EXCLUSIVE: Shelley Craft reveals why contestants aren’t allowed to sleep in their houses this season.

The Block's Scott Cam.

The Block has introduced several surprising twists this season. Photos: Channel 9

The milestone twenty-first season of The Block officially kicked off this week with several major changes to the show’s format and rulebook. In addition to being the first season in the show’s history without any teams from NSW, this year marks the first time the contestants will build houses from scratch that are identical in layout and size.

Host Scott Cam also revealed in Sunday night’s premiere that the contestants would be sleeping in caravans on a neighbouring block throughout the entire duration of filming, rather than spending the night in their houses. In fact, this year’s teams are banned from staying up late doing all-nighters, and strict curfews are in place.

While Scotty explained in the episode that the ‘no overnighters’ rule was because every house is a brand new build, Shelley Craft tells Yahoo Lifestyle that having distance from the job site also had a positive impact on the cast’s wellbeing.

“This year, they were locked out of the site every night. They weren’t allowed to do all-nighters on the tools or on paint duty marathons, whatever it might be. That was to give them a bit of distance, obviously, from the site,” she shares.

“They weren’t allowed to live there because they weren’t renovations, they were brand new builds. But it also gave them a moment to sort of come together and reflect a little bit and take a breath and perhaps be a little bit more organised the next morning going in, having had that distance from the site.”

The Block's caravan village.

This year’s contestants have to sleep in caravans on a neighbouring block throughout the entire duration of filming. Photo: Channel 9

Although the contestants won’t be allowed to sleep in their newly renovated bedrooms as the season continues, they certainly won’t be roughing it. Each team has been given a Titanium Ti22-S3 caravan to stay in, which is valued at $138,995.

Each luxury vehicle contains air conditioning, gas and electric hot water, a washing machine, a 24” HD smart LED TV, a Bluetooth audio system, and a pillow top mattress.

A production insider tells Yahoo Lifestyle that while the contestants wrapped filming in early June, they still haven’t been able to stay overnight in their completed properties as they haven’t obtained a Certificate of Occupancy.

 

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This season marks the first time The Block doesn’t feature any contestants from New South Wales, which is particularly interesting as a Sydney-based team has won the last four seasons.

Shelley tells Yahoo Lifestyle that the casting shake-up ultimately doesn’t have any impact on the season, and she’s hopeful that viewers will root for their favourite team regardless of their home state.

“I love the fact that this year, it wasn’t about where you were from, it was about your story, your backstory, and what you were going to bring to the party. So we’ve got the five best teams that auditioned this year on The Block, and I think that’s what counts, not what state you’re from at all,” she shares.

“I mean, people are going to root for their favourites anyway. They might think, ‘I’m a Queenslander, I’m all in for the Queenslanders’. But you’ll find the people that you love and the people that you resonate with, and hopefully, as Aussies, we go, ‘Even if they’re from WA, I’m on their side’.”