The Block's toughest judge revealed

There are two types of sledgehammers on The Block. One knocks down walls; the other is a judge who knocks the cocky couples back to reality.

Shaynna Blaze has proved to be the toughest of the three judges who critique the teams on the long-running Channel Nine renovation show.

Analysis of the show’s scoring reveals the design queen has given the Blockhead couples the lowest proportion of the total score since season six, when Blaze and fellow critics Darren Palmer and Neale Whitaker became the regular team of judges.

Blaze was the toughest marker on All Stars, Sky High, Glasshouse and now on the Blocktagon.

“I think I’m tough, for sure, but I’m also fair,” says Blaze, who believes her tough love comes down to two reasons.

“[One], they are novices learning and need to know what works and what doesn’t and because I am not emotionally attached to what is revealed, I have fresh eyes and can see what isn’t right,” she says.

“[Two], they are playing with expensive real estate and it is up to us as judges to let them know what is wrong, as somebody is putting forward their hard-earned cash to buy these places and they need to know they are getting something that not only looks good but works.

“On the other hand, when it’s good I’m very happy to say so and it makes those scores of 10 so much sweeter when they are earned.”

Blaze’s expertise lies in her ability to identify problems with houses going on to the market.

She is seconded to The Block from popular Foxtel show Selling Houses Australia, where she is part of a team that makes over properties that have been struggling to sell.

She has an eye for identifying what a buyer is looking for, and has arguably the most exposure to the realities of the property market of all the judges.

Some of this season’s most memorable criticisms include saying Suzi and Vonni’s LED fireplace was “the most hideous thing I have seen in this series” and chortled at their boudoir chandelier. 

Blaze says after seven seasons on the show, it’s couples not listening to advice that most grinds her gears.

“It is so frustrating when couples make the same mistakes season after season,” she says. 

Block fans may not be surprised that perennial nice guy Palmer, who always has something positive to say, has doled out the most points overall.

But it might be eye-opening to know the celebrity home stylist – favourite of Jennifer Hawkins – was actually the most biting judge on Triple Threat.

Blaze and Palmer actually swapped roles for the season, with Blaze scoring the Darling Street townhouses most liberally.

Whitaker was the most critical on Fans Vs Faves, but is generally plays middle-man to Blaze’s eye for detail and Palmer’s affable approach.

Asked if Palmer and Whitaker are too soft, Blaze disagrees. 

“The boys have been pretty stern with their comments over the seasons, but maybe I’m just a little louder in my opinions.”

Palmer agrees that each judge has their own approach that works for them.

“I don’t think Neale and Shaynna are too tough in any way,” Palmer says. “They have their years of knowledge and experience and they judge on what is important to them just as I do. We’re different people and we have different results, which makes for a more interesting judgment.

“We’re all nice in our own way, I think the difference between my perception of what the contestants do and Neale and Shaynna’s is that I have been a contestant in that environment so I’m always trying to keep myself in their shoes.”

Palmer say he methodically scores the couples based on four categories: design, finish, inclusions and appropriateness to the market.

“This is why sometimes my scores will be different to Neale and Shaynna’s because I might give full points for design but no points for finish where an unfinished room could be judged more poorly by the others simply because it’s not complete,” he says.

“I try to keep in mind how they might feel about hearing or seeing negative feedback and wherever possible I give suggestions on improvement rather than criticism. When I do criticise I try and explain why things don’t work. I do have moments though when all of that goes out the window.”