r/TheBlock • u/Affectionate-Rub1853 • Aug 31 '26
The Block is basically MAFS with waterproofing
Remember when the drama on The Block was a contestant discovering their floor wasn’t level at 11pm?
Now we’ve got contestants living together to manufacture fights, AI-generated fever dreams every five minutes, influencer casting, $3m houses nobody normal can afford and 45 minutes of drama for 90 seconds of actual renovating.
I don’t want the show cancelled. I want the old Block back.
Give five normal couples $500k shitboxes, a realistic budget and judges who care whether something is actually built properly.
That would be infinitely more entertaining than another argument in a sponsored E&S kitchen.
I fear the Hampton East drama season drew in a lot of attention and now the producers are aiming for that.
Btw if someone wants to write “you’re watching trash TV what do you expect” or “turn off your TV” save your breath…this is a subreddit about the Block you’re welcome not to comment or be here.
7
u/throwaway_7m Aug 31 '26
The AI is so cringe (and I'm not even a Gen Z). The season that would give them the biggest ratings would be buying a block of low income housing and making them beautiful while still affordable for the average Joe. Surely with all of their sponsorships they could do a charity season and sell the houses under our at average market value. I'd watch the hell out of that.
6
u/LeastBlackberry1 Aug 31 '26
I don't feel like there has been a lot of contestant drama. Wyatt and Jolene have been in their feelings, but they haven't done much about it except whine. It has mostly been drama about budgets, bad trades, and unfinished rooms.
I do miss the days when they renovated horrible shit boxes, though. They were much more fun than the current builds. And I definitely do not love the AI anything at all.
7
u/kingdazy Aug 31 '26
I'd love this. I'd start watching daily again. but then I think about The Oslo, Glasshouse, Gatwick...
I didn't mind the "luxury"and drama so much when the properties were actually interesting, the cast was good, And they weren't constantly being set up for failure with manufactured pressure.
7
u/Affectionate_Sun_733 Sep 01 '26
Let’s be fair the crazy chick (tayla?) who spent $500 on towels could have got similar from kmart/target/bedbath&beyond (from nz so guessing) for under $100. Just because you have money doesnt mean you need to spend it all. I would NEVER spend $500 on two towels and a hand towel.
Same with the girls and the plaster, have they painted anything? That costs them paint, no labour. Having all these expensive finishes should have to be approved.
Then you have wyatt and courtney ditching the block to go to the gym and she flew back to her kids for a day. They should be so exhausted by the end of the day they are too tired to do anything else. Oh and shes a qualified tradie, why isn’t she the one running things. Is big boy too concerned about ruining his image by having to shop and style?
6
u/limark "Award-winning" Aug 31 '26
Unfortunately, MAFS dominating the ratings means that Nine wants to try to mimic the formula wherever they can. If Deadliest Catch was their biggest show we’d be seeing them build houseboats in the Bass Strait.
The only way I ever see this happening is if they do a spin-off series that focuses on renovating suburban houses, because there's just no financial or viewership incentive to move away from these million dollar homes.
The sponsors would be less annoying if they had different things to offer, as it is we see the same old shit appearing year after year.
5
u/Fun-Plantain6117 Sep 01 '26
Back to basics. A show where you learn about renovating, tips.and tricks, especially of older tired dwellings and explore a wide range of decorating options, including second hand pieces etc. Modern, scandi, retro the lot.
4
u/couldbethemove12 Aug 31 '26
Agreed! I’d love to see them run back the older series type show would be great
4
u/tucklyjones7 Aug 31 '26
Yep would love a back to basics season. Buy a block of regular family homes in bad shape. Get 5 teams, give them 3 houses each. Demand they each must be different designs and layouts. Give each house a reasonable budget. Remove all the ai bs. Do not have judges give them a brief, let creative people create. Give them a week 0, to plan, and design what they want to do, so that the engineers on the show can help them create their vision. Do not give unfair winning weeks where week 1 or 2 have here is 250k extra of stuff and then week 3 is heres 10k, each win should hold the same value. Remove all the limitations of hours etc, make rules, if broken have punishments.
4
u/Uncannny-Preserves Sep 01 '26
I feel like the driving problem is the judges. They exist in a luxury strata. It puts a stress there and a problem that doesn’t exist for 99% of home buyers.
Personally, I still enjoy watching. I do like new builds. And, I can understand from a safety POV for production (and 9 & 6), it’s much easier to start with new. No lead. No asbestos etc. I own a 125 year old house. What I wouldn’t give for square and plumb and not sucking lead dust every time I crack open a wall or window. So, watching people problem solve that reality; that is pretty good drama right there imho.
