| The Block | |
|---|---|
2011 - present logo. |
|
| Format | Reality |
| Created by | Julian Cress David Barbour |
| Presented by | Jamie Durie (series 1-2) Scott Cam (series 3-) |
| Opening theme | "Here Comes Another One" by Groove Terminator |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 99[1] |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | Sydney (series 1-3) Melbourne (series 4-) |
| Running time | 30-60 minutes (Including commercials) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Nine Network |
| Picture format | 576i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original run | 1 May 2003 – Present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
The Block is an Australian reality television show broadcast on the Nine Network. The show sees four couples compete against each other to renovate a home and sell it at auction for the highest price.
The series first ran for two consecutive seasons in 2003 and 2004, hosted by Jamie Durie. The first season was filmed at Bondi and the second at Manly.
A third series commenced airing on 22 September 2010,[2][3] it is hosted by Scott Cam.[4] The series would again be set in Sydney, taking place in the suburb of Vaucluse.[5]
A fourth series was ordered on 23 September 2010, one day after the first episode of series three aired.[6] The fourth season was filmed in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond, Victoria on Cameron Street. The season was set in four houses as opposed to an apartment block of four. The houses are all located side-by-side. This series premiered at 7pm on Monday 20 June, and aired at 7pm weeknights. [7]
Channel 9 announced that The Block will be renewed for a fifth season, due to air in 2012. At this stage, it is unannounced whether season 4's format will be continued, or whether the show will revert back to the original structure. However like season 4, season 5 will also be set in Melbourne, on Dorcas Street in South Melbourne and will be in four double-storey terrace houses.
Contents |
Two original contestants, Dani and Monique Bacha, left the program in January 2004, two weeks into the second series, when it was reported that Dani had spent six months in jail in 2002 following his conviction for a drug-related offence.[8] Andrew Rochford and Jamie Nicholson replaced Dani and Monique Bacha.
| Week | Room(s) | Costs | Winner | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John and Neisha | Mark and Duncan | Erin and Jake | Chez and Brenton | |||
| 1 | Guest room/study | $4,737 | $7,205 | $5,735 | $6,471 | Erin and Jake |
| 2 | "Spare room" | $6,457 | $6,175 | $6,916 | $7,331 | John and Neisha |
| 3 | Ensuite | $9,027 | $11,114 | $10,811 | $11,936 | Mark and Duncan |
| 4 | Master bedroom | $9,465 | $7,925 | $6,810 | $8,806 | Chez and Brenton |
| 5 | Main bathroom and laundry | $18,640 | $13,853 | $16,901 | $16,486 | Erin and Jake |
| 6 | Living room | $15,347 | $10,320 | $13,883 | $9,924 | John and Neisha |
| 7 | Kitchen | $28,039 | $31,159 | $31,400 | $25,720 | Erin and Jake |
Season four saw six major changes to the format of The Block.
Eight couples were initially selected, with four being eliminated and the other four being given keys to the houses. The four remaining teams are:
| Couple | Auction spot | Reserve | Amount sold/passed in for at auction | Amount sold for after auction | Profit made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh and Jenna | First auctioned | $950,000 | $901,000 | $1,000,000 | $50,000 |
| Polly and Waz | Second auctioned | $840,000 | $855,000 | N/A | $15,000 ($115,000 including winners prize money) |
| Amie and Katrina | Third auctioned | $860,000 | $822,000 | $860,000 | $0 |
| Rod and Tania | Fourth auctioned | $850,000 | $832,000 | $922,000 | $72,000 |
Polly and Waz were the only couple whose property sold at auction, with the other three failing to meet their reserve prices. Following the auction, Amie and Katrina's property sold for their exact reserve amount, meaning they would not take any winnings from appearing on The Block. Also, Rod and Tania's property sold for the highest profit on The Block at $72,000 (however, as it was after the auction, Polly and Waz are still the winners).
A fifth season has been confirmed and applications for contestants are currently being accepted by the Nine Network. The applications close September 1, 2011. This season, like season four, will also be based in Melbourne, in the inner city suburb of South Melbourne with four double storey side by side terrace houses located at 401 - 407 Dorcas Street. The properties are all on separate titles with car access from Montague St and plans approved to allow for a third story extension.[9]
The two first seasons were successful in the ratings, with the first season averaging 2.4 million viewers an episode, and over 3 million watching the season finale.
The first and second series of The Block were both nominated for the Logie Award for the "Most Popular Reality Program" at the 46th Annual and the 47th Annual TV Week Logie Awards held in 2004 and 2005 respectively. On both occasions it lost to Australian Idol. Host Jamie Durie was also nominated as the "Most Popular TV Presenter" as host of both The Block and Backyard Blitz at the 46th Logie Awards. However, he lost to the Network Ten variety talk show host, Rove McManus.
The third series debuted with 1,134,000, a daily rank of 9. It lost to all its main timeslot competition consisting of Glee on Network Ten and Border Security on Network Seven.[10] However, it remained successful with key demographics and enjoyed steady ratings throughout the season. Series three concluded with 1.712 million viewers, and was the top program of the night in total people and all key demographics. It was also the second most-watched program of the week.[11]
| Episode | Date Aired | Timeslot | Rating | Nightly Rank | Weekly Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.01 | 23 September 2010 | Wednesday 7:30pm | 1,134,000[10] | 9[10] | 27[12] |
| 3.02 | 30 September 2010 | 1,122,000[13] | 10[13] | 23[14] | |
| 3.03 | 7 October 2010 | 1,122,000[15] | 5[15] | 16[16] | |
| 3.04 | 14 October 2010 | 1,162,000 |
A British version aired on ITV in 2004, and the series also spawned adaptations in Israel, The Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, Norway, Romania, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, South Africa and the United States.[17]
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