The Block 2025 finale: Britt and Taz win $520k as two homes fail to sell at auction

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And the prize for understatement of the year goes to, Scott Cam.

“It seems selling five houses on the same day in Daylesford was a bit of a tall order,” he says after tonight’s finale ended with two houses passed in.

Ya think?

It was always going to be a tall order. Five identical modern houses with huge yards and cinema rooms, saunas and wine cellars priced with identical reserves of $2,990,000 in a country town better known for its quaint cottages?

A country town that lacks the railway station necessary to be a commuter option, and whose previous record sale was well under the $3 million the houses needed to sell for to deliver big wins for the contestants?

It all seems obvious in hindsight.

MORE: Portelli’s quiet return to Block revealed

Block couple break silence on auction disaster

Shock results from Block auctions

The Block’s finale has delivered mixed fortunes. Picture: Channel 9

The victors tonight were cops Britt and Taz, the show’s first from WA. They somewhat reluctantly went first in the auction order but it paid off with $420,000 in profit plus the $100,000 prize for coming first.

Next up was Mat and Robby who were openly gutted to win $109,999 between them, thanks to a bid from Block serial pest Danny Wallis, last seen sooking about Victoria’s land taxes.

“That was f***ed,” was Mat’s response to the sale. We think he was talking about their profit but he could have been talking about Wallis once again flogging the dead horse of bidding in stupid increments.

On the one hand, it’s a bit gross to watch people cry about winning more than $100,000, but on the other, they did spend three months away from their families (including a newborn in Robby’s case) and businesses doing genuinely back-breaking work for not a huge amount more than they might have earned if they’d just stayed home.

“It’s not about the money, it’s wanting to see people fighting for it,” Mat says.

Robby eventually manages to put a brave face on it saying “It’s a beautiful house and we had the best time we’ve had in our lives.”

West Australian cops Britt and Taz have won The Block, walking away $520,000 richer. Picture: Channel 9

Then it’s on to Ben and Emma, whose house is passed in, but they’re characteristically gorgeous about it.

“Wow, I didn’t think that was going to happen,” Emma says.

“We had fun doing it. Still smiling?” Ben asks.

“Absolutely.”

The pair’s baby boy Bailey was born just weeks ago, well before his due date, so they have plenty to compensate them.

As Ben says, “I won life. Beautiful wife, beautiful baby boy, nothing else matters.”

Sonny and Alicia are up next and manage to sell their place, taking home a profit of $120,000.

They’re thrilled, particularly since they earlier won a car which they gave to Alicia’s mother to thank her for looking after their three children while they were on the show.

“It’s a bit off the mortgage, that’s massive,” Alicia says. “We’re better off than before we came in. We’re basically rich.”

Han and Can failed to attract a single bid. Picture: Channel 9

Vendor bid of $3.10 million was placed on Emma and Ben’s house. Picture: Channel 9

Then Han and Can’s house is passed in with no bids, in what has to be big one of the biggest Block finale fizzers ever.

Scott Cam points out that with the huge ratings The Block has achieved, it’s likely there will be multiple viewers out there who want to buy the passed in houses, and Shelley Craft does her best to remind the losing contestants that the houses will go back on the market immediately, but it’s not the finale any Block fan would have wanted.

The over-capitalisation of these properties makes for good entertainment in the renovating stages but means the only way to have a successful finale is through an over-reliance on irritating and unrelatable millionaires and buyers’ advocates bidding for nameless investors. And this year even that didn’t work.

Here’s hoping that when the show moves to Mount Martha next season, we might finish up with a finale featuring real people bidding on homes they actually intend to live in.

MISSED AN EPISODE?

Episode 1: Why no NSW applicants were good enough for The Block

Episode 2: The worst day on The Block

Episode 3/4: ‘Tear them off’: teams forced to rip tiles from walls

Episode 5: Judges feedback leaves one contestant vomiting

Episode 6: Dan and Dani’s heartbreak

Episode 7: The big problem with the Block house designs

Episode 8: Robby and Mat’s drunken blunder

Episode 9: ‘An up-market nursing home’

Episode 10: Can faces the wrath of Han

Episode 11: Han micromanaging from her sick bed

Episode 12: Sonny cops a spray from Alicia