The Block judges Neale Whitaker and Darren Palmer preview the stunning renovations you'll see in the 2022 season

The houses we see transformed on The Block are always beautiful, but in 2022 the renovations will be unlike anything we’ve seen before.

That’s because the show has made a tree change so the houses will feature a contemporary country style set against the backdrop of Victoria’s beautiful Macedon Ranges.

For judges Neale Whitaker, Darren Palmer and Shaynna Blaze, reviewing rooms in picturesque Gisborne was a unique experience compared to past seasons of the show.

“It was like a breath of fresh air, literally running through the judging every Sunday… I’ve been doing The Block for 12 years and 16 seasons and I can honestly say I loved the change to the country,” Neale told 9Entertainment.

• The Block 2022 listings are now live, and updated weekly. See them here.

“We’d see kangaroos bounce past House 5, and it’s a completely different environment, than doing that in the city,” Darren added.

‘The houses aren’t on top of each other, they’re a distance away – it just gives you this sort of sense of being exactly where you are, which is in the countryside, even though you’re only 40 minutes away from Melbourne.”

For Darren the view he saw when standing between House 1 and House 2 was particularly memorable.

“The time of the day that we were filming generally, it was lit up like a painting, like it was just this golden colour against like grey, blue skies, and the landscapes were just so gorgeous in the afternoons,” he said.

“The landscapes really play a massive part in how the interiors are created because they really frame up these amazing landscapes that look just like artworks.”

As for the renovations themselves, Block fans are in for a treat with the biggest houses ever featured on the show.

The exterior transformations will be even more exciting because the properties are set on 10 acre blocks, with contestants adding features like tennis courts and wineries.

The judges were blown away by the size of the Block site when they first arrived in Gisborne to film their first Room Reveal, especially Neale who made a tree change himself in 2018.

“I live on a country property just outside Berry [on the south coast of] New South Wales, and I’ve been living in the country for more than four years now. But I must admit when I saw the sheer scale of those properties, it kind of blew my mind,” he said.

“I live on a two and a half acre property, so I know exactly what a 10 acre property means – that’s four times the size of mine and I wouldn’t want to take that on.”

It’s not just being in the country and the scale of The Block this year that makes the renovations interesting for both viewers and the judges, it’s also the interior design style contestants are expected to deliver.

After seeing styles like St Kilda cool, mid-century modern, urban and Hamptons on the show in previous seasons, we’ll now get to see what country style looks like.

According to Darren country style can be quite broad by definition, so it will be fascinating to see what each team does every week.

“It’s five very different houses and they are very exciting for us from a judging point of view because we get to see how they interpret a contemporary country brief… It makes it really, really interesting for us. We don’t always agree, and they’re definitely the best judgings,” he said.

After judging on The Block together for more than a decade, Neale, Darren and Shaynna aren’t just colleagues, they’re also good friends.

They even have a tradition of taking a weekly selfie together when filming The Block, and have shared lots of behind the scenes laughs and fun with fans on social media.

‘We don’t see as much of each other once the cameras have stopped rolling because [we live] quite a long way apart. But for the three months that we are filming it’s a very close bond,” Neale said.

“I think we all respect each other, we respect each other’s differences of opinion, and we respect each other’s experience. I think we all know that we bring something slightly different to the judging each week.”

Darren added, “They’re actually two of my dearest friends and I love seeing them every year. It’s great to work with them, it’s always very interesting. We had some really fun and funny days, and now I have to wait for another six to nine months or whatever it is until we start filming again.”

Until then there are plenty of Block episodes on the way to tide the judges over because the new season kicks off in just a couple of days.

The latest from The Block

See The Block listings plus recaps, room reveals and renovating advice.

Visit The Block Hub

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