“The judges hold your fate in their hands.”

Every Sunday on The Block, judges Marty Fox, Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer inspect the contestants’ latest rooms — often delivering stinging critiques, with the occasional compliment thrown in.

While not a single team has escaped the judges’ wrath this season, Sonny and Alicia know all too well how brutal they can be, after Marty described their main bedroom as a dated “Southbank” apartment.

So, which judge do they think is the harshest?

“Marty Fox comes for us the hardest every week. But look, he comes for everyone pretty hard,” Sonny told Chattr.

He added that while the judges’ feedback isn’t always glowing, they don’t determine the winner — that all comes down to auction day and which house fetches the highest price.
Darren and Marty judging Alicia and Sonny’s room. Image: Nine.
“We love our room. We love what’s there. And, at the end of the day, you’ve got to dust yourself off and go again for another week. The thing is, the judges hold your fate in their hands for that week, but they don’t hold your fate in their hands for the whole show. Each week to week, they do their judging, and they have their opinion, but it’s not to necessarily say that they’re the be-all and end-all, and completely right either.”

Alicia added that while it’s “gut-wrenching” to hear bad feedback about a room she and Sonny poured so much love and effort into, she said they try to stay focused on why they joined The Block in the first place.

“We support each other as best as we can, and just remind ourselves of why we’re there. Ultimately, we’re there for our kids and to enjoy the experience — the good, the bad and the ugly. So, it’s all part of the Block roller coaster.”
Shaynna, Darren and Marty judging Alicia and Sonny’s room. Image: Nine.

How do The Block auctions work?

After all the teams finish renovating their houses, each is given a reserve price. In the past, the reserve has varied depending on the size of the houses. However, as every house this year has identical layouts, they should all sit at around the same mark.

On auction day, whatever the houses sell for over the reserve, contestants get to take home. And, the house that makes the highest amount over reserve scores an extra $100,000 prize money and is crowned the winner of The Block.