EXCLUSIVE: Foreman Dan shares what surprises him most about the show’s competitors.

The Block’s Dan Reilly.

The Block’s Dan Reilly reveals what surprises him most about the show’s contestants. Photos: Channel 9

Since joining The Block as a foreman in 2015, Dan Reilly has assisted plenty of teams as they take on the challenge of renovating an entire house in just 12 weeks. The builder, who competed alongside his now-wife Dani on the show in both 2012 and 2013, not only oversees the construction process but also acts as a mentor to the contestants throughout the experience.

With the show’s milestone twenty-first season underway and five brand new teams building houses from scratch in Daylesford, Dan recently told Yahoo Lifestyle that he believes the secret to success on The Block is to listen to the judges’ advice. He admitted that he’s always surprised when people ignore the feedback, tips, and words of wisdom shared by Shaynna Blaze, Darren Palmer and Marty Fox on the show.

“The quicker they listen to the judges, the better they become,” he shared on the TV WEEK Logie Awards red carpet. “It always fascinates me when they don’t listen at the start, and then they finally get it, and then they start producing good rooms.”

Shaynna, who has been on the show since 2012, agreed that it’s surprising the contestants don’t value the judges’ critiques as highly as they should.

“Apparently, it’s our opinion. We’re not experts, it’s just our opinion,” she remarked, with Dan adding, “A pretty important one!”.

The Block 2025 judges Marty Fox, Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer.

Shaynna Blaze says she’s surprised the contestants don’t value the judges’ advice more. Photo: Channel 9

This year’s season of The Block has introduced a handful of twists for the new contestants, including the fact that they are not allowed to stay overnight in their houses. Instead, they have been given luxury caravans to sleep in, which Dan believes is both a privilege and an added challenge.

“Being a past contestant, I know how hard it is to live on site. So to get that luxury of having a caravan is truly amazing, but it puts the pressure back on them, because they’ve got to deliver now,” he said.

“They’ve got set hours during the week that they’ve got to work on the home. If they waste time, they’re not going to finish. And then you’ve got the harsh judges, they’re going to spot those little imperfections.”

Foreman Dan has been riding solo on The Block since last year’s season in Phillip Island, when Foreman Keith decided to step back so he could spend more time with his two daughters.

The tradie, often referred to as ‘the Blockinator’, also admitted following his exit that another reason behind his departure was that he had grown tired of dealing with difficult cast members who didn’t respect his authority.

“Imagine you’re a builder and you’ve got some contestants who’ve got no idea about building, and you’re giving them an instruction and they tell you to get stuffed,” he told Your Haus and Home Podcast.

“All these amateurs have got no idea what they’re doing. We’re building beautiful homes for people, and I never got why people would argue with me. It just didn’t make sense. If I’m a subbie [subcontractor] going on site and I’ve got a foreman giving me instruction, you’ve just gotta follow it. There’s no ifs or buts, otherwise, you’re off.”