From high praise to scathing criticism: Highs and lows of judges' feedback during Room Reveals on The Block 2025
The Block Season 21 is here!
Each week, our five teams' brand new rooms are critiqued by an esteemed panel of judges (and familiar faces): Shaynna Blaze, Darren Palmer and Marty Fox.
Stream the latest episodes of The Block for free on 9Now.
While some spaces receive high praise from the judges, others might not hit the mark.
Here, we take a look at the highs and lows of the judges' feedback each week – from the things they can't help but gush over to well, some pretty brutal calls!
Emma and Ben's Frontyard and Façade | Week 12
The highs:
Facing the driveway and taking it all in, Marty had nothing but praise.
"I just love this experience of seeing the driveway roll up and bend and with the trees in the background, it's so grand."
Shaynna expected to see feature garage doors this week but loved that House 1's garage blended in.
"Because the façade of this is so strong, I love that they've picked a very simplistic garage door because everything is about the planting of the greenery against that black."
Emma and Ben's Frontyard and Façade | Week 12
The lows:
Darren thought it was great but not perfect...
He pointed out the lack of gates. But unknown to the judge, Emma and Ben had to pull them off last minute as the cold weather made the paint run.
"They've left off two gates, so it can't be a 10," said Marty.
Han and Can's Frontyard and Façade | Week 12
The highs:
Marty couldn't go past the "next level" standard of execution this week.
"It can not be denied. The craftsmanship, the way in which they've created this grand entry. They have to get a really, really good score for this," he said.
Shaynna really adored the concept of the winding path.
"It's about taking it slow. It's about movement. It's taking in aspects of the Japanese world. It's about flowing."
Han and Can's Frontyard and Façade | Week 12
The lows:
While it wasn't necessarily a low, Marty thought the torii-inspired gate was a "big risk".
"That's what you see the moment you enter this home and the moment you leave. It hits you in the face.
"When you create something, you want to create something you know has a big proportion of the market place and I'm not sure of the amount of buyers that specifically want a Japanese garden."
Britt and Taz's Frontyard and Façade | Week 12
The highs:
Around the side of the property was a moon light cinema.
"That's really cool as long as the wind doesn't blow into it," Shaynna laughed.
Darren thought it was an excellent use of a space that would otherwise have been a "dead, dull" area.
Marty thought giving the space purpose was very smart.
"This here is a real selling point."
Britt and Taz's Frontyard and Façade | Week 12
The lows:
The judges couldn't fathom why there was almost no plants or greenery in the front yard.
Britt and Taz opted for a dry creek instead and it's safe to say the judges weren't fans.
"You've got essentially a large kitty litter covered in mulch," Marty said.
"It's barren," said Shaynna as the experts likened the frontyard to "a mine site" back in rural WA.
"There is absolutely nothing here I can even talk about in landscaping," said Dave.
Sonny and Alicia's Frontyard and Façade | Week 12
The highs:
Darren loved the way the front yard had been zoned.
"It feels so much bigger because you have this big expansive lawn on both sides," Darren explained.
Just like their backyard, it was the perfect Aussie front yard at a luxe level.
Plus the pair had a second driveway.
"In terms of amenity, having this area and a separate gate and space for a caravan and showing how you can use it, just adds value to the house," praised Darren.
Marty pointed out if someone buys the house and doesn't want the caravan they could easily sell if off and cover their stamp duty.
Sonny and Alicia's Frontyard and Façade | Week 12
The lows:
The only thing Shaynna would have loved to see today however was a hedge to screen the chairs outside the guest suite.
"Something in front of there, just a fraction," she said. "They are exposed so just some privacy."
Darren laughed saying he was glad she found a fault, "because this is pretty faultless".
Robby and Mat's Frontyard and Façade | Week 12
The highs:
Dave explained that Paal and the boys had created "probably the most sustainable garden on The Block."
"Got a lot of native plants in here, everything's pretty much local," he said.
He said it was "very low maintenance" and once it started growing in, it wouldn't even need to be watered.
Shaynna thought the water feature was stunning.
"Look how it hangs out of the cliffside basically," she gushed at the optical illusion.
"It's beautiful."
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