The Block NZ
| The Block NZ | |
|---|---|
| File:TheblockNZ logo.png The Block NZ logo | |
| Presented by | Mark Richardson Shannon Ryan |
| Country of origin | New Zealand |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Production location | Auckland: Takapuna(Season One) Belmont(Season Two) |
| Running time | Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 7:30pm |
| Original release | |
| Network | TV3 |
| Release | July 4, 2012 – Present |
The Block NZ is a New Zealand reality show based on the popular Australian TV series, The Block. The show premiered on TV3 on July 4, 2012. It premiered in Australia on Go! Channel on 12 August 2012.
The show is hosted by former Black Cap Mark Richardson, and also features Shannon Ryan as the challenge presenter.[1] Season One's judges were Victoria Bidwell and Stewart Harris.[2] Season Two's judges are Jeremy Hansen, the editor of HOME New Zealand magizine since 2005, and Janice Kumar-Ward, founder of The Recipes in 2008.
Season One follows four couples as they compete against each other to completely renovate four houses on Anzac Street in Takapuna[3] and then sell them at auction. Each couple will keep any profit made on the house, with the winner receiving an additional $80,000.[4]
Season Two premiered on Monday 26 August and runs 3 days a week for 10 weeks. The four couples are brothers Pete and Andy, Alisa and Koan, Alice and Caleb and Loz and Tom. The Block houses are located at North Shore in the suburb of Belmont. Each couple will keep any profit made on the house, with the winner receiving an additional $80,000.[5]
The winners of Season Two were Auckland couple Alice and Caleb Pearson, whose house sold for $1,126,000. That pocketed them with $181,000 above reserve price and an additional $80,000 for having the largest profit margin.
Development
The series was initially announced on February 24, 2012 when a casting call went out[6] and saw over 1,000 couples apply.[7] The four selected couples were announced on the official Facebook page on June 17, 2012.[8]
The series differs from the Australian show in several ways including the removal of elimination week, as the four couples who will move into The Block have already been announced. The New Zealand version also only aired twice a week in Season 1 and thrice in Season 2,[8] versus the Sunday to Friday schedule of the Australian show.
Contestants
Season one
| Couple (ages)[7] | Relationship | Hometown[7] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Adams (20) and Richard Boobyer (24) | Love Birds[9] | Hamilton | |
| Ginny Death (22) and Rhys Wineera (23) | Teenage Sweethearts[10] | New Plymouth | |
| Libby (29) and Ben (31) Crawford | Siblings[11] | Christchurch/Auckland | |
| Rachel Rasch (35) and Tyson "Ty" Hill (36) | Engaged[12] | Wellington | |
Season two
| Couples | Relationship | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| Pete (26) and Andy Walker(23) | Brothers | Rangitikei |
| Alisa Keall-Grant(23) and Koan Vette(25) | Paers | Auckland |
| Alice (26) and Caleb Pearson(26) | Married | Auckland |
| Loz (29) and Tom Heaphy(31) | Married | Nelson |
Season One
Week 1
Episode one: The four couples meet for the first time and are given the task of finding one of four Mazda BT50s before making their way around Auckland to locate four red blocks each that are worth $5,000 and reach the Block first to determine the order the houses are chosen.
After finding the first red block, teams were given a choice to build a toolbox to the same standards as one previously built by Mark to earn a bonus red block, or to continue on the hunt and increase their chances of reaching the houses first. All four teams opted to complete this additional task and receive $25,000 in total.
Ginny and Rhys arrive first at the Block and select house four, Libby and Ben arrive second and select house three, Sarah and Richard arrive third and select house two and Rachel and Ty arrive last and are given house one.
Episode two: The four couples enter their houses for the first time and are all shocked to see just how bad a condition they are in. After spending an entire day cleaning up the houses, the teams all meet Shannon Ryan, the Games Master, and Peter, the Construction Supervisor.
After learning that the first room they will be required to deliver will be the second bedroom, everyone hires builders and electricians as work begins.
