The Block 2021: 10 little-known rules every contestant must follow

The Blockheads are given plenty of rules when they’re on the show.

Obviously, there are a few that are spoken about often, like safety on site and last year we saw plenty of new rules due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But there are some lesser-known rules the contestants must follow, and these have stayed the same throughout The Block’s 17-season history.

Here are 10 key rules the teams must follow that are not always discussed on camera:

• No help from any outside designer.
• All painting must be done by contestants.
• All trades must be paid the award rate.
• All trades must be inducted.
• No more than 50 per cent discount on any trades goods.
• No working ahead.
• No power tools after tools down.
• No power tools on Sunday or public holidays.
• Contestants must hire their own trades.

While contestants must hire their own trades, the only time trades are brought in by someone else is when they pull the hipages lever and host Scott Cam organises it for them.

As for builders, they are not able to work on consecutive seasons of The Block.

For example, Will and Karlie wanted to use Matt from Elevate on their series but because he was Caro and Kingi’s builder the year before, this couldn’t happen.

But when Josh and Elyse wanted to use Matt it was fine, because two series had passed.

It was the same when Tess and Luke hired Matt for The Oslo in 2019, because a season had passed between Josh and Elyse using him.

It’s not just because a builder has experience or an advantage by doing back-to-back seasons. The rule was put in place to be able to give new people a go, according to Anna Scarff, series producer of The Block.

“The Block like to give new people a go. We love meeting new characters and we love giving local trades a leg up in the industry. New trades bring new ideas and that is what The Block is about,” she told 9Entertainment.

Since painters can’t be hired, it’s definitely one of the most important skills any potential Blockheads should work on before applying for the show.

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