The Block wrapped up this weekend with five Daylesford homes going under the hammer at an auction, which saw some couples celebrating big profits and others left empty-handed.
In a rare move, all five couples unanimously agreed prior on the auction order, but the mood quickly changed once they found out their reserves were set at $2.99 million.
Britt and Taz in House 3 saw their bids soared to $3,410,000, giving the cops from WA $420,000 profit. The winning bid came from a new buyer to The Block scene.
Robby and Mat in House 5 followed and pocketed a profit of $109,999 after IT entrepreneur Danny Wallis, who is known for his philanthropic support of the show, secured the home for $3,099,999.
The momentum slowed with new parents Emma and Ben in House 1, with bidding reaching $2.97 million before the auction was paused. After deliberation, a vendor bid of $3.10 million was placed, but there was no further interest and the house was passed in.
Sonny and Alicia in House 4 entered the auction with a $50,000 reduced reserve, but the auctioneer opened with a vendor bid of $3.05 million. Frank Valentic, director of Advantage Property Consulting, then placed a bid of $3,060,000 million, securing a $120,000 profit for the Queensland parents.
Han and Can in House 2 opened with a vendor bid of $3.10 million, but the house was also passed in for the couple from WA with no buyer uptake.
Britt and Taz crowned The Block winners
After the final hammer, Britt and Taz scooped an extra $100,000 in prize money, taking home a total of $520,000 and becoming the first team from WA to win The Block.
“It’s phenomenal to walk away with a reward like this for all the hard work we have put into it. This is life-changing for us, it’s incredible. It’s our mortgage paid off,” the winners said.
“But it’s mixed emotions though as we really wanted everyone to walk away a winner and sell their houses.
“I thought our auction set the tone for everyone else. We took it upon ourselves to do that, and we were shocked more than anything. We had worked as a team right to the end, so it’s just a bit hard for us to see what has happened today.”
Taz said he was very proud of Britt, as he wasn’t as eager to get onto the show.
“We had put it on the back burner for the last few years as it was never the right time, but it got to the point where I couldn’t say no to Britt anymore,” he said. “She never faltered from day one. She had a vision and she did it.”
Britt said she was proud of Taz too.
“He worked so hard. We sacrificed so much to be here and to get this result,” she said. “While our hearts are breaking for our team mates we are also so proud of ourselves.”
A bittersweet finale
Host Scott Cam said today was more realistic of what mums and dads are going through when they are selling their homes.
“Some are successful and some are not. But we want all of our contestants to be successful,” he said
“We filmed with them for three months and got to know all of them so well, but unfortunately Em and Ben and Han and Can weren’t able to do it today. But they still have the opportunity to be rewarded for their hard work as the houses go back on the market.
“Congratulations to Britt and Taz on their very well deserved win and the beautiful home they created.”
Executive Producer Julian Cress said auction day is hard for everyone.
“There is no other day of the year we wake up feeling physically ill when we go to work. We are worried sick because we get so close to our contestants over the months and we want everyone to do well,” he said.
“It’s bittersweet to see two coppers from the Pilbara make half a million dollars at auction, which is amazing, but then to watch a young couple like Emma and Ben, who just had a baby, pass in, as well as Han and Can. It was an up and down and sometimes very tough day for some.”
House 1 and House 2 now enter into a post-auction negotiation period.
This season’s winnings record a combined total of $749,999. The Block has now awarded $40,377,138.06 in total winnings.