Episode three: The couples begin their first room renovation, the second bedroom, and Mark challenges them to build a wall to his exact measurements - with a prize that will turn the competition upside down, the winning team of this weeks challenge have the opportunity to swap houses with another team.
Episode four: Ginny and Rhys deliver their house swap verdict. Shannon sets the couples a distressing challenge, the couples are each given a brand new bedside table and are required to distress the table to make it look like a piece of antique furniture. Judges Victoria Bidwell and Stewart Harris assess the first room makeovers. The winners of the first weeks renovation is Libby and Ben with a score of 11.5 out of 20.
Week 2
Episode five: The teams are required to build a piece of furniture from recycled material. This week room is the study/childs bedroom, teams are required to furnish the room with recycled furniture.
Episode six: The challenge is a plumbing challenge, each team must run piping from a starting point to a tap. The first team to get water flowing through the tap wins the competition. Rachael & Tyson are the winning team of this weeks challenge.
Week 3
Episode seven: This week the teams are required to renovate the bathroom and laundry. The challenge this week is for each team to cook and host a meal for the other teams. The other teams are required to score the teams on their hosting of the meal.
Episode eight: The team challenge this week ran over two nights with the first two teams hosting their meal on the first night and the second two team hosting their meal tonight. Sarah and Richard choose a strategic vote giving all other teams a score of 1 out 10 thinking other teams will more than likely make a similar move. Sarah and Richard win this weeks challenge and receive a lot of criticism for their choice to score the other teams a low score in order to win the competition. The winning team of this weeks room was Ginny and Rhys with a score of 14.5 out of 20.
Week 4
Episode nine: This week the teams are required to complete the Lounge and Hallway. Today's challenge was to build a dog house, the winning team of the dog house challenge was Libby and Ben. Part of the winning prize was that the winning team won $2000 but they had to take this money from another team of their choice. Libby and Ben chose to take this money from Sarah and Richard who the previous week chose to sabotage the competition by scoring all teams 1 out 10 in the meal challenge.
Episode ten: The teams were given a room full of furniture but with everything painted in white. The teams were required to colour the rooms and furniture in colours of their own choice with the best choice of colour winning the competition. Libby and Ben were the winners of the Lounge and Hallway with a score of 15.5 out of 20.
Week 5
Episode eleven: This week the teams were required to complete the kitchen and dining areas. The challenge for today was to redesign a balcony of an Auckland waterfront apartment. The teams were given an apartment each and required to decorate the area in any design of their choice.
Episode twelve: The teams were required to decorate a room for a magazine shoot, the teams were allowed to hire expensive furniture items for this challenge. Once the room was designed and photographed the teams had to create their own magazine page layout.
Week 6
Episode thirteen: The final interior room was decorated this week, the master bedroom and ensuite. Today's challenge was to create a mosaic art work from broken tiles, the teams had to also incorporate pieces of broken plates and cups into their design.
Episode fourteen: The teams were required to complete a maze challenge where they must run through a maze to find pieces of outdoor furniture, once the pieces are found the teams are required to assemble the furniture. This week there were two prizes, one for the best master bedroom and one for the best ensuite. Ginny and Rhys were the winning team for the master bedroom with a score of 18 out of 20, Libby and Ben had the winning ensuite with a score of 8 out of 10.
Week 7
Episode fifteen: The competition now moves outside with teams competiting to landscape the front of their section and start on the exterior paintwork of the house. Today's challenge was for the teams to create a flower arrangement, a requirement of the challenge was the men from each team were required to create the arrangement all the women on each team could do was advise their partner verbally on how to create the arrangement. The prize was to grab as much money possible from a money tree in sixty seconds.
Episode sixteen: Work on the front of the section continued with Sarah and Richard plantting a large palm tree on their property upsetting their neighbours. The challenge today was to build an eco friendly challenge with each team required to build a compost bin. The winning team took home a selection of plants for the garden with the runners up taking home a smaller value in plants.
