Two veterans of The Block have revealed the homes they think could take out the win at next Sunday's auctions, and it appears to be a two-horse race.
Just like the thousands of Australians watching the action of The Block auctions unfold on their television screens next Sunday night, judge Shaynna Blaze will be doing the same.
“We are there cheering them on the TV and because it's filmed the day before, it's kept under wraps so we don’t know [the results],” she told realestate.com.au. “That's what I love about it too, is that I get involved.”
The veteran Block judge said early on in her time being part of the Block juggernaut, she learnt quickly that being present at the auctions was not always the best.
“I went the very first year I was on it. We [Darren and Neale] went there to the auction and just stayed in the room with the family and the parents and realised that if they weren't getting the numbers they wanted, that we weren’t welcome,” she said.
The Block judge Shaynna Blaze has revealed what she expects on auction day. Picture: Alex Coppel.
Buyer's agent and The Block regular Frank Valentic will be holding a paddle on auction day, and he believes it will be a two horse race between Britt and Taz's House 3 and Robby and Mat’s House 5.
“In terms of my buyer feedback at the moment, they are saying that Britt and Taz’s house three will win as buyers like that flow, the cohesiveness, the energy, the lights, their whole wellness theme,” Mr Valentic told realestate.com.au.
“Everyone thinks it's a very, very connected house in terms of how it sort of all flows.
Perth duo Britt and Taz are favourites to take out the win. Picture: Channel 9/9Now
“My buyers' feedback for the boys in House 5 would be their house’s position, it's probably the best position on the block, in terms of it's right at the end, overlooking farmlands, a private treed outlook,” he said.
Robby and Mat's House 5 is another frontrunner. Picture: Channel 9/9Now
“Whereas the other end, there's more of a development there, so there is some more privacy overlooking issues.”
But despite these potential privacy overlooking issues, Shaynna thinks Emma and Ben's House 1 design could win over buyers with its dark aesthetic of Daylesford.
The Block auction date confirmed
With Channel 9 officially confirming The Block auctions will go to air on Sunday, October 26, all five Daylesford homes will go under the hammer the day before on October 25.
The team whose house sells for the highest profit above the reserve price not only walks away with any money above the reserve, but they also get a $100,000 bonus prize.
Buyer's agent Frank Valentic will be back to bid on auctions this year.
As for which team could take home the winnings, Shaynna believed all The Blockheads stood a chance.
“Well, again who knows? I think, for me, there's so many. Everyone's got something special,” she said.
But she could not hide her adoration of Perth cops, Britt and Taz’s efforts on House 3.
“I think it's been very obvious that every time Britt and Taz does something I like, I just fall in love,” she said.
“As a designer and building so many houses and being part of so many houses, I'm a big believer that the love is in the walls and you feel it and you walk into their rooms and you felt it every time, the care that went into it.”
Britt and Taz have focused on wellness in House 3. Picture: Channel 9/9Now
She said Robby and Mat’s wine cellar was without a doubt a masterstroke.
“I give them so much kudos for that,” she said. “I think Brit and Taz’s lounge room, how they did a vaulted ceiling with all the lighting was just absolutely stunning,” she said.
“And a real standout would definitely be Han and Can with that resin bath and resin basin, like, go them for going really out on a limb, and they absolutely nailed it.”
Adrian 'Lambo Guy' Portelli could be back for 2025
With one of The Block's serial bidders 'Lambo Guy' Adrian Portelli buying all five properties from the last season in Phillip Island, he announced 2024 would be his last year bidding.
But an Instagram post from Ray White Sunbury director Aaron Hill and agent Jamee Favorito - the agency tasked with selling House 1 - appears to show Mr Portelli standing in House 1's wine cellar.
Mr Portelli appears to be standing in Emma and Ben's wine cellar with selling agent Aaron Hill of Ray White. Picture: Instagram @aaronhill_raywhiterealestate
Emma and Ben's wine cellar in House 1.
While Mr Valentic did not know Mr Portelli’s intentions for this year, he said there has been talk that he attended a party at House 1 just last week, and there were rumours serial bidder Danny Wallis may attend the auctions.
“Hopefully there will be more everyday Australians bidding but Danny and that might still be there, because there's rumours there that he's still sort of potentially looking at having some interest,” he said.
“Hopefully there is more opportunity [for other buyers] because last year we had three keen buyers, but we didn't get a look in, and we hardly had a chance to bid as they all sold well above market value, well above our client's budget,” he said.
“So hopefully this year, it gives the normal, average mum and dad investor, home buyer, an opportunity to get in.
Danny Wallis has spent more than $40m on homes from the series over the past decade. Picture: The Block.
Shaynna said this year would be about “real prices”.
“It is about people wanting to buy it because they want it for either living, or renting out,” she said.
“It's not a business opportunity, and it's not something for attention. I think it's really important …Daylesford is such a homey, beautiful place, so the fact they can buy it and feel they're part of a community when they buy it, I think that's really special.”
Shaynna’s decade plus tenure - a Block mainstay
Reflecting on the 21st year of The Block and her 13th year as judge, Shaynna summed up the season as “joyous.”
“It’s a really beautiful series to be part of, like the location, one is just amazing, and the weather just supported us, and the townspeople were amazing, and the contestants have just been incredible,” she said.
“And they've (the teams) all done something really different from each other, like, it's not one house where you could say, ‘Oh, I feel like it's a little bit like this one’. They're so distinctly different. They've all got their own personality. I think the contestants have been fantastic, I really do.
Shaynna Blaze has been a judge on The Block for 13 seasons. Picture: Channel 9
“The contestants are really focused on the reno, they're really excited about it and the fact that… they seem really grateful and appreciative, and it really comes across that way.”
Last week, The Block host Scott Cam appeared to accidentally confirm on radio that the 2026 location of The Block will take place in Mt Eliza on the Mornington Peninsula. Channel 9 has since confirmed the location.
While Shaynna said some years she is informed of what is ahead, while other years there have been times when the media finds out things before she did.
Looking ahead to next year, she said she would love to be back judging again, and said no year of The Block was ever like the other.
“There's never been one year where I have turned up going ‘rinse, lather, repeat,’ or you know, ‘This is just get getting a bit old’,” she said.
“It's just like the thrill…I love building sites. I love TV, so I get to do two things I love together, and the fact that all the contestants are going to bring something different to the table.”
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