The Block 2018 Recap: Challenge Apartment Weeks

With only a few more episodes to go, season 14 is coming to an end. This season has been filled with joy and laughter, tears and drama (thanks Sara), reno disasters and hilarious comments (props to Norm & Jess). But before The Block finishes off and the apartments go to auction, the contestants still have to prove themselves as skilled builders in this week’s challenge to score the pot of gold (or in this case a $100,000 payoff).

Challenge Apartment Week 1

At the beginning of Challenge Apartment Week 1, half of the apartment rooms were split up among the couples to complete by the end of the week. While everyone was working over the top of each other, it got quite messy and out of control and Keith feared for everyone’s safety. Fortunately, no one was in danger or got hurt, besides Norm who struggled with back issues, but he seems to be doing okay now.

The contestants were not happy about having to renovate last week and there was a fear that not all of the apartments will be completed in time. Sara and Hayden were already behind schedule and their bad luck continued, as they tried to set up the drain in their bathroom. Norm worked on the master bedroom and a walk-in wardrobe with Jess, he was beyond exhausted and couldn’t wait for The Block to be over. Meanwhile, our two down to earth netballers Bianca and Carla were absolutely smashing it, even though they don’t have any construction experience.

After a week of sleepless nights and hard work, it was time to put the tools down and reveal the apartments.

•  Kerry and Spencer chose wallpaper with a Melbourne vibe: a graffitied laneway; but the judges were not impressed, neither by the wallpaper nor by the bedhead (which was “even worse”). Final score: 20.5.
•  Courtney and Hans ’ wallpaper from England on the other hand is apparently on-trend right now, Shaynna absolutely loved it. And even though it’s quite colourful, she felt a sense of calm. Final score: 28.5.
• “Nice” and “beautiful” is how the judges reacted to Hayden and Sara’s bathroom. While they all loved the bathtub and fitting, they had different opinions on the tile choice. Final score: 27.5.
•  Jess and Norm were able to complete their master suite just in time with the help of their neighbours, but in the end, the judges felt uninspired by the “mismatch” of the room. Final score: 20.
• Shaynna loved the floral wallpaper Bianca and Carla chose for their en-suite. Only Darren had something to criticise: the lighting decisions. Final score: 23.5.

Challenge Apartment Week 2

The feeling of nostalgia spreads among the contestants, as the last week of The Block begins. Before the blockheads jumped right into the renovations of the remaining rooms, they inspected each others’ reno work of the challenge apartment week one.

Challenge apartment week two starts

While Hans and Courtney were still stoked about getting 20k off their auction reserve and Hayden felt pumped for the last week, Norm took a break and Carla suffered from a migraine. Bianca on the other hand felt motivated and surprised when she asked Hayden for a favour – to add a nib wall where their spaces join – and he said yes! Who would have thought that? At the same time, Jess worked on bills and checked invoices, convinced Sara and Hayden have gone over budget. Later on, she discovered that they were actually under budgeting.