Week 8
Episode seventeen: The final room challenge and this time teams are required to landscape the backyard. The teams are given this time 10 days to complete the challenge instead of the usual 7 days, teams are required to use the 3 additional days to finish off and fix the rest of the property and present the house for auction. The challenge today was to build a feature in the garden out of paving blocks, the winners were Rachel and Tyson with their herb garden.
Episode eighteen: Work on the backyard continues a winner is not revealed this week as the challenge carries on into the next week. Today's challenge was to market the house for auction to a team of real estate agents.
Week 9
Episode nineteen: The final week and a two-hour episode. In the first half of the episode teams work hard to complete the backyard and finish off the rest of the house. Sarah and Richard were the winning team with a score of 18.5 out 20. At the conclusion of the final room challenge the teams return to their homes for four weeks before competiting in the final challenge. The final challenge consisted of two parts the first part the teams were required to clean and present the house for auction and for final judging. The houses were then judged by New Zealand celebrities who feature on various TV3 shows. The second part to the challenge was for each team to pick one part of the house they would like to see fixed up or improved. After writing down their wishes the final part of the challenge was to have another team carry out that wish for them. The prize for the final challenge determined the order the houses were auctioned in.
Episode twenty: The final episode, also a two-hour episode, featured a look back at the competition over the past 10 weeks and the final auction. The results of the final challenge were revealed with winners Libby and Ben choosing to auction their house first. Second place, Ginny and Rhys choose to auction the house third, third place Sarah and Richard chose to auction the house second leaving Tyson and Rachel to auction their house last. In the final hour of the show the houses were auctioned on live TV. The winners were revealed to be Libby and Ben with a profit of $157,000. The prize was to take home $80,000 in addition to the profit made.
Results for 2012
Room Reveals
| Week | Room | Winning Couple(s) | Total Scores |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2nd bedroom | Libby & Ben | 11.5/20 |
| 2 | Study/Child's Room | Rachael & Tyson | |
| 3 | Bathroom & Laundry | Ginny & Rhys | 14.5/20 |
| 4 | Lounge & Hallway | Libby & Ben | 15.5/20 |
| 5 | Kitchen & Dinning | ||
| 6 | Master Bedroom | Ginny & Rhys | 18/20 |
| Ensuite | Libby & Ben | 8/10 | |
| 7 | Front Yard | Sarah & Richard | |
| 8–9 | Back Yard | Sarah & Richard |
Challenges
| Week | Challenge | Winning Couple | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Blocks | Ginny & Rhys | $5,000 for every red block picked up + first choice of house for first |
| Wall To Wall | Ginny & Rhys | House Swap Verdict | |
| Distressed Table | Ginny & Rhys | ||
| 2 | Recycled Second Hand Furniture | Rachael & Tyson | |
| 3 | Plumbing | Rachael & Tyson | |
| Dinner Wars | Sarah & Richard | Party of Dulux to paint the exterior of their house | |
| 4 | Dog House | Libby & Ben | $2,000 from a couple of the winner's choice |
| 5 | Redesign a Balcony of an Auckland Waterfront Apartment | Sarah & Richard | |
| Magazine Shoot | |||
| 6 | Mosaic | Rachael & Tyson | |
| Maze & Outdoor Furniture | |||
| 7 | Floral Arrangement | Sarah & Richard | 1 minute grabbing from the money tree |
| 8 | Feature Garden | Rachael & Tyson | Tradies paid by Mark for 1 day |
| 8 | Real State Challenge |
Auction Results
| Couple | Auction spot | Reserve | Amount sold/passed in for at auction | Profit made |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libby and Ben | First auctioned | $804,000 | $961,000 | $157,000+80,000 |
| Sarah and Richard | Second auctioned | $806,000 | $870,000 | $57,000 |
| Ginny and Rhys | Third auctioned | $794,000 | $805,000 | $11,000 |
| Rachel and Tyson | Fourth auctioned | $798,000 | $798,000 | $0 |
