Get ready for action, drama and plenty of tears and laughter when the hugely successful realty-renovation competition The Block 2010 premieres on Channel Nine on Wednesday, September 22, at 7.30pm.
Hosted by Scott Cam, The Block 2010 introduces four couples who are taking on one of the toughest but potentiallly most rewarding challenges they will ever face. The couples will move into four identical and near-derelict apartments in the same building, with little more than the clothes they are wearing.
Cam is no stranger to renovation but this time, in his first solo hosting role, it’s tools down. He’ll play mentor and occasional referee to the four competing couples on The Block 2010 – and with more than 30 years on the tools, there’s no one better qualified for the job.
“This time around we’ve upped the ante by giving them bigger apartments and only half the time to finish each room. One thing I can say for sure is that while I’m delighted to be the host, I’d never be a contestant,” he said.
Taking on this massive challenge in The Block 2010 are high school sweethearts John and Neisha, both 33; best mates Mark (52) and Duncan (44) who’ve already earned the nickname “The Two Fat Tradies”; engaged couple Erin (27) and Jake (26); and from Melbourne, the boyfriend and girlfriend team of Chez (28) and Brenton (27).
The couples have just eight weeks and $80,000 to out-design and out-decorate each other in a struggle to complete the best apartment. Each week the couples will present one room to judges Neale Whitaker and John McGrath in a bid to win extra cash and prizes to go towards their budget. But the winning apartment will be decided by the toughest judges of all – the buying public.
When the apartments go to auction later this year each couple will get to keep all the profit they make. The couple pocketing the most profit will also take home the ultimate cash prize of $100,000.
This year’s series is set in Vaucluse, one of Australia’s most exclusive suburbs and a real estate goldmine. Each apartment is on a grand scale with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and huge open-plan living, dining and kitchen areas. But as the renovators will discover in the first episode, big apartments mean an even bigger challenge, and winning this game means giving it everything they’ve got.