’s milestone twentieth season kicked off on Monday night with five brand new couples beginning to renovate run-down properties into luxurious holiday homes. While each season of the Channel Nine reality series has been described as “The Biggest Block Ever”, this year will feature one of the most dramatic storylines in the history of the show. Monday night’s episode teased that one of this year’s couples will leave the competition partway through filming - similar to Elle Ferguson and Joel Patfull in 2022, although they left after just 48 hours.
Viewers were told they’d have to wait and see which of the five teams calls it quits, however, the contestants' identities have already been leaked. We revealed in April that the Blue Team’s Jesse and Paige decided to pull the pin six weeks into filming as they buckled under the stress of the high-pressure environment. A production insider told that “everyone was left gobsmacked when the Western Australian team fled Phillip Island”, and Channel Nine scrambled to find a replacement team.
“Producers felt blindsided by their decision to quit. It certainly wasn't on their bingo card when they cast the season,” the insider added. “This was supposed to be the wholesome, back-to-basics season of which viewers had been crying out for.
” It’s also been revealed that sisters Maddy and Charlotte from NSW replaced Jesse and Paige when they decided to quit, and were given just 24 hours' notice to jump in and finish the jo.