Reception
Ratings
| Episode | Original airdate | Timeslot | Viewers | Timeslot rank |
Nightly rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 4, 2012 | Wednesday 7:30 pm–8:35 pm | 367,920[13] | 4th[13] | 5th[13] |
| 2 | July 5, 2012 | Thursday 7:30 pm–8:35 pm | 323,910[14] | 4th[14] | 6th[14] |
| 3 | July 11, 2012 | Wednesday 7:30 pm–8:35 pm | 325,080[15] | 4th[15] | 6th[15] |
| 4 | July 12, 2012 | Thursday 7:30 pm–8:35 pm | 290,710[16] | 4th[16] | 7th[16] |
| 5 | July 18, 2012 | Wednesday 7:30 pm–8:35 pm | 352,650[17] | 4th[17] | 7th[17] |
| 6 | July 19, 2012 | Thursday 7:30 pm–8:35 pm | 301,470[18] | 4th[18] | 7th[18] |
| 7 | July 25, 2012 | Wednesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 381,420[19] | 3rd[19] | 4th[19] |
| 8 | July 26, 2012 | Thursday 7:30 pm–8:35 pm | 303,740[20] | 4th[20] | 7th[20] |
| 9 | August 1, 2012 | Wednesday 7:30 pm–8:35 pm | 401,440[21] | 3rd[21] | 6th[21] |
| 10 | August 2, 2012 | Thursday 7:30 pm–8:35 pm | 332,380[22] | 4th[22] | 6th[22] |
Season Two
The second series of The Block NZ premiered on Monday 26 August and runs 3 days a week for 10 weeks. The four couples are brothers Pete and Andy, Alisa and Koan, Alice and Caleb and Loz and Tom. The Block houses are located at North Shore in the suburb of Belmont on Lake Road and Everliegh Road.
Week 1
Episode one: The four couples meet for the first time and are given the task of finding one of four Mazda 6 and find their own tool belt before making their way around Auckland to locate five red blocks each that are worth $20,000 and reach the Block first to determine the order the houses are chosen.
After finding the first two red blocks in their tool belt and Mazda 6, teams have to build a letterbox for the house. All four teams completed this task and received an amount of money from Mark, who judged them out of 20 in total.
Their next red block was at the Quarry. Shannon instructed them that tne person takes the diggers to the gravel while the other one will do the digging.
The last block was at the beach.
Alisa and Koan arrived first at the Block and select house two, but there was a twist. They also had to choose the houses for the other contestants. Alice and Caleb were given house one, Pete and Andy house three, and Loz and Tom were given house four.
Episode two: The four couples go into their houses and find it as a tip. The next morning they wake up to an early start to renovate the house. Mark calls them for breakfast. He tells them who their construction supervisor is, Peter.
Episode three: In this episode the couples get to see how the judges judge them in their challenge rooms. The get 7 hours and they have to finish it in that time. Their judges are Jeremy Hansen and Janice Kumar-Ward. The winner gets to swap houses. The winner was Pete and Andy with a score of 7 out of 10.
Episode four: The couples find out that noone is swapping houses. They start their second bedroom and get to see the challenge house. Their challenge was to make a board with wallpaper the same as Mark's and they have to put their house number on it. The winner is Pete and Andy again.
Episode five: The couples do their rooms getting ready in time for judging. Shannon has a challenge for them. They have to upcycle a furnitiure. The winner was Alice and Caleb.
Episode six: The couples finish their rooms. The winners are Alice and Caleb again with a score of 15 out of 20.
Week 2
Episode seven: They start their kids bedroom. The couples are obliged to use the beds they made in the previous challenge.
Episode eight: The couples do their rooms getting ready in time for judging. Shannon has a challenge for them. They have to connect the water from one end to the other using pipes. The winner was Alisa and Koan.
Episode nine: The couples finish their rooms. Alice and Caleb get disqualified by Mark with 12.5/20. Winners are Loz and Tom with 12/20.
Week 3
Episode ten: The couples start their bathroom and laundry. Also dinner war starts, here is the order: Alice & Caleb, Alisa & Koan, Pete & Andy and finally Loz & Tom. Alice & Caleb got 20/30 for food and Alisa & Koan got 20.9/30 for food.
