The Block 2020: Live coverage of the auctions
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of The Block‘s auction finale for 2020.
This live article is no longer being updated.
- Jimmy and Tam win The Block 2020
- Jimmy and Tam are The Block’s biggest ever winners
- The Block 2020: The winning bidding tactics
8.59pm: And that is that. Thanks for joining us for our live coverage, and we will have plenty more over the night and into tomorrow. Thank you, and goodnight.
8.58pm: So Jimmy and Tam win the day. With their $100,000 winner’s prize, too, that makes them the first Block millionaires – $1.066m in total they go home with.
8.57pm: Well, wow. What a day. What a season. That’s prize money for all teams collectively above $3.3m, and a record-breaking prize pool for The Block.
8.56pm: SOLD! At $4m, that’s $650,000 for Harry and Tash.
8.55pm: This is unprecedented. Danny Wallis looks poised to own house 1, 2 and 3 – “like Monopoly”.
8.54pm: An opening bid of $3.3m from Nicole Jacobs, followed quickly by $3.4m and $3.45m again, then $3.475m. But quickly surpassed by $4m by Danny Wallis.
8.53pm: Marty’s blazer is straight out of those golf tournaments where the leader gets the green jacket.
8.51pm: Harry and Tash’s reserve is $3.35m. Their auctioneer is Marty Fox of WhiteFox – his agency’s first season on the show.
8.50pm: The father-daughter dynamic has been great to watch this year, and Harry and Tash are certainly terrific viewing.
8.48pm: And this is it, the last auction for The Block this year.
8.46pm: The contestants have collectively so far made $2,582,000 above their reserves! Huge.
8.44pm: A great feel good season – fingers crossed the momentum can continue for Harry and Tash.
8.43pm: SOLD! At $3.8m, Danny Wallis has bought his second property of The Block 2020 and Daniel and Jade go home with $460,000.
8.41pm: $3.8m from Danny Wallis – looks like a $300,000 knockout bid!
8.40pm: Big opening bid of $3.3m from Nicole Jacobs, and then $3.4m quickly after.
8.39pm: They want $20,000 to send their parents on holidays. At the moment, I think they’re well on the way to much more than that.
8.38pm: Daniel and Jade’s reserve is $3.34m, and their auctioneer is David Wood of Belle Property.
8.35pm: And so now to our South Australian farmers, who want to just get enough money so Daniel can not have to work three jobs.
8.33pm: Sorry for the break there, was just getting myself sorted again, and thinking about cheeseburgers.
8.30pm: I do hope Sarah and George put that $2 at the end of their profit to good use and buy a cheeseburger at the very least.
8.29pm: “I’m laughing and crying at the same time,” says Sarah. Can’t imagine how I’d react to that crazy amount of money, either. Definitely a champagne shower at the very least.
8.28pm: That was over almost as soon as it started!
8.28pm: And as Danny bids against himself, at $4,000,002, it is SOLD! Sarah and George take home $650,002.
8.26pm: Two quick opening bids have Sarah and George even, and then comes Danny with a $4,000,001 bid.
8.26pm: Sarah and George’s reserve is $3.35m. Their auctioneer is Peter Kakos of The Agency.
8.25pm: Sarah and George are in shock at the last auction. Aren’t we all. Aren’t. We. All.
8.23pm: For those who watched last year, you may remember bidder Danny Wallis.
8.21pm: And now here come Sarah and George, and I’m still calming my nerves after the high stakes of the last one!
8.19pm: Jimmy is right – he and Tam now pretty much have the pick of the market in Greater Brisbane. The median house price is a shade under $600,000.
8.16pm: Buyer Emese Fajk fell in love with the house watching the show, and also connected with Jimmy and Tam, and their building process. That’s the sort of emotional connection agents and vendors can only dream of.
8.15pm: SOLD! $4.256m, with $966,000 above reserve – Jimmy and Tam have the highest price over reserve in Block history. That is a life-changing amount of money.
8.14pm: Now at $4.256m, Jimmy and Tam can barely contain their glee.
