What happens when a room isn't finished on The Block?
The Block moves at breakneck speed. Twelve-plus rooms in 12 weeks is a monumental feat by anyone’s standards.
And as anyone who’s watched the show will know, some teams find it too monumental and come the Sunday night room reveal, they’ve got nothing to show but a half-completed space.
But what actually happens when a room doesn’t get finished? How much cleaning up occurs behind the scenes, and does there come a point at which contestants are asked to leave the show?
It all depends on whether the “unfinished symphony” (2025 contestants Han and Can copped this comment with their main bathroom reveal) is their fault.
What happens when it’s not their fault?
Whether it’s wild weather or tradies going MIA, there are some room reveals where incomplete rooms are unavoidable.
In these situations, judges are instructed to focus on the teams’ achievements, evaluating the work presented and the space’s overall design concept.
The 2022 winners, Omar and Oz, were forced to deliver an unfinished work-from-home space when a month’s worth of rain prevented completion of the shed’s roof, resulting in the room not being ready to renovate.
After hearing their frustrations and the impact this would have on their ability to win, Scott Cam and foreman Keith Schleiger offered to let Omar and Oz’s visiting brothers help with painting.
It would’ve been the first time in the show’s history that this cardinal Block rule (no painting help) would have been broken.
Omar and Oz declined in the name of a “fair game”, and by the time Scott Cam yelled “tools down”, they’d delivered a furnished space to give judges an idea of their concept.
“We just want to show the judges we did not give up,” Omar said. Mission accomplished.
When contestants aren’t at fault and take setbacks in their stride, the judges are surprisingly benevolent and look for the positives.
For 2024 contestants Ricky and Haydn, their main en suite was so unfinished that Foreman Dan told them to “pull the pin”. So, what went wrong?
The water stop was installed incorrectly, and the wrong primer was used, which necessitated the removal of the floor’s waterproofing.
Unfortunately, when the tilers ripped up the waterproofing, they mistakenly removed the wall’s waterproofing too, damaging the plasterboard.
Ricky and Haydn were distraught and decided to let their builder go as a result – he’d previously ditched “Waterproofing Wednesday” to attend a music festival.
“It feels to me like somebody walked off halfway through,” said Darren. Marty called it “the most unfinished room in Block history”.
Maybe they should have taken a leaf out of the book of 2014 contestants Max and Karstan, who left a handwritten note on the wall of their guest bedroom, much to the judges’ amusement: “Dear judges, a spectacular cabinet was supposed to be in this position. However, unfortunately, our cabinet maker is MIA! We hope you love our room as much as we do! P.S. Our blinds supplier is also missing in action.”
Eagle-eyed fans spotted the completed room in the Domain listing at the end of the season – it’s not known when the two finished the room. It’s clear the pair took on previous feedback from judges in other bathroom areas.
What happens when an unfinished room is their fault?
When contestants are at fault for not finishing a room, the consequences are a little harsher.
On The Block 2019, winners Tess and Luke became a cautionary tale on the importance of money management while renovating.
Ongoing budgetary woes had forced them to fire their tradies: the newlyweds, who argued they’d gotten “the lazy edit“, had considered walking off the show when the money ran out.
They took a risk – pouring their last bit of renovation budget into the studio, which was the only self-contained space of its type in all the houses.
Their last-ditch investment paid off as they won the studio room reveal and picked up a $40,000 cash injection later in the season, but not before they exchanged harsh words with Scott Cam, who told them to “finish the bloody house”.
Budget woes are one thing, but paired with a lacking work ethic, consequences are even harsher.
In 2017, Sarah and Jason found this out the hard way after presenting a main bedroom that had hardly been started. It was the first time in the show’s history that a total score of zero was given.
Judge Darren Palmer called the work a “slap in the face”, with the couple being accused of giving up on the room and taking their position as contestants for granted.
An incensed Scott Cam gave them an ultimatum: finish the main bedroom and the kitchen for the next reveal, in one week, or they’d get booted off the show.
When judge Shaynna Blaze saw the completed en suite, she wanted to shake them: “If they can do this in a week and do the kitchen at the same time … they gave up last week. There’s no denying it.”
After “the best Block comeback ever”, the two went on to place second on auction day (despite not winning a single room reveal).
Redo week: A chance to fix past mistakes
In the past, contestants have had what’s called a “redo week”, in which they’re allowed to revisit a room that wasn’t finished or garnered negative feedback.
Sometimes this goes well for contestants: 2023 contestants Steph and Gian dramatically improved their main en suite bathroom, which judges initially described as a “quarantine facility” with a “harsh” layout.
The two took this commentary on board, moving the position of the vanity and bringing warmth to the space with Venetian plaster.
Kristy and Brett, also contestants on the 2023 season, didn’t fare so well on redo week.
“This isn’t a redo room, this is an undo room,” Darren said. Brett – a tiler – had removed tiles from the shower without thinking of the time and effort required for waterproofing (it’s always the waterproofing!).
Even handwritten Post-it notes couldn’t save them, as Shaynna ripped these from the wall: “I don’t want to know about it; I don’t want excuses.”
Does “tools down” really mean tools down?
Host Scott Cam lays down the law when he calls out “tools down” every week: contestants are expected to follow this order to the letter.
This year, the timeframes for completing rooms each week are even tighter because overnight work is banned. But does this mean the homes will be auctioned off, warts and all?
While it doesn’t explicitly cover this on the show, a team of builders, cleaners and stylists does come to fix any defects before auction day.
At the end of the day, The Block is a television show, not a perfect representation of a real building site.
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