The most shocking moments in The Block's history over 20 seasons

First up: pinpointing shocking moments on The Block across 20 years of television is tougher than it looks.

By definition, the most shocking moments should surely be the most scandalous and include the biggest meltdowns. Those moments that have had viewers agape, their takeaway Dominos pizza with its Sunday night surcharge left cold while they choke on their “it’s the last night of the weekend” pinot grigio.

Usually, these shocks are prefaced by a week-long campaign from Nine. The suspense is built up with capslock-only ads, usually in red and screaming words like BLOCKHORROR and IT’S CHEAT O’BLOCK, that cut to every contestant either crying or looking furious.

But are these truly the most shocking moments on The Block? Or are viewers now only shocked when there is no drama at all, shocked only by those short punctuations of true renovation inspiration that remind us of what The Block was created for way back in 2003?

Some would argue that an episode without some sort of drama is now the only shocking sight to behold, the only true kind of collective “NO WAY!” across-the-nation-type moment.

Certainly, the departure of Jesse and Paige on Monday night was a shock – their unravelling seemed to come out of nowhere – but the show also took on a very serious tone when it revealed the heavy toll the show can take on the mental health of contestants.

Suffice it to say, across 20 seasons, drama has not been lacking, and shocks have been aplenty – to the point where we are potentially now immune. Here are a few of Domain’s standouts:

Jimmy and Tam’s fake-bidder auction scandal – The Block 2020

In the beginning, the only shock was Jimmy and Tam’s win, which was a record-breaking $1.06 million. The couple’s Brighton house sold for $4.256 million at auction to a mystery bidder, a young cyber security specialist who managed to pip serial Block bidder Danny Wallis on the day, much to the amazement of Scotty Cam.

But the excitement soon descended into panic and outright chaos when it was revealed that the winning bidder was nothing more than a scammer who, according to Nine, “tried to cheat one of Australia’s most popular TV programs”.

Jimmy and Tam were devastated and told A Current Affair of their shock. They described how the young bidder had celebrated her win with them, cracking a bottle of champagne and crying happy tears. “It was like she was our friend,” they told ACA.

After money failed to appear in Nine’s account, the contract was declared void, and the house had to be placed back on the market. The house didn’t sell until June 2021 – seven months after The Block auctions – and for $256,000 less than the original sale price, although Jimmy and Tam got to keep their million-dollar prize money.

Tanya and Vito cheating scandal – The Block 2021

It was dubbed “the biggest scandal in Block history”, and it all came down to one photo.

Set in Hampton, this was a season of The Block in which the contestants were not given a plan of the house or a production schedule ahead of time. Instead, each room renovation was revealed to them, week by week.

However, Tanya and another teammate, Luke, had seen the production schedule on a whiteboard. Tanya had taken a photo of it and shared it with Luke, and then the two of them had lied about it. When Scott Cam confronted them about it, they eventually came clean but made up a story about an anonymous tradie sending them the photo.

Each team lost two points during basement week for their part in the scandal, but it was not until auction week that Luke finally confessed the “whole truth”, which was that there was never an anonymous tradie and that Tanya had taken the photo all along.

Despite all the drama, the CHEAT O’BLOCKS and the scandal to end all scandals, Tanya and Vito walked away with $400,000 and Luke and Josh $530,000. All’s well that ends well.

Elle and Joel walk out less than one week into the show – The Block 2022

A golden halo seemed to emanate from engaged couple Elle and Joel when they stepped out of the car in slow motion, striding across the rolling green hills of Gisborne in 2022, and they were nothing short of glorious as they looked set to take on 12 weeks of The Block.

Elle Ferguson is a well-known beauty entrepreneur and influencer, and Joel is an ex-AFL player. The cache of their presence was enough to pique the interest of some non-Block regulars as they prepared to bring their followers along on their journey.

But less than one week into the show, the couple announced they were leaving. They had just completed a 48-hour challenge – a bedroom – and received lukewarm feedback from the judges.

Scott Cam announced their sudden departure to the rest of the contestants and said there had been “no explanation” for their departure. The couple was quickly replaced by another team, Rachel and Ryan.

It was later revealed the couple had upped and left because Josh’s mother had suffered a major injury.

The first time a property failed to sell at auction – The Block 2010

The prospect of walking away with a life-changing amount of cash has always been the lure for contestants of The Block – last year’s winners, Steph and Gian, pocketed a history-making $1.75 million.

Over the years, there have been some incredibly consistent results for so many contestants. It’s easy to feel like a spot on The Block is equivalent to winning the lottery (after having to endure 12 weeks of participating in reality TV).

But not everyone leaves auction day crying happy tears. 

Melbourne couple Chez and Brenton hold the unhappy title of the first couple whose home failed to sell under the hammer on The Block. If failed auctions on The Block seem like a more recent phenomenon, they’re actually not – this was season three.

Way back in 2010, season three took place in an apartment block in Vaucluse in Sydney’s exclusive eastern suburbs. But come auction day, the renovated three-bedroom unit on the top floor of the building failed to sell.

Passing in on a bid of $865,000 – which was $15,000 short of the $880,000 reserve – the couple were crushed at the auction result.

However, it all ended well for the pair. A week after the auction, the property sold for $970,000, meaning Chez and Brenton took home $90,000.

Haydn’s wife has their first baby within days of arriving – 2024

This perhaps only qualifies as a shock for Haydn because surely the rest of us could see that his wife was imminently about to give birth. But this year’s 20th anniversary season of The Block got some dream television drama for free when Haydn got the call that his wife Chelsea was in labour.

In an absolutely beautiful moment, Haydn can be seen breathlessly frantic but sporting an ear-splitting grin. Viewers had watched on only the night before as he revealed the emotional story of how he and his wife had tried for a baby for nearly a decade, including multiple attempts at IVF, before they naturally fell pregnant with their baby.

His wife Chelsea was not expected to go into labour for another few weeks, so Haydn was shocked it had started so early. But when he got the call, there was shouting from Scotty Cam: “I’m going to be an uncle!” and Haydn was whisked off in a helicopter – Nine’s favourite mode of Block transport – to be by his wife’s side and meet his darling new baby, Matilda.

A brand new dad whisked off in a helicopter to meet a Block baby on episode two? That’s drama not even The Block producers can create.