Sold, swapped and stunned: The Block crowns its richest winners

Queensland best friends Courtney and Sev have won The Block 2026, securing a record $1.87 million in total winnings as all five Mount Eliza homes sold at auction.

Their House 4 fetched $4.72 million, delivering a $1.27 million profit. An additional $100,000 in winner’s prize money and “Scotty’s Prize Pool”, valued at $500,000, lifted their total to the largest in the Nine program’s history.

The result followed a last-minute auction-order swap that moved the pair into second position and pushed Chantel and Wyatt’s House 2 later in the day.

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A late change to the auction order

The contestants initially agreed to auction their properties in house order, avoiding a lottery that would have taken the decision out of their hands.

But following a challenging sales campaign for House 2, agent Quentin McEwing approached Courtney and Sev with a proposal to swap positions.

The strategy was to give Chantel and Wyatt access to underbidders who had missed out on earlier properties, while avoiding an early unsuccessful auction that could dent momentum.

All five homes ultimately sold, with each team securing a six-figure profit.

Bidding battles deliver a clean sweep

Adam and Jolene opened proceedings, with regular Block buyer Danny Wallis placing a characteristically precise opening bid of $3,500,000.52. The property eventually sold for $3.905 million.

Courtney and Sev followed, attracting multiple bidders for a home that featured the most expensive kitchen in Block history. The pair also finished the season with the most room wins.

Lisa and Rosco, who welcomed their second child a week before the auctions, endured the longest auction in the program’s history. More than 100 bids were placed over more than 40 minutes before their property sold for $4 million.

Chantel and Wyatt’s auction opened below reserve at $3.3 million, before Wallis lifted the bidding to $3.7 million and brought the property onto the market. It eventually sold for $3.817 million to a buyer host Scott Cam dubbed the “new Lambo guy”.

Rick and Tayla closed the day with the property on the largest block of land. The Victorian father-daughter team’s home sold for $4.355 million, delivering the season's second-highest auction profit.

‘It doesn’t feel real’

Courtney and Sev, a site manager and interior designer, said they were still processing the result.

Courtney said: “It doesn’t feel real, it’s just the craziest thing. We don’t even know what to say. We’re so grateful, and we could have never imagined that we’d be walking away with this kind of money and the prize pool.”

Sev said they had not yet decided what to do with their winnings.

“We never had plans to win life-changing money; we just wanted to do the show and have a great time, and we did that.”

Cam welcomed the result across all five properties.

“It’s a great result, and we are really happy. We want all contestants to make as much money as they can, so a day like today is a great success. Big congratulations to Courtney and Sev.”

Executive producer Julian Cress said the full clearance was particularly satisfying given market conditions.

“We are thrilled to beat the market and deliver a hundred per cent clearance rate for our very deserving contestants. My mate Scott put it so succinctly: The Block strikes again!

“There’s nothing more satisfying than an auction day when all contestants walk away winners. And to have done it in such a challenging market makes it even more special.”

The Block has now awarded $44,524,138.06 in total contestant winnings since launching on Nine in 2003.