Episode 45 recap: Rivals fume over Block ‘loophole’ and the judges deliver first tie
We’ve reached the penultimate Room Reveal of The Block 2026!
Naturally, there is still a lot to do before the judges wander through the houses’ backyards and garages and this late in the piece, Rick is switching up his game plan to get everything done.
I am not Rick either. Nine
And it’s certainly an interesting one. Rather than, uh, being in House 5’s ginormous backyard doing the work, he’s avoiding it altogether.
Foreman Dan isn’t exactly convinced it’s a winning strategy, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Meanwhile, there is a wine-related war brewing.
House 1 and House 4 each have a fancy wine rack set up thanks to Cellar Creations, but there are whispers of very different price tags.
Courtney and Sev have found a cheeky “loophole”.
And they’re facing a lot of questions about it. Nine
Their “custom artisan wine cellar rack” has been deemed artwork, which means the supplier can price it however they like. And that price is far, far cheaper than its supposed $100,000 price tag and Adam and Jolene’s $20,000 cost.
Lisa thinks this is very fishy so she drops in to quiz its creator directly, but he impressively dodges her questions.
Then she goes and tells Jolene everything.
Later that night, as Adam and Jolene question him as well, Lisa and Rosco confront Courtney and Sev.
“This is going to sound really, really bad, but it is a bespoke, joinery artisan piece, and I’m sorry, but there is a loophole there,” Sev says.
Lisa and Rosco pretend they’re satisfied by the answer. They are definitely not.
Sunday morning always means chaos and this week is no different, then finally, it’s tools down.
At HQ, Scott Cam announces Lisa and Rosco are the last budget winners – and after a car is added to their prize pool, the total value is almost $500,000.
Since we’re outdoors, Dave Franklin is joining Shaynna Blaze, Darren Palmer and Marty Fox this week. Let’s go!
Adam and Jolene
The House 1 duo are radiating positivity this week, with a rousing “we’ll see how we go”. Such confidence!
It’s a good start as all four judges love the large sculpture that greets them.
But Marty immediately clocks the lack of privacy, especially as it gives him a chance to impress Dave with plant names.
“I would not want myself or my friends in their bathers, swimming, with how exposed that is,” Shaynna agrees.
The garage has functional aspects with solar batteries and a car wash station, plus it looks good, but the layout is off.
A bench and storage run down the side wall instead of at the back, tightening the width of the garage and making it difficult to fit two cars.
Then they spot it: the wine storage spot. The judges think it’s gorgeous.
“It looks like an installation in an art gallery,” Darren says. Hilarious.
Marty says buyers value the “entry and exit experience”, so this addition will pack a major punch.
The positivity continues into the side garden, with its massive arbour and all the privacy the garden around the pool doesn’t have.
The judges can see all the cash Adam and Jolene have splashed right here.
“This sells the house,” Shaynna says.
Chantel and Wyatt
Chantel and Wyatt are completely skint but God bless the Cursios, because they’ve still been able to pull together a nice space.
Or, a “simple” one, as Dave puts it.
“Ultimately Dave felt the backyard ticked the box and it’s saleable, but that’s about it,” Scotty reads.
Speaking of simple … their garage is precisely what Shaynna expected, “a white box with a couple of things in it”.
She loves the electric bikes they’ve included, which is good because that’s really all there is to it.
Given that, the judges are not so surprised that House 2 doesn’t have wine storage like its neighbour.
Instead, they find a “janitor’s closet”.
Thankfully, House 2’s courtyard brings it home.
It has all the cooking function they were missing on their deck last week, so the entire vision finally clicks for the judges.
It has Shaynna using a word she has definitely never said about House 2 before.
“This warmth out here just feels so inviting,” she says.
“I think for me, this is their best space on The Block.”
Lisa and Rosco
Daily tears and budget woes have miraculously resulted in a space Lisa and Rosco are really proud of.
The judges are immediately excited by a fence – something the other houses had been missing.
While the privacy that and their olive trees give is worth it, Marty thinks they’ve gone too far with mulching the entire area.
For him, this immediately turns off the family buyer House 3 had been chasing.