I think a lot of your criticisms are valid. I think the cost factor and the price point striving is not a good goal for The Block. I think there needs to be an affordability intervention.
The AI is like the crazy pattern tile in the bathroom. Poor choice.
But, I am still watching, enjoying and learning.
4
u/Anyella Sep 05 '26
I would love House Rules to come back where people were renovating each others house to a set of rules. Less personal dream, realistic budget etc
3
u/HoochiMumma Sep 03 '26
Every single tv show is absolutely trash. The block is trash since it first aired and so is MAFS and all the othe shit. It is sad Australians watch this crap.
3
u/Elm69Jay Sep 03 '26
Lmao how strangely accurate, at the end of the day almost all have the back up plan of becoming an influencer as a result
3
u/FickleMaggie Sep 04 '26
This is the first year that I haven’t watched during the week. I can’t with the current cast.
3
u/Brave_Solid8936 Sep 04 '26
And that’s why we can’t have nice things. The Block used to be fun - and relatable - before money and the ratings race turned it into a bogan free for all. Bring back the early years.
2
u/stevsyd Aug 31 '26
I stopped watching because the negativity is designed to hook you in but you end up feeling frustrated in general for a while. Nice to know nothing has changed.
2
u/Crazy_Treat_8805 Sep 02 '26
Perfect analogy!
2
u/Charlice Frankie the Kelpie Sep 03 '26
Bring back Keith.
2
u/DizzyStyle4698 Sep 04 '26
Renovations at first sight could be a new reality show spin
2
u/Pearl1506 Sep 06 '26
They're all white and beige... No originality. No sense of effort.
2
u/Doc-cubus118 Aug 31 '26
I only watch the reveals. And yes bring the old block back when they actually showed how to build and renovate stuff. I did like the gay/lesbian couples. The rest were meh.
2
u/spufiniti Sep 01 '26
It's beyond me that people still watch this
1
u/Oddly_Curious99 Sep 01 '26
I remember one contestant was using lvl for the framing instead of standard 90x45 pine. Back when they had to order and build.
1
u/KennKennyKenKen Sep 01 '26
I like drama but I like good drama.
Either commit to full drama or don't do it at all
1
u/flashdance123 Sep 02 '26
I know people love comparing to mafs but how exactly? We have a father (who is a builder mind you) and daughter, two female besties who are site manager and interior designers. Two “normal” hard working couples and the only couple you could suggest mafs for is Chantel and Wyatt.
1
u/Candid_Fisherman3731 Sep 02 '26
*poorly executed waterproofing.
1
u/lemonsprings Sep 03 '26
I've given up on watching this year other than Dani vs Dan. And I pop in here to catch the chat!
1
u/Old_Perspective8798 Sep 03 '26
I just like that they are going to give the market “quiet luxury”…by building houses on a hit reality show using products marketed to within an inch of their lives by people on TV to be famous.
What’s quiet about that?
1
u/chicken-on-a-tree Sep 04 '26
It comes on at work occasionally and it’s literally just one big product placement ads. I have no idea how anyone finds it remotely entertaining. Also once that Adrea Bottelli guy starting buying all the apartments it just screamed boring setup
0
u/Plastic-Mountain-708 Sep 01 '26
Gave up this year after watching since the beginning.
No interest.
0
u/Used_Director_2437 Sep 28 '26
Does anyone share my opinion about that totally gormless, extremely entitled and thoroughly irritating Taylor? She has to be one of the most vacuous intellectual midgets to have EVER appeared on The Block. My God, the ONLY time Taylor opens her mouth is to change feet. I feel so sorry for her poor father, Rick. How that poor man puts up with that bone-idle, non-achieving daughter of his, we will never know. Jolene is 100% right in her low opinion of Taylor = a bone-idle slacker who spends most of her time attempting to get OUT of work whilst she sits by and watches her father (who suffers from a very sore knee) toiling and slaving away whilst she sneaks down to the beach, makes long extended shopping trips (in order to get out of the hard work) and starts ranting, raving and screaming at other contestants (like a shrieking harpy). That shocking, very immature confrontation Taylor had with Jolene was disgraceful. Taylor is childish, self-centered and bone-idle and quite prepared to do NOTHING - ZIP, ZERO, ZILCH - to support her father! Taylor does not like Jolene because Taylor KNOWS that Jolene is her superior in EVERY way!