Wow. That was an anticlimax! What the hell happened?!
Photo: 9 News. Click through to source
Before we go any further, let’s not take away from the awesome result for the winners, Shannon and Simon. Hoorah! If there was a prize for likeability this pair would have won it hands down, but they also did a fantastic job and deserved to do well. Their apartment went $335k over the reserve and they picked up an extra $100k for winning. Nice work, boys! and didn’t they scrub up well?!
Surprise runners up were Chris and Jenna, netting a $310k profit. After a tough few weeks and unfinished rooms, they did so well! Just shows, you really never do know what’s going to happen!
But after that, it all went seriously downhill. Max and Karstan, who also got married on last night’s show, walked away with a measly $40,000. But that seemed a lot compared to Dee and Darren (my pick for the winners) and Michael and Carlene, who only took home $10k each. Owch!
It really was a tale of two halves. Life changing amounts of money for two teams and major disappointment for the other three. Seriously difficult and depressing watching.
Let’s recap on the winning apartment by Shannon and Simon:
I personally cannot wait to hear what all the contestants have to say in their media interviews today!
It was announced at the end of the show that the next series will start soon, early next year. I’ve heard a few rumours on the grapevine but it wouldn’t be right to spoil any surprises just yet!
Well, it was a night of mixed reviews and plenty of drama and whingeing, was it not?! But I’m very glad the boys took out the top prize and I think they deserved it. I can’t help but like these two; they’re so much fun and they seem to be genuinely nice guys. But I can’t not mention Dee’s super harsh bitching about Shaynna at the end of the episode. Definitely a step too far in my opinion. I’m a big fan of Dee and Darren’s style but the attitude I’ve been trying to ignore is bugging me now. Anyway, back to the important stuff: the design!
CARLENE & MICHAEL
Poor Carlene and Michael and their lack of a door! Thank goodness the judges could at least see they intended to have one! Darren said it was very glassy (yes glassy, not classy!) and fitting for the Block Glasshouse. Neale loved the joinery, sink and benchtop but found the room a bit cold. Shaynna said the pendants didn’t really work and they would have been better off with something in a timber finish. Darren, on the other hand, said he wouldn’t change anything and they’d done a really amazing job. And let’s just not talk about the dried flowers…
This bathroom made Carlene and Michael’s missing door seem like nothing! Although it was full of great features, the judges couldn’t ignore the fact it was seriously unfinished (despite them carrying on working for 10 minutes after Scotty blew the whistle (naughty!). Shaynna loved the texture and shadows of the geometric tiles. I’m still undecided. I love the concept of 3D tiles but I wasn’t loving the scale of these. Brave choice though, good on them.
Everyone loved the exposed copper pipe leading to the shower and the fact that there was a bath. But as Neale said, you turn one way and it’s a bathroom by the contestants who got 30/30 for their main bathroom and you turn the other way and it’s a mess! Neale said they’d tried to do too much and incorporate too many ideas while Darren said he could see its potential and it was a real shame it hadn’t been finished in time. And just to put the boot in a little more, Shaynna and Neale both agreed the styling was really bad. Awkward!
It started off well with Max and Karstan’s reveal but very quickly seemed to turn sour. Shaynna said the room left her cold and felt a bit clinical. Neale said it was very hard. Mr Nice Guy Darren said it flowed very nicely from the en suite with its simple palette, while Neale said it felt dated. Darren made a big deal of the lighting and said the pair always make great choices in that department. He said it felt consistent with the rest of the apartment but didn’t appeal to him personally. I actually really liked its gloss and hotel feel. I also like a dark tiled bathroom. And not just because I think it will hide dust…
Well of COURSE they all loved the timber bath. “Oh my God, that’s awesome,” said Shaynna, who loved it so much she kicked off her heels and hopped in to try it out for size. Neale said the boys had absolutely nailed it and Darren said it was really really good. It was quite obvious the boys were going to win. Shaynna said it felt like a high end hotel suite and all the judges agreed this bathroom would become a key selling point for their apartment and something buyers would go crazy for. I absolutely loved this bathroom and think it totally deserved the win. I am a real bath lover and that timber tub is now on my dream house wish list!
It may be small but Darren and Dee’s en suite looked pretty perfectly formed to me. Darren said it took your breath away but in a really gentle way. Neale said it was just beautiful. But Shaynna said there wasn’t enough storage (which did not go down well with Dee: understatement of the year!).
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!
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.
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
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.”
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!”
A Sydney family found entertaining a lot easier this Christmas thanks to winning a kitchen/diner overhaul from IKEA.
The Kalamaras family, from East Lakes, really wanted a space that better suited their growing young family but just couldn’t afford to do renovate just yet. Space was limited and that space was definitely not being used to its full potential.
Oh, what a wonderful eighth round of 7 Vignettes it was! and I’m delighted to announce the overall winner and 10 runners up, as judged by Alexandra Kentmann from Freedom.
Four of winner Sarah’s vignettes
The first prize, of a chevron Freedom chair, goes to professional organiser Sarah Shanahan, from Adelaide. Alexandra said: “I have a real weakness for colour, bright hits of colour woo me every time. Plus Sarah’s shots have a real authenticity which I find appealing. Plus the vignette including her children’s works; well that gave me a cute attack, and pretty well sealed the deal.”
