'That's just useless.' All the photos from The Block's house decider ...
The Block is back for another season and we couldn't be more excited.
Each year, the reality reno program welcomes five new couples to undertake the gruelling challenge of tearing a home down to the studs and creating the property of their dreams to sell at Auction Day.
While last year saw The Block travel far from Melbourne's CBD, season 19 will see the Blockheads going back to the suburbs — this time to the Melbourne Bayside area in Hampton East on Charming Street.
Hosted once again by Scott Cam, the new season will feature contestants from all over Australia.
The Blockheads on season 19 of The Block. Image: Nine.
This year comes with a lot of changes including a new judge, real estate agent Marty Fox, who has sold two houses on The Block before – Harry and Tash’s in Brighton in 2020, and Rachel and Ryan’s in Gisborne in 2022.
He will stand in occasionally for our beloved Neale Whittaker who is taking a step back after 17 seasons (don't worry, we still have him for the House Decider).
Fan favourite Tom Calleja has returned to the show this year after competing on The Block 2022 with his wife Sarah-Jane as the resident plumber. He will help the contestants navigate their build.
He is also a Hipages ambassador who will award contestants he believes are working hard and building at a high standard with $10,000 throughout filming.
This season we're joined by sisters Eliza and Liberty from Victoria, married couple Leah and Ash from Queensland, Western Australian couple Kyle and Leslie, Kristy and Brett who are from South Australia and childhood sweethearts Steph and Gian who hail from New South Wales.
In the first episode of the series, the five teams had the task of renovating a kid's bedroom for the annual 48-hour House Decider Challenge, with the winner becoming the first team to choose the house they renovate.
Here are all the room reveal photos from The Block's House Decider Challenge:
First up is Steph and Gian who felt confident in their newly renovated kid's bedroom. But for judges Shaynna Blaze, Darren Palmer and Neale Whittaker, it didn't meet the mark.
"The fact you're not listening to the brief... What are you presenting to us?" questioned Shaynna. "It's not even a kid's room."
She pointed out the ladder feature in the room, saying, "That's just useless."
Neale agreed and criticised Steph, who is an architect, for not meeting the brief.
"When it comes to following the brief, she should be several rungs up the ladder," he noted. "Obviously the brief was 'bad light shade'."
The judges praised the pair for their "well done," execution although Neale said it lacked "any soul".
"It's still lacking any soul, any punch — don't you think?" he said.
Image: Nine.
Image: Nine.
Image: Nine.
Image: Nine.
Kristy and BrettMoney spent: $4972.South Australian couple Kristy and Brett had a red hot crack at a kid's bedroom, which received praise from the judges.
Darren, however, felt that despite the creativity, the pair could have done more.
"More than just a very soft lavender [wall], you could go big on the colour," he noted.
Overall, the judges noted it was a major step up from Steph and Gian's bedroom.
Image: Nine.
Image: Nine.
Image: Nine.
Image: Nine.
Kyle and Leslie Money spent: $4925.The judges were not impressed with Kyle and Leslie's bedroom as they all felt it was under-baked.
"To me, this is just a little too measured," Shaynna said.
Neale agreed, noting it felt "under-styled".
"It could have been so much more."
Image: Nine.
Image: Nine.
Image: Nine.
Image: Nine.
The judges were a massive fan of Leah and Ash's bold move to create their own bunk beds.
"How cute," Shaynna said.
"It is so stunning," Neale agreed. "It's a work of art."
Darren praised the couple as well, adding, "You're not afraid to take risks. You understand the importance of underpinning something with a concept. You've got a good understanding of colour.
"These are all the skills that make you good at The Block."
Shaynna said this is one of "the best challenge rooms" ever seen on the show.
Image: Nine.
Image: Nine.
Image: Nine.
Image: Nine.
For newbie renovators Eliza and Liberty, the judges were impressed with their styling decisions.
However, Neale and Shaynna argued there could have been more layers to their renovation.
"They could have made this so much more fun," said Neale, who felt they should have added layers of plants and greenery.
Overall, the pair's execution was very well done in the judges' books.
Image: Nine.
Image: Nine.
Image: Nine.
After the judges' scores were tallied, Leah and Ash won by a landslide.
With the top points in the challenge, Leah and Ash were given the ability to decide which home they'll renovate.
However, we will have to wait until the next episode for that...
The Block airs Sunday to Wednesday on Channel Nine and 9Now.
Want to find out more about the products used in The Block House Decider Challenge? Check out The Block Shop here.
Feature Image: Nine.
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