The Block 2016: the auctions live

This is Domain’s live coverage of The Block’s auctions.

Full wrap of the finale here | This live article is no longer being updated.

8.52pm: That’s it for our blog: read our full wrap here. Goodnight!

8.51pm: Thanks for your company tonight … what a tense few moments but amazing results for all five couples.

8.50pm: That’s a wrap. Congratulations to Will and Karlie, who have won The Block 2016.

8.49pm: Sold! $2.225m means a profit of $510,000 for Ben and Andy.

8.47pm: Bidding continuing very strong for Ben and Andy.

8.46pm: Pretty good results all round, though, for the teams. A punt that has paid off for them all.

8.44pm: Might be tough for them to beat Will and Karlie, though. That looks like an extra $100,000 coming to the young Queenslanders.

8.41pm: Not surprise Andy and Ben are ecstatic – that’s a huge amount of cash for anyone.

8.39pm: Take a look inside Ben and Andy’s apartment here

8.38pm: A strong bid from Greville Pabst who has been reasonably quiet tonight.

8.37pm: The only four bedroom apartment in the building – will this help the boys?

8.36pm: Another strong opening bid. Buyers are still there.

8.35pm: Now for Ben and Andy, our renovation rookies come good.

8.34pm: Take a look inside Kim and Chris’ apartment here.

8.33pm: Sold! $2.305m for Kim and Chris means $425,000 prize money.

8.31pm: Shelley Craft is right – this private bidder does indeed have nerves of steel.

8.30pm: A $25,000 bid has this auction off and running again.

8.28pm: Chris and Kim proving themselves classy by insisting they’re not greedy and the auction continue.

8.26pm: It will be interesting to see what comes of these negotiations if Kim and Chris don’t want to accept the bid.

8.23pm: Auctioneer Damien Cooley has won The Block the past two seasons for Dean and Shay Paine and Darren and Dea Jolly.

8.21pm: $2.22m as a high bid – and still room to go higher. Wow.

8.20pm: Too much difference between the prices on The Block already to see it sell for this price. This is a dramatic intervention.

8.19pm: This bidder is a dark horse. Registered bidders can compete with the buyers’ advocates but it is rare to see.

8.18pm: You’ve got to love their positivity.

8.17pm: A $1.7m opening bid is a little lower than reserve but we should expect things to pick up.

8.16pm: Now for Kim and Chris, who have felt a little hard done by this series. Agents Greg Hocking Holdsworth should get a good result for them.

8.15pm: Take a look inside Dan and Carleen’s apartment here.

8.14pm: Sold! $2.3m means a $525,000 for Dan and Carleen. Happy days in the WA sun for our baby boomers.

8.13pm: Carleen looks overwhelmed with the profit coming her way.

8.12pm: Here we go – Dan and Carleen are back in business.

8.11pm: Auctioneer Julian Augustini from Hodges is trying his best here – as you’d hope.

8.10pm: If this doesn’t pick up, you could forgive Ben and Andy and Kim and Chris for being more nervous.

8.06pm: This is tense for everyone. $375,000 is still a good amount over reserve, though.

8.05pm: A slight stagnation in proceedings here. Dan and Carleen look tense.

8.04pm: And the strong bidding continues. Good news for the couple from WA.

8.03pm: Having said that, there’s clear appeal here for downsizer buyers, who are huge players in Melbourne’s property market.

8.02pm: Here come Dan and Carleen. Not to everyone’s taste, their apartment, but it scored well with the judges.

8.01pm: I also thought Will and Karlie’s apartment was amazing – and to me it came down to the ceilings – a real ground floor advantage.

7.59pm: I loved Julia and Sasha’s apartment – a beautiful pad and certainly a good entertainer’s apartment.

7.58pm: Buyers’ advocates are a crucial part of The Block. Long-term viewers will have seen Nicole, Frank and Greville many times before over the past few seasons.

7.56pm: Take a look inside Julia and Sasha’s apartment here.

7.55pm: Sold! $2.59m means a $660,000 profit for Julia and Sasha. A handy pay day.

7.53pm: Nice tactics, Phillip. Cash is nice.

7.52pm: Boom. Back on.

