The Block 2021: The first basement reveals in Block history impress judges as two teams are penalised
The Block host Scott Cam will finally pass judgement over the cheating scandal, when he announces the penalty Tanya and Vito and Josh and Luke will cop for having a photo of the production schedule.
Teams then try to move past the drama to find out what judges Darren Palmer, Neale Whitaker and Shaynna Blaze think of their basement renovations. Four of the five teams have transformed this week’s space into home cinemas, while Mitch and Mark have done a home day spa in a first for The Block.
Before we can get to Block Headquarters to hear the feedback, the rooms need to be finished. Pouring rain is causing issues for Ronnie and Georgia‘s starry cinema ceiling, but things are more zen in House 2 as an aromatherapy function gets installed in the steam room.
Foremen Keith and Dan do the defect rounds. Keith is so unimpressed by Josh and Luke‘s collectible Iron Man figure he calls it a defect, and then finds real defects in House 3 and 5. He is also close to giving Ronnie and Georgia’s room the “kiss of death” again, when he tells them how much he likes it.
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- House 1, Ronnie and Georgia: 2 Bronte Court, Hampton
- House 2, Mitch and Mark: 4 Bronte Court, Hampton
- House 3, Tanya and Vito: 8 Bronte Court, Hampton
- House 4, Josh and Luke: 10 Bronte Court, Hampton
- House 5, Kirsty and Jesse: 1 Bronte Court, Hampton
After tools down the teams gather at Block HQ, where Scotty unleashes his punishment for House 3 and 4 over the schedule scandal.
“It’s going to be a long time before I forget that week,” he says, before agreeing with the teams that they should try to move past it and focus on their houses.
“I will be deducting two points from each of your scores tonight, effectively ruling you out of [winning] this week’s room. This will also give the others a head start on the Domain leaderboard to choose the auction order at the end of the series,” Scotty says.
The penalty gets mixed reactions from the uninvolved contestants. Mitch thinks it’s “appropriate”, Ronnie feels it’s not harsh enough (“I think it’s flat-out bulls—,” he says) and Kirsty believes the impact it has on their chance of deciding the auction order will make a difference.
With that out of the way, it’s time for judging.
House 1 – Ronnie and Georgia
The judges are blown away by Ronnie and Georgia’s ‘cinematic experience’. The starry ceiling effect is a hit, as is the use of loungeroom-style furniture in place of movie theatre seats.
Shaynna loves the colour choices in the furniture, curtains and paint, which reflects the contemporary luxe palette in the rest of the house.
It is such a successful room that Neale has changed his opinion about home cinemas.
“But now I have just done a 180 degrees. This has turned my views totally on their head because it’s so desirable,” he says.
Shaynna adds, “I think it’s one of those things, you’ve said it, ‘You’ve given me something I didn’t know I wanted’.”
The only problem Darren discovers is with the acoustics. He thinks a barrier is needed because the sound from the film can be heard loud and clear upstairs.
House 2 – Mitch and Mark
Darren, Neale and Shaynna are excited to find Mitch and Mark’s basement is a home day spa with a steam room instead of a home cinema.
The tile choice and pale blue tones of the room gets the thumbs up, especially from Neale, who feels like he’s “up in the clouds”.
That aspect is particularly impressive to Darren, considering it’s a basement.
“Right? That feeling of light and bright and airy and fresh, where there’s actually no access to natural light, there’s no access to air. It still feels like you’re in a really beautiful and calming day spa environment,” he says.
The only negative the judges find is an exposed tile edge. Overall it’s very luxurious and could be a selling point.
“To get a steam room in your home is just the biggest luxury,” Shaynna says. “And there’s enough room for a massage table… Just putting it out there!”
House 3 – Tanya and Vito
It’s another home cinema, but the judges can instantly tell Tanya and Vito’s has better acoustics than Ronnie and Georgia’s.
Again, Darren likes the use of residential furniture instead of cinema chairs. He is especially keen on the recliners and tries it out.
The size is another positive for the judges. “I swear I’ve been in some cinemas that are smaller than this. It’s like one of those private cinema clubs,” Neale says.
They also like the use of side tables between each chair and an air conditioning vent, for added comfort.
Besides a debate between Shaynna and Darren about curtain fabrics, the only negative they find is the “horrendous” paint job on the ceiling.
House 4 – Josh and Luke
First impressions aren’t good for the judges, who think the layout with a four chair set-up doesn’t work. They also don’t have a curtain or wall, and the design reflects a commercial cinema with red panelling on the walls.
The life-size Iron Man collectible figure gets an excited reaction from Shaynna and Neale, who admits to not being a Marvel fan. However, Darren, a self-confessed Marvel nerd and sci-fi geek, doesn’t like it at all.
There are lots of negatives for Shaynna who basically ends up describing the entire space as “crap”. She thinks the white cabinetry and bright fridge lights will be annoying when you’re trying to watch TV.
“This honestly is what I was hoping not to see, and something I was very happy that we didn’t see in Houses 1 and 3. I think that the treatments we have seen in each of the other houses feels more residential,” Darren adds.
House 5 – Kirsty and Jesse
Right from the door they open to walk into the cinema, the judges are wowed by Kirsty and Jesse’s room. Shaynna even gasps before letting out a sigh of relief at how “cinematic” the space is.
For Darren, the use of cinema seats with cup holders actually works in this room, giving him a dilemma after praising House 1 and 3 for using lounge furniture.
“It’s very like a proper cinema, and it still feels like it’s part of a home,” he says, adding that it works here, unlike Josh and Luke’s, because of the finesse.
The “old-school” styling, with vintage movie posters and projector, gets approval from Shaynna. Darren agrees, especially with the cinema snacks, which are styled in a residential way.
Neale is pleased to see Kirsty and Jesse had taken on their feedback about making their styling less kitsch.
“We’ve seen Kirsty and Jesse paring back, knowing when to stop,” Neale says.
The judges’ only negative was the lack of sound insulation which they think can easily be added. With only that issue, the home cinema is Kirsty and Jesse’s best room so far.
Time for the judges scores:
- Ronnie and Georgia: 28.5
- Mitch and Mark: 28.5
- Tanya and Vito: 25.5 (after a 2 point deduction for the cheating scandal)
- Josh and Luke: 19 (after a 2 point deduction for the cheating scandal)
- Kirsty and Jesse: 29
The win goes to Kirsty and Jesse, who also get a 10 from Neale, adding an extra $5,000 to their kitty.
Mitch and Mark also receive a 10 from Shaynna, giving them a $5,000 bonus for the budget too.
It’s a sweet victory for the team dubbed “Switzerland” after staying well clear of the schedule scandal, and the drama that erupted because of it.
Tougher times are ahead though with another Bathroom Week, because it’s not just one bathroom but every bathroom left in their houses.
This article was originally published by Nine.com.au. Reproduced with permission
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