‘It’s heartbreaking’

It turns into a tough week on The Block for Mat and Robby. A bedhead causes them a headache, and Robby is feeling heartache about being away from his newborn son, Brooks.

“It was starting to hit,” Robby, 37, tells TV WEEK. “Having a newborn and leaving my partner by herself sucked – and it really sat in the back
of my mind the whole time.”
Robby has a difficult week, missing his newborn son.
It’s Kids’ Room week, and everyone must upholster a bedhead and then centre one of their two kids’ guest bedrooms around it.

The hairdresser besties from Adelaide took out the week one win and are thoroughly enjoying their prize: a trip to Mineral Springs Hotel for their first MG-sponsored getaway. They indulge in a few drinks and choose a controversial fabric for their bedhead.

“Champagne never leads to a good bedhead,” Mat, 41, says, ruefully. “Everyone was going beige, and we wanted to go all out. But – you know what? – sometimes beige is best.”

On top of it all, Robby is coming up to three weeks away from his son and, when Foreman Dan and his wife Dani open up about the heart-wrenching loss of their daughter Billie in December 2024, it puts everything into perspective for the contestants.
(Credit: Nine)
“Meeting Dan and Dani and hearing them tell the whole story was heartbreaking,” Robby recalls. “Being a new father, I found it hard to imagine what they’ve
gone through.”

Mat and Robby met 15 years ago in Adelaide when Mat was cutting Robby’s hair and have been best friends ever since.

As a hairdresser and barber, Robby and Mat’s family had a hilarious reaction to the news that they’d be joining the 21st season of The Block.

“It was mainly along the lines of ‘Oh my gosh!!’ or ‘finally Australia gets to see what we see’ or ‘you’re hairdressers, not builders!’,” they confessed.

While Robby is well-versed in The Block chaos, Mat has entered the season blind having never seen an episode.

Robby had the idea to apply for the Channel Nine reality series while Mat was celebrating his 40th birthday in Bali, Indonesia.
(Credit: Nine)
“So we truly had no idea what we were walking into… or crawling out of, for that matter,” they told us.

“But one thing we did know is that we were going to laugh hard every single day. We’re definitely not from the building or design world, but we’re quick learners, full of big ideas, so let’s hope we adapt and learn some new skills and make some new friends along the way.”

Where Robby and Mat lack experience, they at least have enthusiasm! Out of the five other teams competing on The Block in 2025, the besties admittedly have the least experience.

But the pair are sacrificing a lot to compete leaving behind their small businesses and Robby’s young family.

“When the show started, Brooks was only four months old. Leaving my partner Alyssa, a brand-new mum, was by far the hardest decision – knowing I wouldn’t be there to help during those early, exhausting months,” Robby confessed.
(Credit: Nine)
“But we knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we were all in.”

Alas, Robby and Mat were “not nervous at all” to join The Block, with the former believing many viewers will relate to them.

“What you see is exactly who we are in everyday life. We’re not the type to gossip, stir drama or get caught up in any of the nonsense – so we’re pretty confident we’ll steer clear of any “villain” labels. We’re just here to have a good laugh every day and make the most of the experience,” they said.