Back on Track
What a crazy week it’s been with two footy Grand Finals and a slew of public holidays it’s really hard to keep up. Plus! Channel 9 sent me out on a little field trip to see the magic of television making for a show that’s going to be in our lives and driving all of our gossipy work conversations come February. I’m super excited for that but back to The Gatwick.
What have we missed? Oh heavenly footage of St Kilda, identical looking sunny weather that we had here today – shots of the bay, shots of people in the park next to Luna Park and um what!? That’s the friggen Bendigo tram you tricksters!
It’s a redo and spare bedroom reveal in a coupla days. Norm is stretched to his limits moving the spinning tonsil to a less obtrusive space in the front penthouse, meanwhile Jess is staying out of the way and using every voucher they have to buy heaps of stuff. B & C are re-doing the bedroom that had the ‘weird’ wooden feature wall that some didn’t like, but that will stay they’re chucking a bigger bed in front of it. Kerrie and Spence will just move some things around in their lounge. Courtney has to change some artwork. Hayden has turned into a yes man, but unsure of how long that will last for.
Everyone’s poorer than me in the two days before my monthly pay goes in, so the challenge was particularly crucial to win. Challenge day didn’t bode well when Scotty paid everyone a visit around 6am, literally waking all the teams up in their beds, brandishing rather cavernous buckets.
They all head to the beach for their final challenge, dressed in team colours. But their elation of being off the worksite soon evaporates when Scotty tells them the challenge is that they’ve got to finish their re-do rooms “Today”. Say whaaaat? Shaynna’s there too but I’m getting mixed messages about what might happen – Shelley is back in that delightful canary full legged playsuit, but Shaynna’s dressed for a Cluedo party
But to get them excited again, Shelley tells them they can win an extra $25k from their physical challenge beach activity, before they have to run back and do their redo room before tools down tonight.
Essentially they’ve got to chuck things in buckets to potentially win the cash. This sounds ideal for two tall netballers!
Oh but they’re using a catapult contraption. Yikes. Most money is going into the ‘slush fund’ because it’s not reaching anyone’s buckets but for some reason blue buckets Hayden and Sara are having all the luck with at least 7k worth going in theirs much to the dismay of nearly everyone else
But then in a fast money kinda blinder, all the purples Courtney and Hans get money off everyone, seemingly, and net $14k. I think I missed something in how it worked but it was written on a whiteboard by Shelley so it must be true.
In a mad rush everyone got their “re-do rooms” redone and trench coat Shaynna gave immediate feedback through accomplices Scotty and Shelley, which for Hayden and Sara meant removing a throw rug and a cushion to identify a ‘less is more’ philosophy. Ultimately, though, Norm and Jess received the $10k bonus which made all of Norm’s back breaking and heart breaking work worthwhile.
Now to the delayed other room reveal, unusal for a Monday, there’ll even be a show this Thursday (four days in a row). Oh and open for inspections is this weekend! Get yoself to Fitzroy Street to have a squizz. The St Kilda Park Primary School is even having a sausage sizzle and there’ll be lots of other things to do and stuff.
Quiet achievers Kerrie and Spence are finishing off two rooms for the price of one, the only ones chucking in a study (due to some re-jigging of plans early on with ensuites and WIRs etc). Meanwhile Bianca and Carla and Jess are scheming to try and get use of the crane come terrace week and it’ll go down to a vote in a Body Corporate showdown.
Scotty has lied again, and has smsd everyone to head off for another challenge, they all hoof it to the Kiosk at the end of the pier, then told to go inside.
Screaming and hugging ensues at it looks like a surprise family visit has been coordinated behind their backs. They get a sponsor’s brunch for as long as they want and they all get to hang out and see another side of the other contestants. Norm the big softy blubs the most, good on ya Norm.
B&C and Kerrie and Spence wander the parents through their apartments, it’s delightful to see how impressed they are with their “kids’” handiwork. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine as an adult your parents still find what you do impressive!
In more controversy that eagle eye Keith has sniffed out, he’s noticed that Bianca and Carla have been selling off anything they can to make some extra cash or offset their trade bills. So Keith offers them a wager for $500 for something but I’d already become distracted by the fact they went straight off for some pampering before shopping “look good feel good play good” motto coming into play from the Netty days. Work smarter not harder also seems to be a general theme running through their time at The Block.
