Episode 44 recap: It's a two-horse race as teams struggle to finish the Studio and Garage

We're fast approaching the end of Studio Week, but there's a mountain of work still to do, and it looks like a few teams are are in danger of not finishing.

Luke and Jasmin are one of those teams, and they're laying the blame on their plasterers spreading themselves too thin — because they're sharing their team with House 1.

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"I am ropeable," Luke fumes.

"We had a potential winning room, and we're not going to finish because of this."

Next door in House 5 Jimmy and Tam are on schedule, but they're still annoyed about comments made about them having the "easy house".

Harry feels he's got no need to apologise and they've got bigger problems anyway. Their budget is dwindling and they've got a team full of trades working on a Saturday, which costs money.

Things get worse and they discover their shower screen has been measured incorrectly. It doesn't fit and it's not looking like they'll have one for reveals.

"You're going to get slammed," warns Foreman Dan.

There's a different kind of issue in House 2. There's mud everywhere and it's making Sarah "freak out". It's all through their studio and she is stressing big time.

It's not just the contestants feeling the pressure too, even the trades are.

One of House 1's apprentice chippies, who Tash affectionately calls 'Oscie', has hit a wall. He heads out to get some fresh air and she comforts him.

"I've never seen him not working. He is just full guns blazing every single week," Tash says.

It's a big night of work for many of the Blockheads, but when morning comes many of the spaces are still incomplete.

House 1, 3 and 4 are incomplete, with only Houses 2 and 5 finished.

"It's so upsetting to not get there," says Luke.

Scott Cam arrives to yell "TOOLS DOWN".

Jasmin breaks down as the realisation they haven't finished sinks in.

Now we're off to HQ — enter Darren Palmer, Shaynna Blaze and Neale Whitaker for judging.

Harry and Tash — $29,800 [1920s]

"You can feel the panic," Neale says as he sees the unpainted plaster in Harry and Tash's Studio. "You can see the panic."

The upstairs area, however, was much closer to complete, with Darren exclaiming he "loves" the pitched roof.

Shaynna is quick to point out that for all the elegance of the room, the bar fridge whacked in a space brings it down. "There are dead spots everywhere in the lighting," she adds.

The judges also notice the "unfinished" bathroom and note there were big planning issues for this team.

"It's a bit of a disaster frankly," Neale says.

See their full room and judges' comments in the gallery below:

Sarah and George — $40,000 [1940s]

Entering into Sarah and George's Garage and the judges note the execution is a step up from House 1, with high praise directed towards the added storage in the garage.

Upstairs the judges are also impressed with the laundry and say the kitchenette is beautifully done.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang. They've ticked all the boxes with how an owner can interact with the space," Darren says.

"I see a lot of flexibility here," adds Shaynna.

"It's real estate gold," Neale says, calling the space a massive value-add.

Shaynna thinks this bathroom is "their best yet".

See their full room and judges' comments in the gallery below:

Daniel and Jade — $45,400 [1930s]

At first the judges thinks there are two sets of stairs in Daniel and Jade's Garage, but they quickly learn that one is in fact a powder room.

"That's clever," Shaynna exclaims.

While the judges gasp going up the unfinished stairwell, they are pleased to find the upstairs living space is completed.

But it's not all good news as Shaynna notes the lack of a cooktop in the kitchenette isn't ideal, and that the television "overwhelmed" the room.

"If you're going to work at this desk… there is no power," Darren points out, drawing attention to the small office area.

Into the bathroom and Shaynna says it "feels tiny" as Neale discovers the glass shower door opens to hit the towel rack.

"That's asking for trouble," Neale says.

See their full room and judges' comments in the gallery below:

Luke and Jasmin — $42,700 [1910s]

The judges start at the garage and find that it's perfectly laid out.

But as they head upstairs — similar to House 3 — they find the stairwell is far from finished.

Despite this, they're captivated by the art, circular skylights and finished look.

But then Neale finds a few problems. "It's just presented as another bedroom. There is no desk in here at all," he says.

But Shaynna thinks it could be fixed with restyling and she's a fan of the "visually stunning" tiles in the kitchenette.

"Stunning and so spacious," she says of the bathroom.

Darren thinks the team have the most consistent house.

But there's one big negative. The bathroom has no door.

"If you're running a business here in a home office you can't use the toilet," says Shaynna.

"Even if there's two of you here you still have an issue with acoustic... integrity," Darren adds.

See their full room and judges' comments in the gallery below:

Jimmy and Tam — $42,700 [1950s]

"Wow. That is thinking of the new world," Shaynna exclaims upon entering the Garage and seeing a home gym.

But while Darren and Shaynna are sold, Neale notes, "Not everybody wants a home gym."

Upstairs and the judges feel the galley-style that blends into an office space is superb, and realise House 1's studio kitchenette is the only one with a dishwasher.

The judges are pleased to see the sofa turns into a bed. However, Neale says, "When that sofa bed is pulled out this is going to feel like a very small space."

"You can make it a bedroom. You can work in here. You have a good-sized kitchen," says Darren, praising the multiple purposes of the space.

Into the bathroom and the judges are surprised to find it neutral. "It's calm and serene," says Darren.

"It feels very luxurious. It feels very beautiful," Shaynna says.

See their full room and judges' comments in the gallery below:

In the end the judges reveal it's a "two-horse race" between House 2 and House 5.

Sarah and George narrowly take the win by half a point scoring a total of 29.5/30, with Jimmy and Tam scoring 29.

But overall it's still Jimmy and Tam who's leading the Super Power Leaderboard at the end of the week, which is as follows:

• 1 — Jimmy and Tam — 296.5 points
• 2 — Sarah and George — 293.5 points
• 3 — Luke and Jasmin — 290.5 points
• 4 — Daniel and Jade — 290 points
• 5 — Harry and Tash — 279.5 points

There's just one week left on The Block, and teams are turning their attention to their backyards and swimming pools. They have a $40,000 budget and the winning team will take home a Ford Puma. And the team with the highest score at the end of the week gets to choose the all-important auction day order. There's a lot to play for.

The Block airs Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 7.30pm on Nine. Catch up on all the latest episodes on 9Now.