The Block 2021 hallway and laundry reveals: 'Hell Week' claims another victim
Unfinished rooms and drama on The Block site mean Hell Week has well and truly lived up to its name yet again.
Josh and Luke admit defeat when they fail to complete their hallways and laundry in time for reveal. The other teams manage to finish though, and judges Shaynna Blaze, Darren Palmer and Neale Whitaker are blown away by the impressive spaces.
Ahead of judging, Tanya infuriates Mark when she approaches him to prove she paid Kinsman for her laundry cabinet install. Their conversation reignites unresolved tension, which looks unlikely to end by the time houses are completed.
This drama kicks off when Tanya does the rounds to show the other teams the invoice Foreman Keith handed her for the late install. It’s a gesture reminiscent of the apology tour Tanya went on after revealing her involvement in the cheating saga, and it goes down as well with Mark now as it did then.
Tanya tells Mark her and Vito‘s living and dining room was so big they didn’t have time to get their laundry ready for cabinetry install when Kinsman was booked in. So they decided to do it during Laundry Week knowing this meant they’d have to pay, unlike the other teams who were ready by deadline.
“That didn’t seem to be the case … we actually gave Bryce [from Kinsman] a call, because we know Bryce and said ‘Did you guys install a laundry?’… ‘Did you charge for it?’,” Mark says shaking his head sideways.
“Did he say no?” Tanya asks before suggesting he just pop over to House 3 and ask them personally next time. But Mark feels the “pig” comment Tanya made during the dramatic body corporate meeting after the cheating scandal, has never been resolved.
“Oh, that was the behaviour not the person,” Tanya says.
Mark responds, “You called us pigs.”
“It was an analogy for the behaviour,” Tanya tries to explain, insisting it wasn’t directed at him but everybody that day.
“I will apologise to you for taking it personally that I was aiming that at you,” she says.
Mark doesn’t accept the apology and the conversation goes round and round again, while Vito stands in the distance gesturing for a time-out.
“Moving forward, we’ve got three weeks left so we can clear the air?” Tanya wonders.
Not ready to put the tension aside Mark tells her, “I’ll just process that.”
Later in an interview to camera, a producer asks Tanya if she stands by her claim she was always going to pay, because they have her on camera saying “we haven’t had to pay for that”.
“Did I? … Because money was never discussed probably … so I probably was thinking maybe they’ll do it for us for free like everybody else,” she says, suggesting it would’ve been fair even though they missed the deadline.
“It would’ve been a cheeky freebie, but that wasn’t the case, obviously we did have to pay. But I was hoping that we didn’t.”
So with that sort of cleared up, let’s visit Block Headquarters to hear host Scott Cam read out the judges’ feedback.
Ronnie and Georgia
The judges are stunned by the beauty of House 1’s hallway when they walk in the front door.
Neale loves the way Ronnie and Georgia have turned the hallway into a kind of art gallery with meaningful paintings on display. His only negative was the choice of pendants, and in true Neale style he would’ve preferred a table lamp.
As for the laundry, Shaynna, Darren and Neale love it too. Darren is pleased to see laundry baskets, while Shaynna and Neale are happy the couple remembered a broom cupboard.
“It’s just sleek. Simple and sleek,” Shaynna says.
However, the judges were surprised to see Ronnie and Georgia forgot to remove a strip of painter’s tape from the room. But overall they feel the couple have redeemed themselves for not finishing Hallway Week in 2017.
Mitch and Mark
While Mitch and Mark don’t have a hallway in their kitchen and lounge rooms, they manage to impress on entry with a large artwork and glass floor above their basement stairs.
The hallway leading to the bedrooms is well received for its layout and the way the walls fold into each other.
Moving on to the laundry, the judges are thrilled to spot the addition of a pantry cupboard on the way, something they feel was missing from their kitchen.
Shaynna, Darren and Neale have mostly positive things to say about the laundry.
