The Domain Listing Challenge is officially back: The teams bring out secret weapons and surprise new additions for $50k prize

The Domain Listings and Buyers Jury challenge officially took place this week - and boy, were there some bombshells!

Unfinished rooms were transformed, secret weapons were unveiled and one Block team walked away with an eye-watering $50,000 ahead of Auction Day.

The big question remains: Who won this year? Catch the big announcement in the video above.

It all rested on the 100 potential buyers voting on their favourite house after five showstopping Open Houses.

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Who won the Domain Listings Challenge?

The votes were cast and the Blockheads held their breath as host Scott Cam announced the winners.

With a 24 per cent majority of the vote....EMMA AND BEN WON!

Scott Cam, Shelley Craft and Domain's Alice Stolz all came to crown the winner.

Here are the full results:

Emma and Ben: 24% of votes
Han and Can: 13% of votes
Britt and Taz: 21% of votes
Sonny and Alicia: 19% of votes
Robby and Mat: 23% of votes

Emma and Ben were the talk of the night as the duo hard launched not one but TWO secret weapons.

Catch the biggest bombshells of the night below:

House 2's jaw-dropping transformation

Remember Han and Can's 'Smurf City' bedroom that was apparently so bad, it made judge Marty Fox "want to vomit"?

Well, it definitely doesn't look like this anymore... as the duo unveiled the room's jaw-dropping transformation.

The buyers "were loving" the 'house of curves' and it's bold architectural detail.

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The resin bath in House 2's winning main ensuite was a big hit too!

"Stunning, absolutely stunning," one buyer reacted. "It feels retro but super modern and elevated."

House 1's sneaky double-room bombshell

Emma and Ben were holding onto one of the biggest secrets of the challenge. As the only house on posts, they plan to add two bonus room underneath their house – a wine cellar and a kids' games room.

Uh oh. Don't tell Robby and Mat.

And while they haven't started either build just yet, Domain's Alice Stolz advised House 1 to put their grand vision on display.

And that's exactly what they did.

"Smiling assassins, you two," host Shelley Craft reacted.

House 5's shock reaction

News of Emma and Ben's secret wine cellar was a big shock for Robby and Mat, who had been planning their own underground wine cellar from day one.

"No, you're lying!" said Mat when Robby revealed the truth.

They were banking on their underground wine cellar to be "the only" one on The Block this year and to be their biggest point of difference.

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But in the words of the boys, "Copying is the biggest form of flattery... but get your own idea."

House 3's not-so-secret advantage

First impressions definitely matter and with $50,000 on the line, Britt and Taz called in the big guns.

Renowned Block landscaper Troy Lovett arrived with a truck full of plants that lined House 3's glorious driveway complete with an outdoor sauna and ice bath.

Comparing House 3 to her own, a defeated Han said: "We look like a junkyard, it couldn't be more polar opposite."

While House 4's Alicia reacted: "There's no way none of us can compete with that."

House 4's surprise delivery

But Alicia's spirits were lifted when the $260,000 Titanium caravan they won in Week 6 pulled up to their front yard to be displayed on the night.

"You can bring as many saunas as you want but nothing quite beats a $260,000 caravan," said Sonny proudly.

Buyer loved the colour and unique features in their house as Sonny and Alicia also presented their re-styled living and dining room.

What are the unique features of every Block house this year?

All the Daylesford new builds are exactly the same in size and original floorplan – so the teams have had to get pretty creative in order to make their's stand out from the pack.

Here's what they're hoping will win buyers over.

House 1: Emma and Ben

While all the homes are practically the same, House 1 does have the advantage of being the only elevated house this year.

While Emma and Ben have not had much luck winning money so far, they're hoping they can turn things around in order to afford two potential secret weapons they are very excited about.

They have approval to create two rooms under their elevated house, and imagine one as a kids' games room and the other as a wine cellar.