7.51pm: “I’d love to – it’s not my money.” Contender for quote of the night from Nicole Jacobs.

7.50pm: This is a hugely interesting battle between the buyers’ advocates.

7.49pm: Another powerful opening bid from Nicole Jacobs. Very strong bidding again.

7.48pm: Was that comedian and Nine personality Dave Hughes we just saw in the crowd?

7.47pm: Auctioneer Phillip Kingston talking the apartment up – nice work!

7.45pm: “Absolutely unbelievable” say Julia and Sasha of Will and Karlie’s result. Fingers crossed for their sake that buyers are still ready to bid.

7.44pm: Many tipped either Will and Karlie or Sasha and Julia for the win – let’s see how the Melbourne couple go.

7.41pm:  That’s a huge amount over reserve. The other teams will be hoping that’s a good sign for their fortunes.

7.39pm: A tearful Will and Karlie paying tribute to their tradies, agents and family. A nice touch.

7.38pm: Take a look inside Will and Karlie’s apartment here

7.37pm: SOLD! $2.6 million means a profit of $715,000 for Will and Karlie. Not bad for 25-year-olds.

7.36pm: Nicole Jacobs clearly means business. Bidding with fierce intent.

7.35pm: Wow! Bidding hard and fast early. Great for Will and Karlie.

7.34pm: Encouraging for the contestants that well-known Block auction bidders Nicole Jacobs, Greville Pabst and Frank Valentic are in the room.

7.33pm: Long-time viewers Will and Karlie are getting the pressure the contestants are under firsthand.

7.31pm: The contestants do put their lives on hold for a chance to compete – and there’s no guarantee that for their months of hard work that there will be any pay-off. The Block in Cameron Street, Richmond, saw just one of four couples win any money on auction night.

7.29pm: Time for Will and Karlie to take to the hot seat.

7.28pm: Where’s the holiday for the hard-working tradies?!

7.25pm: The 1990s called, they want Feng Shui back.

7.25pm: Will is channeling his inner hipster with the all buttons, no tie look

7.24pm: They scrub up OK, don’t they, our contestants?

7.22pm: “When is the game ever going to end?” Carleen asks, speaking for all viewers.

7.21pm: The teams have also been living with each other since filming started in the middle of the year so it’s no surprise tensions are flaring.

7.20pm: Team player or all for yourself? Tough call.

7.19pm: Scott Cam is playing the role of Switzerland tonight. Give the man another Logie.

7.15pm: “Getting a bit catty,” says Will. Just like the past three months, then?

7.14pm: Tensions already flaring before auction orders are sorted … this is not a good sign.

7.13pm: It’s also a good tactic to talk down the interest you’ve had. Until someone spoils the bluff – Ben…

7.11pm: Prizes always come in handy to bring down the seemingly high reserves. Contestants need to remember that Port Melbourne is a prestige suburb and these apartments are large, so deserve a high price.

7.10pm: Dan and Carleen also come to the “unimpressed reaction” party.

7.10pm: Will and Karlie describe their $1.9m reserve as “heartbreaking”

7.09pm: Julia and Sasha are shocked with their high reserve – the highest in Block history.

7.07pm: You could cut the tension with a fork…

7.05pm: Another key strength of the producers: building the drama and tension!

7.03pm: Getting reserves and choosing the auction order is always the most high-pressure moment in each series.

7.02pm: Whichever way you look at it, it’s a huge task for our amateur renovators.

7.01pm: And we’re away.

6.55pm: Over the past few seasons, the couple who has gone second or third come auction day has come out on top.

6.42pm: The judges – most notably Shaynna Blaze – have copped a pasting this year. The most recent was from Carleen during the terrace week reveal.

6.30pm: This year’s series has been a punt for producers; the location is a fledgling suburb. Will it pay off?

6.21pm: One of Domain’s experts is Triple Threat winner Dea Jolly. Earlier this year, she listed six things she would have done differently on this series.

6.10pm: Three of Domain’s six experts have tipped Karlie and Will to win tonight.

6pm: Thanks for joining us tonight. The episode starts in about an hour, and by 9pm, we should know our winner. Take a look back at this year’s best rooms here.