“This is huge. We’ve got matching sinks, which is perfect, I think that’s beautiful. It’s styled stunning, I love this little open part. And when you’ve got the door open it connects beautifully,” Shaynna says.
As for the negatives, the colour of laminate on the storage cupboard by the door doesn’t balance with the other colours in the space.
“It almost feels unrenovated in comparison to the rest of it, it’s like the bit that hasn’t been done or been forgotten about,” Neale says.
Tanya and Vito
The study nook is first up for the judges, who think the joinery design of the desk and shelves suits the rest of the home. They also like the glass door between the study and the living room, but feel the choice of artwork lets the space down.
“Those three artworks are bothering me a bit. They look a bit cheap to me,” Neale says.
Next up is the powder room which overall is “cute”, however Shaynna feels the styling is a let down. And the choice of mirror with a graphic on it featuring a lipstick sitting on a tongue gets mixed reviews.
“I think it’s one of the ugliest things I’ve ever seen,” Neale admits, while Darren feels it’s “quirky”.
Moving to the laundry, the judges think it’s “cute”, though having drawers in the cupboard doesn’t work well when the laundry door is also open. Shaynna also worries there isn’t enough space to fold clothes and do other laundry tasks.
Josh and Luke
There were confused looks as the judges walked into House 4 and realise a wall had been removed. Darren thinks this will improve the entrance appeal once the living and dining room has been finished, but Shaynna thinks they’ve cut the wall too far back, and Neale just plain doesn’t like it.
In general the space they walk into is a literal mess, and they can already tell the twins failed to finish their hallways and laundry.
Then the judges find the powder room unfinished, and believe it’s so small you could wash your hands while sitting on the toilet.
The laundry, however, was finished, and the judges feel it was well planned out. Neale believes this is a sign of hope for the twins, just as Darren finds an apology letter from Josh and Luke.
“It starts with ‘Sorry’. They’re not making excuses they said, they take blame for not completing the sections, and they’re not happy with the standard of finish,” Darren summarises.
“Guys, you’re nearly there. You’re nearly there. Don’t give up,” he adds.
Kirsty and Jesse
The judges are blown away when the enter House 5, and love just about everything in the hallway.
“Look at this beautiful runner running the length of the hallway, just taking the eye all the way through to that beautiful living room,” Neale says.
Shaynna adds, “And look at the finishing, like all this wainscoting, the cornicing, the architraves. And we’ve got a bench seat [with storage]. Schoolbags go in there, shoes — love it. There’s a lot of work in here. This is incredible.”
Moving on to the powder room the judges were amazed to find a full bathroom instead. Darren loves the tiles, which he thinks are cleverly used just on the wet areas to save money.
Next up is the laundry, which the judges think ties beautifully in with the kitchen. It has the same gingham wallpaper and blue and gold cabinetry.
“I mean it’s 100 per cent focus on functionality but without any sacrifice of aesthetics. It is that perfect marriage of the two things. When they get it right they really get it right, and my God it makes you smile, doesn’t it?” Neale says.
Time for the judges’ scores.
- Ronnie and Georgia: 29
- Mitch and Mark: 26.5
- Tanya and Vito: 25
- Josh and Luke: 18.5
- Kirsty and Jesse: 29.5
Another win for Kirsty and Jesse!
The couple also scored 10s from Shaynna and Neale, giving them an extra $10,000 on top of the $10,000 they get for winning. Ronnie and Georgia also got a 10 from Shaynna, earning them $5,000.
The win is especially meaningful to Kirsty and Jesse after Kirsty’s grandmother passed away at the start of the week. She thanked Ronnie and Georgia and Mitch and Mark for helping with painting while they were off site to be with family.
“So many different emotions. Happy and sad all at the same time. I think my nan would be very proud of us this week for what we achieved and I think she might have even played a little part in getting us across the line. Somehow late last night she just gave us that extra bit of energy to keep going when we’re wanting to call it quits,” Kirsty says. “It’s amazing to top this week off like this.”
This article was originally published by Nine.com.au. Reproduced with permission.
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