Episode 9 recap: Judges horrified by completely bare bathroom - as a controversial win frustrates rival
There is $250,000 worth of appliances up for grabs at this week’s Block Room Reveal and at this point, only a couple of teams even have a shot.
Houses 3 and 4 are in dire straits.
0/10! Nine
Lisa and Rosco have had to rip up their shower floor after the slope towards the drain failed inspection.
There is now absolutely no hope of completing their bathroom, so they’re shifting sole focus to the powder room.
Foreman Dan is in a generous mood, or perhaps he’d just like to give the judges something to look at, because he offers up two extended hours of work.
I think he envisioned this giving the teams more time to tile.
But in House 5, Tayla has a different idea … instead, she’s organised her dad a haircut.
Excuuuuse me. Nine
With no hope this week, Dan encourages Rosco to go around and cut deals with his rivals.
The only one to bite is Courtney, who borrows his trades to finish their space in exchange for paying his tiling bill.
This frustrates Jolene, who spills what she knows: that Courtney called Rosco a “dog” after their previous deal went pear-shaped.
So when Dan calls Courtney after hours to say site will open – with tradies! – at 6am on Sunday, it’s crickets.
After three whirlwind hours, it is finally ‘tools down’ on Family Bathroom Week. Bring in the judges!
Adam and Jolene
House 1 estimated they’d come in under budget at $18,700 this week … and instead they’ve splurged on a room worth double! Hope it’s worth it!
They solved the floor plan’s three-door overkill by removing the toilet door, which the judges disapprove of.
“Whoever’s sitting there’s really a sitting duck,” Marty Fox says.
However, Shaynna Blaze sees an upside: the local nudist population will like it!
The colour palette and tiles are “beautiful”, as is the curved seat in the shower.
But the “mood lighting” from two wall sconces and an LED strip is not enough, in Shaynna’s books.
There are other “little things”, like the finish of the shower screen on the ceiling, that make this far from perfect, but the judges aren’t too worried.
The buyer is most important and even despite the floor plan faux pas, Marty thinks they’ll love this bathroom.
Chantel and Wyatt
What a turnaround these two have had this week: from almost leaving and missing an entire day’s work to finishing ahead of schedule.
They’re also the CommBank budget winners of the week, pocketing a handy $10,000 before the judges have said a word.
Speaking of, they immediately like that their toilet has a separate door – but it’s legally unable to open into the powder room, so Marty thinks they should’ve done a slider instead.
These damn doors are tripping everyone up!
In the bathroom, Marty says he “cannot stand” their vanity mirrors which stick out from the wall … looking at the side of a cabinet is not “luxury”, apparently!
What IS luxury is the colour of their tapware, the vanity and bath – as long as they move the bath positioning so it’s no longer lodged up against two walls.
Marty thinks the room is a bit too “plain Jane.”
“It feels like that first renovation that [wife] Charlotte and I did at 21. It has that feeling like, it’s amateur hour,” he says.
To Shaynna, their take on the minimalist brief has ended up feeling boring.
She wants their next bathroom to feel like “an oasis, an escape”, but thinks they’re heading in the right direction.
Lisa and Rosco
Lisa and Rosco can barely muster a smile – not surprising after having to deliver one of the most incomplete rooms in Block history.
“Oh, there’s no door here, or no bathroom,” Shaynna reacts.
Fantastic “huh” faces! Nine
The judges can clearly tell there’s been a tiler issue.
“It breaks your heart, this is really sad,” Darren Palmer says.
On the bright side, king of positivity, Marty, is excited about their layout, which has removed the door to the hallway while keeping a separate bath and toilet.
Darren also loves their vanity, which is plonked in the middle of the room like a coffee table.
And Shaynna thinks the problems have been a blessing in disguise, because she hates their chosen floor tiles.
“It’s my favourite bathroom today,” Marty says with a smile.
What did I say? King of positivity. Though I’m unsure his colleagues agree.
We see that eye roll, Dazza! Nine
Darren then lets everyone in on how he judges, and while Lisa and Rosco can get zero points for finish, grades for design, inclusions and saleability are still up for grabs.
Hey, it’s not a train wreck after all!
Courtney and Sev
With a lot of help, Courtney and Sev have pulled off a massive comeback to complete their spaces – and the judges are stoked.
Considering they spent $53,000 … you would hope so! Oof!
The marble, curves and rendering in the powder room are very bougie inclusions, but the judges love them all.
In the bathroom, Marty is pleased to see cabinetry that’s actually in the walls. Sort of.
Just don’t look toooo closely. Nine
The duo’s pestering over changing their skylight pays off, because the judges love it.
Storage queen Shaynna thinks they’ve nailed functionality for the space.
Darren also gets very hands-on with the tiles, before asking what everyone will be wondering: “How did they pay for all this?”
It’s clear Courtney and Sev have thrown everything at it this week, and the judges are at a loss for how they pulled it off.
Many panicked, last-minute hands make light work!
Rick and Tayla
They got a lot more done than House 3, but Rick and Tayla also didn’t finish this week – maybe their $100 towels can save the day?
The judges like the floor plan of their very incomplete powder room, which is practical – but probably a bit safe.
The bathroom looks promising on entry. Until they turn the corner.
The tiles and lighting are instant winners for the judges, but the lack of storage behind the mirrors is disappointing.
Shaynna notices the effort put into the styling, but she hates the way they’ve gone about it.
From the pot to the bathmat to, sadly, Tayla’s very expensive towels. It’s all wrong.
But she’s taking a leaf out of Marty’s book and staying positive.
“Yes they haven’t finished, there are quite a few details that they need to redo, but they’re on a much better trajectory than they were last week,” she says.
Darren agrees. He thinks they’re showing a lot more personality that, if they continue through the rest of the house, will set it apart from the rest.
At the end of a rough week, the final scores are:
- Adam and Jolene: 24.5
- Chantel and Wyatt: 21.5
- Lisa and Rosco: 15.5
- Courtney and Sev: 25.5
- Rick and Tayla: 18.5
That’s $10,000 and $250,000 worth of appliances for House 4’s kitchen. No biggie!
It’s good news, for them, but Scott Cam points out it does little to fix their already out-of-control budget.
“You estimated $20,000 in trades and the bills are still coming in, you will not last this competition if you keep spending like that,” he warns.
Courtney and Sev are realistic that this win will be controversial, which turns out to be an understatement!
Not a happy camper! Nine
Jolene is “pissed”.
While she and Adam have “busted arse” on their own, the “damsels in distress” had plenty of help to secure the win and it’s left a very bad taste in her mouth.
Not sure if there’s time to dwell on it, however, because it’s time to get stuck into the biggest room yet.
Tomorrow, Main Bedroom week begins!
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