Nine weeks in and Conniption Courtney is at an all time crossroads, the third bedroom as much a challenge to style as her first and second. Even saying at one point that she’s “sad and scared” Back yourself woman! You’ve got this!
Oh and if the music editors don’t know how to pep someone up, no one does! The Breeders’ Cannonball (they’re playing in Melbourne in December. Woo!)
In a world first Scotty arrives for watch checking time with no one bickering or sweating! And it’s pointed out by Courtney that All Internal Rooms Are Now Finished. YIKES are we almost finished? I’m not ready to let go!
OK, so Carla, Norm and Bianca must have gone to a Savers on their travels, or the Sacred Heart Mission Op Shop up on Grey Street, for their fetching outfits, bringing a touch of Brownlow to the judging night.
Before Scotty can even refer to his iPad for judge’s comments, Bianca blindsides him with a question for Body Corporate over whether they can use the crane for terrace week. Now we all know that Jess had been scheming with them in the background is now off-guard but puts forward her argument that it frees up the allymac for everyone else. Hans immediately says nup. We have to wait an adbreak for the result. I’ve got a stress headache already and I am not invested at all in the result.
Ah they back down when Courtney’s new BFF gave her the daggers because she wants to use the crane too. So: you get a crane, YOU get a crane and you get a crane!
B&C are judged first: Carla reminds us that she’s feeling like they’ve delivered a teenage boy room. But Shaynna starts fanning herself immediately like she’s had a shot fireball just before walking in and she likes what she sees! Darren says things like nuanced and grand, Dapper Neale is equally impressed with their texture and tone. The desk area gets a big nod as a ‘must’ for guest rooms, as “we all live through our laptops now”. The disappointment now though is teeny tiny lamps
And is that a ceramic tissue box ‘sculpture’?
Jess and Norm time: woah I really did miss a bit during the week what the hell Norm?
Shaynna has stopped fanning herself and claps with such vigour I’m confused, turns out she’s ecstatic with the fancy Alexa lights, the bedding and the wardrobe. She’s thrilled that they have finally listened to her harping on for the last eight weeks. The only downside is the servo flowers. Neale poo-poos the lack of lights. Got to be able to read in bed folks!
Sara looks like she’s sucked a bunch of lemons before her and Hayden’s appraisal: but she talks herself up early, saying it’s a beautiful room. Judges love the ceiling and only really have a problem with the Jon Snowesque throw at the end of the bed. Neale reckons it’s tight but manageable. A question about the target market worries Sara as she’s targeting 30-40s but Shaynna thinks they’ve skewed older, just like Neale “mid 50s downsizer”. Oh yock yock yock.
Hang on are they the same lamps that they pilloried Bianca and Carla over?
Courtney as we know has, basically, zero confidence with her styling so when the judges enter they first note the heavenly scent in there and gush about the colours and whimsy but what not but cannot believe how cramped everything is.
Kerrie and Spence – will they win this week as well? Three weeks in a row would be a massive coup. Very nice to hear some Link Wray over the top. Neale feels like although the room is also small, it’s not as cramped. Darren can’t stop rubbing the bed head. And then he has another mangasm for integrating the aircon vent. Only one lamp though annoyed Neale and feels like it does the job but isn’t memorable. Kerrie and Spence argue it’s just supposed to be functional, surely.
But hold on everyone! Through the judging the rest of The Block discover that Kerrie and Spence added an extra room that may put them ahead on the ‘most desirable apartment’ stakes. How will they all react to this news? Who knows really, not much feedback allowed for so far.
Score time from Darren: B&C 9.5; Norm and Jess 9; Sara and Hayden 9; Courtney and Hans 8; Kerrie and Spence 8.5
Shaynna: B&C 9.5; Norm and Jess 9.5; Hayden and Sara 8; Courtney and Hans 8; Kerrie and Spence 8.5
Kerrie apologises to Spence for some reason and he just utters an uh huh.
Don’t tell me Bianca and Carla are finally going to win a room reveal?
C’mon Scotty, tell me that Bianca and Carla have finally won a room reveal!
FFS ad break. You tease, Scotty.
GTFO! They finally did it! After a stupid gnome or two intervening they genuinely and finally won a room reveal. Lucky you frocked up for the occasion
Extra episodes this week and we get to see the formation of the ‘terraces’ and I was surprised by whose I loved the best when I went back for another look a couple of weeks ago. Woo!
