The Block 2022: A stunning kitchen gets the season's first perfect score
It’s the day before room reveals, so it’s no surprise the mood is tense. But Rachel is especially concerned ahead of kitchen reveals.
The Blockhead doesn’t think her and Ryan’s neutral kitchen has a chance of winning.
“My kitchen’s very neutral. In the past they’ve called that boring, timid, safe, bland. And that’s what it’s going to be again this week,” Rachel vents to Foreman Keith.
“I hate having this defeatist attitude, but I can’t seem to shake it,” she adds.
After weeks of tough critique from the judges Rachel says she’s at her “lowest state” in her six weeks on The Block.
“I just don’t feel like I’m doing a good job anywhere, and I’m tired and exhausted and to be honest I just want to go to sleep.”
Just when things couldn’t get any worse she finds out the measurements on her Caesarstone benchtop are wrong with just hours left until tools down. To top it off, the bench hasn’t even arrived yet.
“This is a joke,” Rachel says, leaving the room for a breather.
“You get to a point where you’re going to crack it and Rachel’s at that point,” Ryan explains.
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The Block 2022 listings are now live, and updated weekly. See them here.
Rachel’s mood lifts at 11pm the night before reveals when the trades arrive to install their benchtop.
“I’ve never been more excited to see someone,” she says.
Tom and Sarah-Jane are in a more jovial mood with little left to do in their kitchen so they’re at McCafe when Duncan pays a visit.
He’s been reading a newspaper article that makes claims about what life is like on the set of The Block, and shows it to the couple.
“The article said ‘Blockhead’s brutal time’,” Sarah-Jane recalls.
Sarah-Jane is most surprised by the article’s claim that “they barely have any food”.
“Some days a muesli bar and an apple are as good as it gets,” Sarah Jane cackles reading the article while eating McDonalds.
“These are prop burgers,” Tom jokes.
And when they read a comment that claims “everyone is starving” both of them joke, “I’ve put on three kilos”.
The article leaves Tom and Sarah-Jane wondering about the source of the claims.
“If someone here did start it, I don’t know why they’re here,” Tom says.
With the rumours put to bed, the teams are off to The Block headquarters to hear Scott Cam read out the judges’ feedback.
Tom and Sarah-Jane
Neale Whitaker doesn’t have the words to express how much he loves Tom and Sarah-Jane’s kitchen.
“There are times where I wish there was a word that meant wow times a hundred,” he says.
All three judges are “awestruck” by their rose gold fridge and their charcuterie fridge which Darren Palmer describes as “pure luxury”.
Neale thinks it’s “the ultimate contemporary country kitchen”.
And Darren especially appreciates that Tom and Sarah-Jane have thought about the functionality of the kitchen by having distinct cooking, cleaning and preparation zones.
They are just as impressed when they open the barn doors to the butler’s pantry.
“That’s a kitchen on it’s own,” Darren says.
Rachel and Ryan
Shaynna Blaze is shocked by how “pared back” Rachel and Ryan’s kitchen is.
“This doesn’t feel welcoming,” Neale adds.
Shaynna notes that “it’s very hard” to get their white colour palette right, which is why she says it feels “clinical”.
The judges also aren’t fans of the silver ball pendants over the island bench. Darren thinks they would be better suited to a hotel lobby.
It’s not all bad news, the judges praise Rachel and Ryan for their functional choices, especially their pantry shelving which Darren describes as “the best pantry solution”.
Shaynna says the kitchen is “well-executed” but she’s just “not feeling an emotional connection” to it.
Ankur and Sharon
Walking into Ankur and Sharon’s kitchen the judges admit it has a “completely different feeling” to their room last week.
But it’s a good different, with Neale describing the space as “elegant”, “classic” and “timeless”.
Shaynna notes the drama of the black benchtop ties in well with many of the dramatic elements from the old part of their build.
Neale can’t get over the size of the island bench and predicts the owner will be spending a lot of time there.
“This is a pretty grand statement,” Shaynna says.
The one thing Shaynna does question is Ankur and Sharon’s styling. She feels it’s just “thrown together”.
And in the butler’s pantry Neale labelled the styling “unforgivably messy”.
Dylan and Jenny
The judges instantly fall in love with the sage colour of House 4’s kitchen.
But Shaynna stops in her tracks when she spots the brass finishes, and Darren can’t get enough of the brass mesh over the cupboards.
“Yumm!” Darren exclaims.
But what the judges love most is Dylan and Jenny’s “clever” idea to extend the island bench into the living space.
They all agree it makes the room feel much more spacious.
Neale describes the space as a “real authentic country kitchen” that “tugs at the heartstrings”.
The judges are unanimous that this is Dylan and Jenny’s “best room yet”.
Omar and Oz
Omar and Oz’s “dark and moody” kitchen stands out from the other teams’ spaces, especially with its $250,000 worth of appliances.
“It literally oozes drama,” Shaynna adds.
The judges commend the boys for creating “a feeling of warmth” even with such a grey palette.
Shaynna adores the timber detail in the ceiling and says it creates balance in what would otherwise be a very monotone kitchen.
Darren thinks the kitchen design “honours the sophistication” of the incredible V-Zug and The Galley appliances.
“It’s so subtle,” Neale adds.
Although the judges love the venetian plaster in their butler’s pantry, Shaynna has concerns about how the pair are affording everything with the budget they’ve been given.
Back at HQ, Scotty totals up the judges’ scores and reveals the week’s winners.
- Tom and Sarah-Jane: 30
- Rachel and Ryan: 24
- Ankur and Sharon: 24.5
- Dylan and Jenny: 28.5
- Omar and Oz: 28.5
With a perfect score, Tom and Sarah-Jane get their third consecutive win.
They take home $10,000 for the win, $5,000 for each 10 they scored and another mature tree.
But instead of rushing off to celebrate, Tom has something he wants to tell Scotty.
Before the next room is even announced Tom blurts out that he wants to pull the hipages lever for extra tradie help.
But this is big news to Sarah-Jane, who is just as surprised as Scotty and the other contestants by Tom’s announcement.
She says she “had no idea” that Tom was planning on pulling the lever or why he decided to do it now.
But it’s probably a stroke of genius from Tom because with Living and Dining Week up next, and work starting on landscaping, they’ll need as much help as they can possibly get.
This article was originally published by Nine.com.au. Reproduced with permission.
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