Of course, if you've watched even a second of the season, you'll know them adding a wine cellar is bound to ruffle some feathers with another team!

House 2: Han and Can

House 2 may have a flat roof, but inside Han and Can have gone all in on softer edges.

From niche wall arches to circular sky lights, their point of difference is all about the curves they've used in each room.

A few bold calls have paid off for the girls at judging, including a very bougie amber resin tub in their winning main bathroom and the decision to switch out a window for a wine fridge in their dining.

Though the teams have yet to complete their laundry and mud rooms just yet, we know House 2 have made a significant change to the floor plan in this space which will definitely set them apart.

House 3: Britt and Taz

Britt and Taz wanted to turn House 3 into the 'wellness house' and have created a unique point of difference with their Pilates studio rumpus space.

They want to continue this idea into landscaping, with plans for an ice bath and sauna to sit outside.

House 3 also has a big advantage in their kitchen, as Britt and Taz won $175,000 worth of top end kitchen appliances at the Week 2 Room Reveal.

House 4: Sonny and Alicia

Sonny and Alicia have the only brick house this year, which they've embraced with a attention-grabbing living room fireplace in the same brick.

They also went all-in on renovating a room at the Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa for The Block's biggest ever challenge in order to win a $260,000 Titanium caravan to go alongside the home.

Thankfully, their hard work paid off and they do indeed have a very fancy caravan over at House 4!

House 5: Robby and Mat

Robby and Mat arrived in Week 1 with a bold idea they were convinced could win them The Block.

After sharing their plans for an underground wine cellar with Foreman Dan and the powers that be, they got the tick of approval and work has been going on in their 'big hole in the ground' ever since.

They've also officially won enough money to fund it, with three Room Reveals and many challenge wins under their belts. Cha ching!

While their wine cellar is no longer a secret to the other teams, Robby and Mat are yet to learn that Emma and Ben are also planning one. We're sure that will be an interesting conversation.

Thanks to challenge wins, House 5 also have some big backyard features that are sure to interest buyers: a pickleball court and outdoor fireplace worth $50k each!

What is the Domain Buyers Jury Open House Challenge?

"We have hit The Domain Buyers Jury Open House Challenge!" host Scott Cam announced to the group of shocked Blockheads.

After weeks of renovating, teams will face a big dose of reality not from the judges, but from 100 real-world potential buyers.

By hosting the ultimate soirée, teams will show off their homes to the public for the very first time. The team with the most votes by the end of the night will walk away with a whopping $50,000 towards renovations:

It's a challenge that could also lead to a sale come Auction Day.

"This is big, 50K," said Scotty. "This is the time you find out if your design choices appeal to the market."

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Working alongside their agents, each team must create compelling listings and stage their homes, ready for Open For Inspection this Thursday night.

Yep, on top of delivering a guest bedroom and guest ensuite, teams have only the most important challenge of the year to prepare.

Cue the panic.

"This week is not about creating just a beautiful space, it's about selling it," Scotty reminded them.

That's when The Block's resident property expert Alice Stolz from Domain jumped in.

"This really is judgement day, but your judges this week are going to be potential buyers," said Alice.

"When it comes to the presentation of these houses, it should be flawless."

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Alison's words rang alarm bells for some contestants, including Han and Can who realised they have a half-painted blue bedroom and unfinished bathroom to get now also complete.

"This is the most important challenge," said Britt.

And she's right. Looking back at previous years on the show, there's a superstition swirling that the buyers' choice could also be a telling sign on who might win The Block.

Here, we look back at some of the previous buyers' choice winners and how well they did at auction:

Ricky and Haydn – 2024

Despite no Room Reveal wins at the time, Ricky and Haydn's "party house" sure captured the hearts of potential buyers during their unforgettable open night.

With an extravaganza complete with a DJ and Brazilian dancers,the boys won with 29 percent of majority vote.

Despite their success on the night, Ricky and Haydn came fourth in the competition.