“They’ve literally taken away their X-factor by not having lawn on this north-facing yard,” he says. “I’m really, really frustrated.”
They are more positive around House 3’s outdoor fire place.
“I absolutely love it. I love the privacy, I love the view,” Shaynna says.
House 3 has had a garage floor disaster this week, so there really isn’t anything to judge besides the wall finish and a couple of car artworks.
Thankfully it is again the courtyard that gives them something to talk about.
“They’ve obviously time-managed themselves so that the things that are very important to them, they got finished,” Darren says.
But the others don’t like the “pedestrian” outlook, featuring a simple path, a few plants and a lack of entertainment space.
Courtney and Sev
All I can say is the judges better love their bespoke artwork that happens to hold wine after all the grief it’s caused.
Where better to begin than in the garage then, hey?
The black walls, the inclusions, the car – tick, tick, tick. Someone even says “sexy”, about a garage.
OK, wine time. Or whine time, if you’re the other teams.
“This is just art,” Darren reacts. Even their receipt says so!
Back outside, they are also blown away by the huge backyard.
Marty’s only critique is the steppers in the lawn, which he sees as a cracked head waiting to happen.
He doesn’t think it is a family-friendly yard at all, which removes House 4’s “superpower”.
But with its layers and planting choices, Dave and Darren think the girls are on to a winner.
Rick and Tayla
Last up is House 5 with the biggest yard on The Block.
Hopefully it pulls through, because the judges are simply whelmed by its garage.
The unfinished floor is “horrible”, and Darren is frustrated by the details.
“They’ve gone to effort to make it impactful, but it doesn’t quite deliver as much as having a nicely finished floor does,” he says.
Rick and Tayla have created a workspace and while it’s a great idea, it’s also unfinished – and has a completely unnecessary curved wall.
The backyard is also unfinished but the judges feel much more hopeful about it.
There is A LOT of lawn, which Marty has been missing all day.
He thinks if they’d finished screwing in the panels under the deck, it would be his favourite space of the day.
“We’ve got the best back garden, we’ve got the Trendz fireplace, it’s the best setting to sit around and it’s the only house that has a big lawn, it’s really impressive,” Marty says.
He thinks it’s the only house catering to big families – music to Rick and Tayla’s ears.
It’s a tight race as Scott starts tallying the scores – so tight, we have our first draw. It’s between wine cellar enemies, House 1 and House 4!
The final scores are:
- Adam and Jolene: 34.5
- Chantel and Wyatt: 29.5
- Lisa and Rosco: 31.5
- Courtney and Sev: 34.5
- Rick and Tayla: 30
This means that tomorrow night, we’re in for what is bound to be a very awkward and crowded winners’ dinner.
Catch you there.
See The Block 2026 homes
The Block 2026 houses have officially hit the market! Take a closer look at the full home listings here:
House 1: Adam and Jolene
Adam and Jolene’s house is officially on the market. Nine/Domain Nine/Domain
Bedrooms: 4 | Bathrooms: 3 | Car spaces: 4 | Price guide: $3.6 million to $3.9 million
View the full listing on the Domain website here.
House 2: Chantel and Wyatt
Chantel and Wyatt’s house is up for sale. Nine/Domain
Bedrooms: 4 | Bathrooms: 3 | Car spaces: 4 |Price guide: $3.6 million to $3.9 million
View the full listing on the Domain website here.
House 3: Lisa and Rosco
Lisa and Rosco’s build is on the market. Nine/Domain
Bedrooms: 4 | Bathrooms: 3 |Car spaces: 4 | Price guide: $3.6 million to $3.9 million
View the full listing on the Domain website here.
House 4: Courtney and Sev
What will buyers think of Courtney and Sev’s vision? Nine/Domain
Bedrooms: 4 | Bathrooms: 3 | Car spaces: 2 |Price guide: $3.6 million to $3.9 million
View the full listing on the Domain website here.
House 5: Rick and Tayla
Has Rick’s building experience given him and daughter Tayla a competitive edge? Nine/Domain
Bedrooms: 4 | Bathrooms: 3 |Car spaces: 2 | Price guide: $3.6 million to $3.9 million
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