didn’t have much to worry about! With the reserve at $1,335,000, once again the bidding started off quickly. It didn’t take long to get up to $1.7 million, with a profit of $365,000. “You’ve just got yourself a house and a pool!” said Scotty. It kept rising and ended up bang on $2 million, with a total winnings of $665,000. They didn’t beat Tim and Anastasia, but not a bad effort at all!

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Ayden and Jess. Photo credit: Scotty Cam

[contextly_sidebar id=”Yjxg4U9DI2iOoEUqIS0DcHi76RsDzLN4″]Ad break after ad break and then the couple I had been waiting for: Dea and Daz. My fingers were crossed there wouldn’t be a repeat of last year, where they took home a measly $10,000 for their efforts. The reserve was at $1,455,000 and they had to reach $2,210,000 to beat Tim and Anastasia. Could they do it? Yes, yes, yes! In the quickest bidding we’d seen, the bids flew over the $2 million mark in a flash. I was a bit too busy jumping up and down to keep up with writing down the figures (apologies for that!) but they shot past Tim and Anastasia, taking home $835,000 and selling their property for $2,290,000. This is just crazy money! As Dea said: “I’m speechless for the first time ever.”

Dea and Daz. Photo credit: Scotty Cam
Dea and Daz. Photo credit: Scotty Cam

Finally it was Josh and Charlotte’s turn. To win, they had to sell theirs for $2,225,000. The reserve was at $1,390,000 and the first bid? $1,800,000! As usual, bids were coming thick and fast. In the end, they sold their property for $2,200,000; just $25,000 shy of Dea and Daz. But alas, it wasn’t meant to be and they took home a profit of $810,000. Hardly a fail though!

Josh and Charlotte. Photo credit:
Josh and Charlotte. Photo credit: Scotty Cam

What a success for all! Though I must admit the cynic in me thinks Channel 9 made the reserves unrealistically low because of last year’s disaster! Buyers’ advocate Nicole even said a few weeks back that she thought Ayden and Jess’ was worth in the $2 millions, yet their reserve was $1.3 million! But hey, it made for better TV and the contestants got to take home an amazing amount of money for their hard work, so no complaints.

This series, The Block gave away a record-breaking $3 million and my favourites, Dea and Daz won, going home with $935,000 (including the extra $100,000 they got for winning). So all in all I’d say it was worth the ten weeks of hard work!

Until next time, Blockheads.

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The Block

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.

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[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):

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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!

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Bedrooms The Block

The Block Triple Threat controversial second bedroom judging!

Hoorah for all three judges ‘proper’ this week: Neale, Shaynna and Darren! And definitely the most entertaining judging of the series so far. Loved it! Didn’t those Jimmy Possum challenge beds (I wasn’t a fan!) cause trouble?! There was also much talk about just how much inspiration Tim and Anastasia had taken from Darren’s mentoring session (perhaps too much?) and then there was the Neale and Shaynna fallout over Dea and Darren’s room. And to top it all off, Darren pointed out that many of the things in Dea and Darren’s room were exactly the same as those he had used in Jennifer Hawkins’ home, which is featured in his book, prompting Shaynna to ask who was the copycat now?

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But ultimately, Tim & Anastasia came first, beating their besties Dea and Darren by half a point despite them having taken a point off them due to winning the bed challenge. Here’s a recap of the judging…

Charlotte & Josh: 3rd place

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Shaynna’s first impressions were “very crisp” and Neale said it had a beautiful colonial feel. Darren agreed it was a lot better than their first bedroom.

That bed was dividing though. Shaynna found it too messy. Darren loved the unmade look. But then Shaynna talked him round! And Neale said in South Yarra people make their beds! But he loved the colour palette and called it absolutely beautiful.

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Controversially, they didn’t use their Jimmy Possum bed from the challenge because it didn’t work with everything else. Not that the judges knew anything about the challenge. The show left us thinking this is something they’re going to regret later! Big time. Eek!

Neale found the styling a little twee but Darren dug it! Shaynna said the lighting plan was perfect. It was all going so well until Shaynna pointed out the bad finish on the windows (whoops, Charlotte!).

Shaynna said they had their confidence back but Neale said it still lacked some of the energy and oomph he saw in the elimination rounds.

Our pick to buy: Hessian blue velvet cushion

Tim & Anastasia: WINNERS by half a point!

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“They have come on quite a journey since the cat,” noted Neale! Darren couldn’t get the smile off his face and was amused by the use of seagrass wallpaper… again! But was it a happy smile? Hmmm… He wasn’t sure how he felt about the replication of ‘his’ mentor room. He also thought the cushions were a little expensive for a guest room!

They loved the built-in dressing table and the carpet. Darren said the linen was better and not cheap and nasty like the first bedroom. Neale said they’d taken much more than the grasscloth from Darren’s mentoring sessions. But they all loved the black windows and the window treatments, including electric blinds.

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Sadly, the switch hidden behind the bed (due to using the challenge bed rather than the one they had already bought) wasn’t missed! Neale said the style was suited to an older buyer but they needed to run with it now for the rest of the apartment.

Our pick to buy: Elliot pendant light

Ayden & Jess: last place

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Despite a mentoring and shopping session with Neale this week, it wasn’t a great week for these two. The judges found the lights were hung too high and there was no focal point. When they removed the cushions hiding the Jimmy Possum bedhead, they actually liked it! Eek! Darren thought the wardrobe was too small even though the room was designed for guests, as you might want to change its use later on.

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Neale said the custom bedsides were oversized to compensate for the wardrobe. And he found everything styled on them way too small, saying he could see no evidence of the things he and Jess had discussed on their shopping trip in Sydney. It left him saying the room was lacking personality despite having a good finish and not being a bad room. And it didn’t say South Yarra.

Our pick to buy: Berber zig zag rug

Dea & Darren : 2nd place

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“Welcome to The Block Grasscloth,” quipped Neale. “What have I done?” asked Darren. Shaynna didn’t see all the fuss, declaring that Dea didn’t invent grasscloth wallpaper! Darren said it was executed beautifully but didn’t like the powerpoint below the art.

Neale found the whole room very appealing and if he had to check into a boutique hotel room in South Yarra this was what he’d expect. Darren loved the colour palette and the execution.

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[contextly_sidebar id=”g83yqkS54nVYEXKAf4CVNTGafLoe0gmO”]But then Shaynna made a face and called the bedhead (the challenge-winning one) HORRENDOUS and so over the top it was ridiculous! She also thought the wall sconce lights didn’t work and were too industrial.

Neale however, said he bloody loved it, including the leopard print, and found it sexy. And then began an argument between Shaynna and Neale that did make me chuckle! Darren was left somewhat awkward and amused in the middle! I loved how they both stood by their opinions. Neale called it genius and Shaynna called it gaudy.

Darren then went on to list everything he had used in Jennifer Hawkins’ bedroom, seen in his book, which had also been used in the room. Say no more.

Our pick to buy: Hale Mercantile Co. Crush linen throw

Most entertaining judging of the series so far if you ask me! What did you think? I’m pretty much in agreement with the judges this week. There wasn’t much between the top two rooms, Josh and Charlotte’s was definitely next best and my favourites, Ayden and Jess, just didn’t come up with the goods this week, I’m sad to say.

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