Neither of them expected it!

Love often strikes when you least expect it.

And that’s exactly what happened for Victorian Blockheads Emma and Ben, who took years to realise there was something more than just a close friendship between them!

Dance teacher Emma says she and Ben, an engineer with goals of becoming a firefighter, grew up together but were just “really good mates” during their high school years.
The never saw each other as anything more than just school friends. They’ve now been together for 
14 years! (Photo: Supplied)

How did The Block’s Emma and Ben meet?

“We were in Red House together in Year 7, and shared each other’s electives all the way through to Year 12,” Emma, 33, tells New Idea in a chat to mark The Block’s 2025 return.

“It was the year after Year 12, where we started going on a few more dates without all our friends there,” she adds.

Ben, 32, interjects with a laugh, “I didn’t hit puberty until I was 19!”

They admit they weren’t sure if their first date at the Grand Hotel, their local pub in Mornington, VIC, was an actual date.

“Emma believes that I asked her out, but I recall her asking me! And then I remember paying and thought, ‘it’s a date now,’” Ben shares.

“[At that point] we had known each other for a few years, and had so many great memories together already. And then, this love blossomed,” Emma says.
Ben proposed in front of both their families – which shocked Emma! (Photo: Mimo Weddings).

Are Emma and Ben from The Block married?

The rest, as they say, is history. The pair married a few years later in 2022.

Emma and Ben had applied for The Block seven times before finally landing a spot on this year’s Daylesford season. Even after all that rejection, they never gave up – stressing they aren’t quitters.

“It was almost like every second year we got an interview. They were really keeping us hanging on!” Emma says.

In between those failed applications, Emma and Ben spent their time flipping houses and documenting their renovations on social media. In fact, they left their application for this season to the last minute.

“We were actually a bit sneaky. We submitted the exact same video as last year. We then got an email from the casting director saying, ‘this is the same video as last year, 
can you resubmit?’ We were like, ‘damn it, we’ve been caught out!’” Emma says.
From friends, to lovers, to Blockheads! (Photo: Channel Nine).
Ecstatic their patience finally paid off, Emma and Ben, who hope to start a family soon, say their time on The Block has only made their relationship stronger.

“I don’t think we blew up at each other,” Emma adds.