8.13pm: And a solid bid of $4.25m from the mystery blonde bidder.
8.13pm: These erratic bids are certainly keeping agent Michael Townsend and his pen particularly busy.
8.12pm: Spirited bidding from Jimmy and Tam’s emotionally connected buyer, and Danny Wallis, is keeping Jimmy and Tam aghast.
8.10pm: WOW. An opening bid of $4,200,001. $910,001 over reserve from the get-go.
8.09pm: And here we go. Jimmy and Tam’s reserve is $3.29m. Their auctioneer is Scott Kennedy Green, of McGrath.
8.08pm: One emotionally connected buyer who arrived to inspect the day before – might just be all you need, Jimmy and Tam.
8.06pm: Jimmy and Tam have certainly been very solid this year. So will buyers love their place as much as the judges did?
8.04pm: And … montage!
8.03pm: So, can Jimmy and Tam beat that?
8.01pm: Phew! What a strong start for the 2020 auctions – and to think we didn’t know if they’d even happen this year a few months ago.
8.00pm: SOLD! At $3,856,000, Luke and Jasmin make $506,000.
7.59pm: Those bids just keep coming… how much longer?
7.58pm: Danny’s back, and Luke and Jasmin are poised to make $500,000 above reserve, at least.
7.57pm: This is shaping up to be an epic – very, very strong bidding.
7.56pm: That’s a mortgage paid off for Luke and Jasmin, and then some spare change.
7.55pm: Some very determined locals wanting to buy Luke and Jasmin’s house.
7.54pm: It is like a tennis game, with bids in $5000 increments swapping. And now a $1000 bid.
7.53pm: Very strong early bidding, with buyers’ advocate Nicole Jacobs looking very determined. And there’s the first bid from Zoom, too. And Danny Wallace’s first off-centre bid.
7.52pm: OK, so an opening bid of $3.21m from Frank Valentic, quickly followed by $3.33m from Danny Wallis.
7.49pm: It’s doubly challenging for the auctioneers this year. Not only do they have to keep an eye on the crowd, but also on the TV screen for any bids made via Zoom. Talk about needing a set of eyes in the back of your head.
7.47pm: It is extremely weird to see a Block auction with so few people in physical attendance.
7.47pm: And we’re underway. Luke and Jasmin’s auctioneer is Halli Moore, of Buxton. The reserve is $3.35m.
7.44pm: Ah, the montage. Always fun to remember lowlights – like not knowing what 1910s style was – and highlights, such as Shaynna’s early outfits.
7.43pm: Luke’s three-piece is excellent, just quietly.
7.42pm: Shelley’s mask is making me envious.
7.41pm: Outfits looking strong – Tash’s fluro an early highlight.
7.40pm: No one wants to go last, George says, however, Dea and Darren won Triple Threat in 2015 from last.
7.39pm: Also worth keeping an eye on: what will everyone wear to the auction?
7.37pm: Responsible drinking warning: please no one have a drinking game where you take a swig every time there are tears in tonight’s episode.
7.36pm: There is also always the hope that a buyer who misses out on one of the earlier properties will be also interested in any of the other properties. And that has happened in previous seasons.
7.35pm: Previous winners have won from every position in the order; it really does come down to buyer mix on the day.
7.30pm: Jimmy and Tam really are between a rock and a hard place: no one is ever happy with their reserves, and very few are happy with their auction position, either. So despite them wanting to keep everyone happy, it will be tough to do so.
7.29pm: So what will Jimmy and Tam do? Shelley advises putting putting Luke and Jasmin first because of their strong emotional connection to potential buyers.
7.28pm: The contestants look far from thrilled at such high reserves. Jasmin wonders at the $60,000 difference between hers and Jimmy and Tam’s – it is because their house is about 50 square metres smaller.
7.27pm: The reserves: $3.29m for Jimmy and Tam. $3.35m for Harry and Tash, Luke and Jasmin and Sarah and George, and $3.34m for Daniel and Jade.
7.25pm: The auction market has been particularly hard hit in Melbourne, but Alice is right; buyer demand is far outstripping supply at the moment.
