Episode 35 Recap: The Block contestants are buckling under the pressure as shed disputes, body corporate clashes and a frosty dinner push tempers to boiling point.

It’s week nine on The Block, and the pressure is dialled up to eleven as contestants juggle five rooms, looming deadlines and body corporate fireworks. By Tuesday night, exhaustion has set in, tempers are frayed and one dinner party turns into the most awkward meal of the season.

Alicia and Sonny are copping heat from The Block audience, who say their icy tactics have gone too far. (image – Channel 9)

The day begins with Can hitting the road for a five-hour round trip to Melbourne in the Cursios’ truck, collecting tiles for not only himself and Han, but also for Mat and Robby and Ben and Emma. While House 4 ticks along smoothly, the rest of the site is buried under complications. Taz fails an insulation inspection, while Foreman Dan warns that floor plan changes in House 2 could derail schedules entirely.

Han’s Shed Dreams Crumble

At House 2, Han’s plan to convert their Stratco Shed into a home office with a kitchenette is firmly rejected. Dan explains the shed can’t be made into a habitable space and isn’t permitted to include amenities.

Han is crushed.

“Everyone has got their gamechanger or their secret weapon and we finally thought we had landed on something that could be that,” she said.

“I don’t know what the path forward is. Maybe I’ll just do nothin’ it seems to work for everybody else.”

Trying to salvage her idea, Han asks Dan whether at least a toilet could be added, but the foreman is blunt: no. To make matters worse, Dan soon discovers their new builder Shan has used the wrong screws in the framework, creating more work. He suggests the couple’s decision to sack builder Ben may be the root cause of their string of construction woes.

Body Corporate Backlash

The shed rejection sets the stage for more drama. Han, joined by Em, Britt and Taz, calls a snap body corporate meeting with Sonny and Alicia, hoping to extend working hours. But Sonny refuses to budge.

“I haven’t won a room yet. There’s one more room to win, if the four of you don’t finish I might finally win one,” he tells the group.

Han is left fuming, pointing out that Can has spent hours helping other teams with tile collections, and she herself recently assisted with insulation runs.

“It doesn’t align with my values,” she says of Sonny’s decision, visibly upset by the lack of teamwork.

Dinner at Daylesford Turns Icy

The tension carries over into the night, when Houses 2, 4 and 5 are forced together for a prize dinner at the Lake House Daylesford, awarded for their Rex Theatre challenge win weeks earlier. Instead of polite chatter, the evening kicks off with pointed stares and long silences.

Alicia cuts through the tension, asking Han directly what her issue is. Sonny makes it clear his call wasn’t personal, but strategy.

“I’m protecting my game. My wife. My family. So, you can think I am an a*hole but I don’t give a fk,” he tells the table.

Han admits she was hurt, while Can describes her mood as “just hurt by the whole process of the game.” Mat, watching from the sidelines, dubs her expression “murder eyes.”

Eventually, Alicia steers the group back into lighter territory, with laughter over dinner games breaking the ice. By the next morning, Han and Can seem re-energised and ready to face the workload.

House 5 in Crisis

While Han and Can’s mood improves, House 5 finds itself in freefall. Dan discovers major issues with Mat and Robby’s build, stemming from their decision to move their laundry.

“This is a disaster,” Dan says. “Everything they’ve done, they’ve done wrong. This is all stemming from them changing the plans and putting the laundry where it shouldn’t be.”

Problems include a misplaced waste pipe “floating in no man’s land,” damaged waterproofing in the powder room caused by tools and ladders, and the need to rip up flooring to adjust the fall towards the drain. Cabinetry deadlines loom, but unlike other houses, Robby and Mat have nothing but plasterboard installed.

“Oh we’re doomed,” Robby concedes.

Fatigue Sets In

As the Blockheads crawl toward the finish line, exhaustion is written all over their faces. The site is riddled with costly mistakes, delays and constant bickering. Even Dan, usually a steady presence, is visibly frustrated with repeated errors.

With five rooms still to deliver, the so-called “Blockpocalypse” is living up to its name.

What Viewers Had to Say

One viewer argued the judging system itself needed an overhaul, suggesting that cumulative points across the season would stop contestants from deliberately tanking rooms for budget bonuses. The same fan pointed out that inconsistent scores are easier to overlook when they don’t dictate week-to-week survival.

Others were less sympathetic to Han and Can’s struggles. Many said the couple’s woes were the result of sacking builder Ben, who had delivered them a win, only to replace him with Shan whose mistakes are now setting them back.

Plenty of online chatter centred on Sonny and Alicia, with some frustrated by what was described as “spiteful” gameplay. Viewers questioned the pair’s insistence that their veto of extended hours wasn’t personal, arguing that everything about the competition is personal when it comes to the final auction.

Another commenter slammed the pair’s reliance on others failing rather than improving their own work, calling their on-camera commentary “smug” and accusing Sonny of self-importance.

Not all of the criticism was directed at House 4, with House 5 also copping heat. Some viewers described Mat and Robby as immature, arrogant and overly focused on antics rather than project managing their site, particularly as deadlines loom.

Finally, foreman Dan’s approach didn’t escape scrutiny either. While some believe he’s being unfairly harsh on certain contestants, others suggested he’s more interested in screen time than hands-on problem-solving, with one nostalgic viewer even calling for the return of Keith to restore balance.