Episode 8 recap: Tom and Sarah-Jane's 'sneaky' strategy sends the other teams into a frenzy and a special guest visits The Block

It’s only the second week of The Block, which generally means it’s all good vibes and no tension between the teams.

With all the friendly banter, it seems some of the Blockheads have forgotten that this is a competition.

But not Tom and Sarah-Jane.

All of the contestants got the chance to meet a handful of agents at the first Domain Challenge and David and Natalie were among them.

The agents have quite the reputation – David is a three-time Block winning auctioneer, so having him in your corner is a huge advantage.

To say that David is in high demand is an understatement.

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Rachel and Ryan reach out to arrange a meeting while Ankur and Sharon leave a message with him too.

But it’s too little, too late for House 2 and 3. As the teams gather at Scotty’s place for a barbecue, Tom and Sarah-Jane make their move.

“Mid-barbecue while everyone was eating, we thought it was going to be a good idea to sneak aside while everyone was mingling and eating,” Tom tells the cameras.

“We thought we’d give David Wood a call and see if he and Natalie want to work with us and represent our house.”

Well, you know what they say, the early bird gets the worm – and that’s exactly what happens.

Sarah-Jane is ecstatic as the pair end the call, but Tom is quick to remind her to put on her poker face and keep the news hush hush. He even comes up with a cover story, telling the other contestants they were just on a FaceTime call with their daughter Cleo.

But news travels fast on The Block and the other contestants are already catching on to Tom and Sarah-Jane’s strategy.

Sharon – who’d contacted David Wood – gets a message saying he’s unavailable because he’s already signed on with other contestants.

She and husband Ankur are disappointed but feel it means there’s a better fit out there for them.

“If it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be. If they don’t want to represent this house it’s their loss,” Sharon says.

After missing out this time, the couple also learn a very valuable lesson. “You’d be silly to think other couples are not competitive,” Ankur tells the cameras.

Word of Tom and Sarah-Jane’s strategy makes its way around The Block as Scott and Shelley walk through each house.

“I heard there was a bit of dodgy neighbour action happening last night,” Shelley drops the news on Rachel and Ryan.

Scott interjects and calls it a “smart move” and even goes as far as to say Tom and Sarah-Jane are his “favourite competitors on The Block.”

Rachel and Ryan label the competing team “sneaky” and are in disbelief that Tom and Sarah-Jane have snatched agent David from under their noses but they have a plan B.

Scott and Shelley share the gossip with the rest of the houses, and it sets them into a frenzy.

“It didn’t really click that yes, we should start locking this in,” Ankur admits and he worries they’re falling behind.

Omar and Oz are chasing agent Kirrily Evans, but they’re not the only ones interested in her. Dylan and Jenny swoop in and secure Kirrily for their house.

“You snooze, you lose,” Dylan scoffs.

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As it stands, Tom and Sarah-Jane have now signed with David Wood and Natalie Fagan of Belle Property, Rachel and Ryan are in discussion with Marty Fox from WHITEFOX Real Estate, Dylan and Jenny have gone with Kirrily Evans from TCC Real Estate while Omar and Oz have gone with an agent from Ray White.

And Ankur and Sharon still have no one.

High winds are causing havoc on site, taking out fences, sheds and tents.

Over at House 5, Foreman Dan is on Omar and Oz’s case about cleaning up the pile of loose plaster and timber on their site.

“Why are we letting it get this messy? The wind can just pick this up and hit one of your workers,” Dan warns the boys.

They admit that it just slipped their minds during the busy day and promptly pack up the mess.

Elsewhere, Sharon is in a hurry to start shopping. After leaving the judges less than impressed with their bathroom design, House 3 are feeling the pressure to prove themselves this week.

“If we miss the mark again this week, there’s gonna be real trouble,” Sharon tells the cameras.

To make sure that doesn’t happen, she enlists the help of some of the antique shop owners in the area and Sharon starts to gain confidence in her choices.

Scotty invites all the teams over to his house for another barbecue – he’s cooking Tomahawk steaks this time around.

But the menu isn’t the only thing that’s different about this get together. Scotty’s invited special guest, Bernadette from Suncorp, and she has a special surprise for the contestants.

Each team can receive $20,000 from Suncorp if they come up with a game-changing way to make their property more sustainable.

Tom and Sarah-Jane’s ‘keep it quiet’ strategy remains the same for the Suncorp competition.

“Now blabbermouth, don’t tell anyone our ideas,” Tom jokes with Sarah-Jane.

But it looks like the couple might have bigger things to worry about.

Just 26 hours out from their Guest Bedroom reveal, Keith and Dan notice a “major” problem in Tom and Sarah-Jane’s room – their window is not centred to the room.

“I don’t know how they’re gonna fix it,” Dan says.

Is this the end of a good run for Tom and Sarah-Jane?

This article was originally published by Nine.com.au. Reproduced with permission.