The Block 2026 guest bedroom reveal: Alice Stolz slams Rick and Tayla's room as "not worthy"

This week’s room reveal was a challenge for the ages. And the stakes matched it.

Win it, and the contestants have their pick of the houses – possibly putting themselves on a fast-track to win The Block 2026.

This year, unlike previous seasons, the house you end up with is not based on chance or luck. It’s essentially based on how quickly you hit the ground running in week one. It’s game on from the get-go.

The property pickings are rich this season: the most incredible view; the best floor plan; the biggest land parcel; or the most accessible site? It’s a smorgasbord of choice for the team in the top spot on the podium.

Darren’s pointed suggestion that the contestants take inspiration from style maestro Axel Vervoordt set the benchmark high. The doyen of good taste is renowned for his impeccably elegant eye and remarkable ability to make everything he touches look effortless. No pressure.

Adam and Jolene’s guest room ticked all the boxes and was delivered to a high standard. For me though, it felt too homogenised, a bit too safe and without enough flair.

Chantel and Wyatt’s room lacked oomph, and the poor paintwork was unmissable. It was let down further by their decision to add decorative mouldings. Yes, they’re lovely, and they’re elegant, but they are not for a modern luxury beach compound. Know thy market.

Stepping into Courtney and Sev’s room was a moment of enlightenment. Here was a team that had taken a risk and pushed themselves to think outside the box.

Their “bedhead wall” of pleated fabric topped with a marble ledge was unique and luxurious. So, too, were the lumpy organic wall sconces and the warm wooden ceiling.

This was a room with depth and just enough subtle luxury.

Those rendered doors, though, were a no-no and a naughty (albeit inventive) misstep.

Lisa and Rosco had a good stab at using layers and textures to add warmth and personality, but their execution made it lack conviction.

And so, to Rick and Tayla, who I was maddeningly disappointed by.

The other rooms might have been a bit “flat”, but for the most part they were delivered in a decent state.

Rick and Tayla’s guest bedroom was not only bland, it also left me wanting tea and sympathy.

They did not even get the basics right. Poorly placed power points, no functional lights, no curtains, sloppy painting, hidden mess and a mattress propped up with books on an off-centre bed – it was akin to a uni share house.

It is not a room worthy of The Block nor Melbourne’s luxury property market.

Mount Eliza was once a sleepy coastal suburb, but it’s now a blue-chip lifestyle area. The appeal is that it’s not the city and not the country – a Goldilocks suburb that, for many people, feels “just right”.

It’s an area dominated by families. To sell well, these luxury houses have to have heart and soul and be capable of withstanding heavy-duty family use for decades.

Buyers at this level of the market, particularly in this current climate, are incredibly discerning and will smell a slap-dash effort a mile away.

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Rick and Tayla have got energy, passion and determination in spades. But they’ve got to apply it in the right way. Where was the discipline and commitment in renovating their guest bedroom? If you’re on The Block, you can’t phone it in, and you can’t be slap-dash and think “that’ll do”.

They have to recalibrate now. Going forward, they need to consider equal amounts of strategy, style and substance to right the wrongs of this week.

And they need to draw on what I am sure likely binds their father-daughter relationship: commitment, grit, love and dedication. And, of course, a keen sense of adventure.