Are you blocking ready for another season of The Block? I know I blocking am!!!!
From the concept to the contestants, this season is bound to be a doozy. We’re now onto season 19 of the beloved renovation series and my favourite thing is seeing what new angle the marketing team takes to make the promotional material seem fun, fresh, and new.
This year they’ve run with a 1950s-themed photoshoot. It’s got everything you could ask for; Gold Logie nominee Scott Cam in a wig, gals in a red lip, and some old-school cars.
Is it a strange theme for a reality show about renovating? Yes, but it’ll all make sense in a minute.
If you want to have a geez at the teaser trailer for the season, click here. In the meantime, here’s everything you need to know.
What’s this season’s premise on The Block 2023?
This year, the blockheads are going back in time to The Golden Age. They’re being tasked to renovate five retro homes built in the 1950s in the family-friendly suburb of Hampton East, Victoria. Positioned on Charming Street, these homes still have their original furnishings and structures in place.
While that’s amazing for contestants who love to add a bit of vintage flair to their designs, it can be pretty fkn challenging to make the logistics of old stuff work with new stuff.
Clearly, that’s not the technical term but you know what I mean.
Who is competing on The Block 2023?
We’ve got five brave teams of blockheads joining the show this year. We don’t know too much about them just yet, but here’s what we’ve got so far.
Eliza and Liberty
Liberty Paschke and Eliza Paschke are sisters from Victoria.
Liberty is an integration producer and Eliza is a radio producer who has worked as Hamish Blake and Andy Lee‘s assistant for the last decade. She also has a podcast called Finding A Unicorn with former Married At First Sight contestant Carly Bowyer.
With her connections to the world of Aussie radio showbiz, there have already been whispers that Hamish might be making a cheeky appearance on this season of The Block.
According to Woman’s Day, Mr. LegoMasters and his beauty mogul wife Zoë Foster-Blake are considering snapping up one of the finished properties.
“They know what a good investment The Block houses are – and even though they’ve been living in Sydney for three years now, Melbourne will always be home for them. This would be just the perfect place to stay when they visit,” a source told the mag.
“Not to mention, it could potentially help their assistant and dear friend take home the extra $100,000 prize money if they win.”
JUICY!
Also, after having a geez at the gorgeously kitsh renovation of Hamish and Zoë’s Sydney property, I wouldn’t be surprised if the 1950s vibe is right down their alley.
Kyle and Leslie
Kyle and Leslie Cottone are a couple from Western Australia. Kyle is a firefighter which is inherently a hot job and professionally Leslie is a teaching aide. But on the side, the young parents are giving all Gen Z youth a run for their money on TikTok.
BLESS THEM!
According to The Daily Mail Australia, these two aren’t afraid of taking risks when it comes to designing their home.
Leah and Ash
Leah and Ash Milton are from Queensland. According to their official bios, Leah works as a first aid officer while Ash works as a builder. But these two are also the parents of three kids and own a family-run building company called The Milton Project. Talk about overachievers!
With the building know-how under their belt, these two will be the ones to watch.
Kristy and Brett
Kristy and Brett Beams are a couple from South Australia. The Daily Mail Australia describes them as being “down-to-earth Adeladians”, whatever that means.
According to their bios, Kristy works as a project manager and Brett is a safety officer. Both professions seem to fit pretty dang nicely with renovation work. I bet they’ve been applying to this show for yonks.
Steph and Gian
NSW-based couple Steph and Gian Ottavio are the youngest team on the series this year. At 27 years old they’re in it to win it.
Steph is an architect who has her own company, SjO Architects, while Gian is a start-up worker. I’m excited to see Steph get her hands dirty when it comes to the design process.
Who is judging The Block 2023 this year?
There’s some fresh new judging blood on The Block this year!
Joining the established trio of Shaynna Blaze, Darren Palmer and Neale Whitaker is real estate guru Marty Fox.
With a name like that, it’s actually wild that he avoided the reality television spotlight for this long.
Marty is the CEO of WHITE FOX Real Estate, and according to the bio on his website, he is a “serial property flipper” and a “respected figure of success”. He’s also a father of three, and if I’m being totally honest, a little bit of a daddy.
As we’ve got Marty stepping up to the plate, Neale has decided to take a step back in his role as a judge.
“I’m very proud to be completing my 17th season as a judge on The Block,” he wrote on IG.
“It’s an amazing privilege to have been part of this iconic show for 13 years. For the 2023 season, however, I’ve put family first and cut back on my judging weeks. My partner of 20 years, David, experienced some serious health issues earlier this year and my priority has been to spend more time at home.”
We love a boundary-creating king!
When does The Block premiere 2023?
So far, Channel Nine haven’t released a date announcing when The Block Season 19 will be hitting our screens. They’ve just said that it’s “coming soon”.
But you better believe we’ll let you know as soon as we hear whispers blowing in the renovation wind.