7.23pm: At $3.2m, these prices are among the highest ever for Block properties. It’s going to be tough.
7.22pm: It’s time – here come the reserves.
7.20pm: “Superpowers aren’t the best thing to hold,” says Tam. Yes, agreed. My superpower of sassy commentary with wine can often be a problem.
7.18pm: If Mr Cam doesn’t win a Logie for best actor for this Back to the Future-inspired segment, then something is definitely awry
7.16pm: Scotty Cam is looking very well for someone older than 100.
7.12pm: The superpower I can see being particularly stressful for the Queenslanders. Taking everyone’s chances on your shoulders would be quite the burden.
7.10pm: What I do know about is Tam’s fashion styling – those pants are amazing.
7.09pm: I know Jimmy and Tam’s vibe is 1950s but I still don’t know about that pink door, personally! But, as they say in the classics, you do you.
7.08pm: It *is* very easy to fall in love with these homes, isn’t it?
7.07pm: “We’ve made our dream home,” says Luke. It’s a gorgeous home – but hopefully it’s someone else’s dream home, too.
7.05pm: As they say in the classics, it’s time to split. Sarah is looking stage 5 clinger with her house… understandable!
7.04pm: Oh look, tears already and it’s only three minutes in.
7.02pm: It all looks so impressive in fast-forward!
7.01pm: Here. We. Go.
6.59pm: Of course, the most crucial piece of information is the auction reserves. The contestants take home every single dollar above their auction reserve, and the team with the highest price above reserve also win an extra $100,000.
6.55pm: I’ve popped a bottle of bubbles – hopefully a few of the teams will do the same as they watch tonight’s action (though I am now nowhere near as dressed up as they were for their big moment…)
6.50pm: Who is likely to buy The Block houses this year? Almost anyone and everyone – and there are whispers of celebrity interest.
6.40pm: Harry and Tash are winning the race for eyeballs, with the most views of their listing as at Monday.
View The Block properties for sale
- House 1, Harry and Tash: 364 New Street, Brighton
- House 2, Sarah and George: 362B New Street, Brighton
- House 3, Daniel and Jade: 362A New Street, Brighton
- House 4, Luke and Jasmin: 360B New Street, Brighton
- House 5, Jimmy and Tam: 360A New Street, Brighton
6.30pm: As well as strong tax incentives, The Block properties can be attractive for potential capital gain. Here’s how all of the previous houses have sold after the show has ended.
6.20pm: Given Jimmy and Tam won that power to choose the auction order, how will that order affect how this finale will pan out?
6.10pm: Jimmy and Tam won the Domain Magazine cover prize earlier this season, as well as the power to choose the auction order. Here is the magazine cover story, profiling the five houses up for sale.
6pm: One hour to go, Blockheads. Welcome to those of you just joining us. The buyers of the properties get everything, including all the furnishings – yes, toothbrushes and toilet paper included. Here’s a list of some of the interesting inclusions this year.
5.45pm: One other thing I would like us to remember at this point are the judges’ dances that marked their arrival each week. What a gift.
5.30pm: It’s not just the contestants who attract a loyal following from the show. Some of the tradies are also popular with viewers. Here, some tell us what happened behind the scenes this year.
5.15pm: Want to own your own slice of The Block? The house from the 2017 Elsternwick season that Jason and Sarah renovated is up for sale again.
5pm: After appearing on The Block, what do contestants do? My colleague Jessica Dale tracked a few down. Take a read here.
4.45pm: The experts are divided about who they think will win this season. Take a read here.
4.30pm: How the houses sell under the hammer may well be influenced by the rollercoaster property year in Melbourne. My colleague Jemimah Clegg spoke to the experts about how the houses may hold up. Take a read here.
4.15pm: We’re still about two and a half hours from go-time, so still a bit of time to get acquainted again with the properties headed under the hammer.
House 1, Harry and Tash
House 2, Sarah and George
House 3, Daniel and Jade
House 4, Luke and Jasmin
House 5, Jimmy and Tam
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