Their house sold for $2.7 million, taking home $750,000 in profit. Young sisters Maddy and Charlotte took out the win, earning $1.65 million in prize money after their house sold for $3.5 million.

Both houses sold to buyer Adrian Portelli.

Steph and Gian – 2023

Season 20 stars Steph and Gian won with a landslide 36 votes from the public during their season. They went on to win a history-making $1.7 million.

Rachel and Ryan – 2022

It was Rachel and Ryan who came out victorious in 2022 with 27 votes. Tom and Sarah-Jane following close behind with 26.

The duo bagged a cash prize of $10,000.

Unsurprisingly the pair were absolutely chuffed with the news, which came at a time when most teams were struggling with their budget.

"If you're going to win a challenge, you want to win the Domain challenge, right?" Rachel beamed in an exclusive video for 9Entertainment. You can watch what the couple said in the video above.

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While they didn't win the show – Omar and Oz took that title – they did sell their home for $4,249,000.85 with a profit of $169,000.85.

Mitch and Mark – 2021

In 2021, Mitch and Mark, who received some harsh feedback during judging throughout the season, managed to impress potential buyers during the Domain Buyers Jury Challenge, scoring 34 votes.

Their lucky streak didn't end there, with the pair blitzing the competition at the auction.

The couple managed to take out Season 17, winning $644,444.44 in profit, plus $100,000 prize money, after their incredible home in the bayside Melbourne suburb of Hampton sold for $3.4m.

Jimmy and Tam – 2020

In 2020, Jimmy and Tam were crowned the winners of the Domain Listings Challenge – but things happened a little differently that year.

Due to the pandemic, instead of 100 buyers turning up the Room Reveal scores were added and the winner was decided that way.

Jimmy and Tam went on to win the entire show. They made a $966,000 profit, plus $100,000 prize money.

They went from an incredible high on auction day to a devastating low weeks later, when it was discovered that the sale of their house had fallen through.

Despite the drama, the couple remained winners of the 2020 season of the hit renovation show, and Nine honoured both the money they won above reserve price for the sale on the day and the $100,000 in prize money.

The house eventually sold.

Mitch and Mark – 2019

Again, the grandparents were the chosen winners of the challenge. They impressed potential buyers with their bold style, making it a hard house to beat.

But the couple weren't as lucky in Season 15, as they placed last in the competition at auction day. Instead it was Tess and Luke that took the win, who actually came last during the Buyers Jury Challenge.

Mitch and Mark still made $384,000 in profit, with their house selling for $3.374m.

Meanwhile, Tess and Luke's home sold for $3,620,000, earning them a total profit of $630,000 and the $100,000 for winning.

Norm and Jess – 2018

Norm and Jess failed to win a single room reveal during their season of the show in 2018.

But when all the St. Kilda apartments were judged by a buyer's advocate, the pair shocked everyone when they came out as favourites.

But that success fell short at auction, when the pair coming last in Season 14.

Their St. Kilda penthouse apartment ended up selling for $2.859m, giving the pair $209,000 in profit.

Hayden and Sara took the win in 2018, walking away with $645,000 – including the $100,000 prize money – after their home sold for $3.02m.

Ronnie and Georgia – 2017

Powerhouse couple Ronnie and Georgia impressed the buyers jury in 2017.

The potential buyers describe their house as "cohesive" and having the "sophistication of an Elsternwick home" while also being modern.

But when it came to auction day, the couple ended up placing third in the competition.

Their Elsternwick home sold for $2.781m, giving them a profit of $161,000.

On the big day it was actually Elyse and Josh's house that impressed buyers. Their home sold for $3.067m, which meant a profit of $447,000 and the $100,000 prize money on top.

With only a few weeks left, time will tell how much influence these challenges have on predicting a winner for Season 20.

The Block airs Sunday at 7pm and continues Monday to Wednesday at 7:30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.

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