Results for 2013
Room Reveals
| Week | Room | Winning Couple(s) | Total Scores |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2nd Bedroom | Alice & Caleb | 15/20 |
| 2 | Kids Bedroom | Loz & Tom | 12/20 |
| 3 | Bathroom | Loz and Tom | |
| 4 | Living Room | Alisa and Koan | |
| 5 | Kitchen, Dining and Study | Loz and Tom | |
| 6 | Master Bedroom | Alisa and Koan | |
| En-suite | Alisa and Koan | ||
| 7 | Front Yard | Pete and Andy | |
| 8 | Back Yard | Loz and Tom |
Challenges
| Week | Room | Winning Couple(s) | Total Scores |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Challenge house | Pete & Andy | Swap house |
| Wallpaper | Pete & Andy | Builders | |
| Upcycle | Alice & Caleb | $5,000 giftcard from freedom | |
| 2 | Kids bed | Loz & Tom | Night at the Rendozona Hotel |
| Underwater piping | Alisa & Koan | Bathroom upgrade |
Auction Results
| Auction spot | Couple | Reserve | Sale Price | Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pete & Andy | $925,000 | $952,000 | $27,000 |
| 2 | Loz & Tom | $922,000 | $947,000 | $25,000 |
| 3 | Alice & Caleb | $945,000 | $1,126,000 | $181,000 |
| 4 | Alisa & Koan | $948,000 | $1,014,000 | $66,000 |
References
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=416657795034103&set=a.416657788367437.94025.351182018248348
- ^ http://www.nzherald.co.nz/television/news/article.cfm?c_id=339&objectid=10808764
- ^ http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/north-shore-times/7013995/Bargains-on-The-Block
- ^ http://www.tv3.co.nz/Shows/TheBlockNZ/AboutTheBlock.aspx
- ^ http://www.tv3.co.nz/Shows/TheBlockNZ/AboutTheBlock.aspx
- ^ http://www.throng.co.nz/2012/02/tv3-casting-for-the-block-nz/
- ^ a b c http://www.3news.co.nz/The-Block-NZ-contestants-been-revealed/tabid/418/articleID/258608/Default.aspx
- ^ a b https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=433811013318781&set=a.416657788367437.94025.351182018248348&type=1
- ^ http://www.tv3.co.nz/Shows/TheBlockNZ/Couples/SarahandRichard.aspx
- ^ http://www.tv3.co.nz/Shows/TheBlockNZ/Couples/GinnyandRhys.aspx#http://cdn.tv3.co.nz/tv/AM/2012/6/13/77889/the_block_cast12_186.jpg?crop=auto&maxwidth=620&maxheight=415
- ^ http://www.tv3.co.nz/Shows/TheBlockNZ/Couples/LibbyandBen.aspx#http://cdn.tv3.co.nz/tv/AM/2012/6/13/77884/the_block_cast12_088.jpg?crop=auto&maxwidth=620&maxheight=415
- ^ http://www.tv3.co.nz/Shows/TheBlockNZ/Couples/RachelandTyson.aspx
- ^ a b c http://www.throng.co.nz/2012/07/tv-ratings-4-july-2012/
- ^ a b c http://www.throng.co.nz/2012/07/tv-ratings-5-july-2012/
- ^ a b c http://www.throng.co.nz/2012/07/tv-raings-11-july-2012/
- ^ a b c http://www.throng.co.nz/2012/07/tv-ratings-12-july-2012/
- ^ a b c http://www.throng.co.nz/2012/07/tv-ratings-18-july-2012/
- ^ a b c http://www.throng.co.nz/2012/07/tv-ratings-19-july-2012/
- ^ a b c http://www.throng.co.nz/2012/07/tv-ratings-25-july-2012/
- ^ a b c http://www.throng.co.nz/2012/07/tv-ratings-26-july-2012/
- ^ a b c http://www.throng.co.nz/2012/08/tv-ratings-1-august-2012/
- ^ a b c http://www.throng.co.nz/2012/08/tv-ratings-2-august-2012/
