The Block 2021: Fans v Faves to launch August 8

Some familiar faces are about to make their big return to The Block in 2021, with the new season to premiere on August 8 at 7pm on Nine and 9Now.

This year, it’s Fans VS Faves with Mitch and Mark and Ronnie and Georgia back for more renovations.

They’ll be facing off against fans, Tanya and Vito, Josh and Luke — who some might already recognise from Love Island Australia — and Kirsty and Jesse.

Scott Cam is back as the host for the 15th time and hinted it’s going to be big.

“Expect the unexpected,” he said in a statement.

“This build was extremely tough to plan and work out where things would go for many of our contestants because of this new twist. The plans have been thrown out the window and it leads to plenty of stuff-ups!

“The Fans have everything to gain and the Faves have reputations to uphold. This will be a dramatic showdown like we have never seen before.”

When will The Block: Fans v Faves air?

The Block will premiere for an unbelievable 17th season on Sunday, August 8, at 7.00pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.

What changes will we see on The Block: Fans v Faves?

Now into it’s 17th season, we’ve seen plenty of twists and turns on The Block, but this year we’re going somewhere we’ve never been before — underground.

The contestants will be building basements in their homes, a first in the show’s history.

Another big change which will no doubt ruffle feathers and cause plenty of confusion for the teams, there are no plans for the houses this year.

Who are the Fans v Faves teams?

Faves returning this year are Perth’s Ronnie (45) and Georgia (37) from the 2017 Elsternwick series and Sydney couple Mitch (58) and Mark (59) from the 2019 Oslo series. Both teams are renovation powerhouses who don’t plan on letting any newbies show them up.

If you weren’t already seeing double, irresistibly charismatic identical twins Josh and Luke (27), who made their television debut on Love Island Australia in 2019, are having a crack at the show. They will join two other newbie couples, Melbourne parents Tanya (39) and Vito (44), and country music kids Kirsty (32) and Jesse (31), hailing all the way from Wangi Wangi in regional NSW.

Where is the Fans v Faves season?

The exact location of The Block 2021 is Bronte Court in Hampton, which is a picturesque suburban cul-de-sac.

Five properties have been purchased. One of the homes belonged to buyer’s advocate and The Block regular Nicole Jacobs. Block fans would remember Nicole has helped her clients purchase 13 Block properties over the years.

Who are the judges on The Block: Fans v Faves?

Coming back for another season are our favourite judges, Neale Whitaker, Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer.

The trio all made an appearance in the first promo for the new season, in costume of course.

With a prior knowledge of Mitch and Mark and Ronnie and Georgia, we have a feeling the feedback given out during judging at HQ might get interesting.

What else do we know about The Block 2021?

In early 2020, Julian Cress, Executive Producer and co-creator of The Block, confirmed a site has been purchased for the 2021 season of the hit renovation show and hinted it will be like nothing we’ve seen before.

At Nine’s Upfronts in September 2020, it was revealed that the mammoth 17th season will see the new teams take on the renovation of five properties.

“There’s been a concept for the show floating around for a number of years which we’ve discussed with Michael Healy and Adrian Swift at the network,” Cress previously told 9Entertainment of the idea to renovate homes in a cul-de-sac.

“An idea of how to make the show that we’ve always dreamed of, but have never been able to find a property that’s suitable, that fits the build, doing it the way that we wanted to do it.

“We’re really excited about next year, because we have found a property that actually meets that brief that we’ve set ourselves, it’s something that we’ve never done before and we’re very excited about it.”

Despite the unpredictability of the current climate due to COVID-19, they were able to secure the property, which he explained will be something completely different for The Block.

“A new property that will, I think, take the show to a new level and it’s something that we’ve always wanted to do but, never really been able to do,” said Cress.

While a lot of details about The Block 2021 are a closely guarded secret right now, Cress admitted he is very excited about what is in the works.

“We always try to evolve the show and not rest on our laurels, we’re always looking for ways to reinvent it and deliver something new and fresh for the audience,” he explained.

“This is definitely fresh and new and incredibly exciting for all of us.”

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