Next year’s Blockheads better buckle up!

Coming into auction day for The Block 2025, we always knew it was going to be a challenging year.

First of all, billionaire and frequent home buyer Adrian Portelli said he would not be returning to bid on any houses, despite him being spied sneaking in to see Ben and Emma’s house a few weeks ago.

And secondly, in Daylesford, there have never been five houses to sell in one day at auction — and that’s when the median house price is around $700,000 to $800,000!

So it was safe to say that tensions were high as Woman’s Day descended onto the site to watch the auctions unfold on Saturday.
TV WEEK and Woman’s Day were invited to watch the auction unfold on site in Daylesford. (Credit: Supplied)
Tucked up inside The Block Shop located in Sponsor Village just metres away from where the auctions were being held, we nervously settled in as busy film crews, serious-looking real estate agents and anxious friends and family of the cast all filtered through, settling down in front of the large-screen TV, all unsure where the day would take us.

First up was Britt and Taz, the lovable police officers from Newman, Western Australia, who were tasked with setting the tone for the day.

And things certainly looked hopeful, with the married couple walking away with a tidy $420,000 profit after their home was sold for $3.41 million.

Talking with them afterward, the pair could not be happier with their result, with the parents seen cuddling their two kids, who had been waiting anxiously to hug their mummy and daddy all day.

During our interview, Taz even took a cheeky jab at judge Marty Fox, who had lambasted their controversial Pilates room.

“I think he said it was ‘unsellable’, right?” he laughed.

Back in the media room, the mood was jovial. Perhaps things would be OK after all?
Britt and Taz were emotional after their auction. (Credit: Woman’s Day)
Then, it was Mat and Robby‘s turn.

The room was in complete silence as their auctioneer Tom Panos struggled to get another paddle raised minutes after he revealed the house was officially on the market.

Ultimately, the house was sold to Danny Wallis for the eye-twitching price of $3,099,999.10.

Talking with the best pals afterward, their mood was dramatically different from their neighbours Britt and Taz.

“We’re f***ed off,” Mat said bluntly.

“If the reserve had been $30,000 less, you wouldn’t have been able to catch us, we’d be running around,” added Robby, who revealed his guilt for leaving his partner Alyssa and their son Brooks for months for what would be just over $50,000.

“I did miss forty per cent of my son’s life being on the show, it’s more about the guilt being away from my partner and she’s a new mum. She’s the real hero and I was hoping to bring some more money home for her today but you know,” he said tearily.

When I asked the two how they thought their auctioneer went — because for me personally, I thought he had sold it way too quickly, Robby said he had no ill will.

“He’s the best in the business. He did a great job.”

Back in the media room, people were in disbelief. This was meant to be the house to take out the big win. So what did this mean for the rest?
The mood was certainly different for Mat and Robby. (Credit: Woman’s Day)
Well, it turns out it could get much worse, as Emma and Ben were forced to pass in their home after they struggled to get any worthy bids.

It was honestly heartbreaking watching the pair do several takes of their on-camera interview.

Ben in particular was really struggling to keep it together.

“You can’t help but feel like the loser of a reality TV show,” he told us.

Interestingly, Ben appeared to take a little jibe at Adrian Portelli, who despite being seen doing a walk-through of their home just days earlier, failed to make a bid.

“Maybe he doesn’t have as deep pockets as he used to have, I don’t know,” Ben added.

His comments certainly held more weight after we learned that a representative for Adrian had been there, however he chose not to bid on any houses.
Ben and Emma were left devastated after their house was passed in. (Credit: Woman’s Day)
The day had taken a nosedive, that’s for sure.

As we were ushered back from interviewing Ben and Emma to our holding room, I spotted executive producer Julian Cress having a quiet moment with Sonny and Alicia, who were up next.

Was he preparing them for the worst outcome, perhaps?

Thankfully not, as the Gold Coast married couple earned $120,000 profit from their house.

The couple were overjoyed with their result, particularly after they endured the brunt of viewer vitriol throughout the season.

Alicia sobbed as she reflected on the unfair backlash she received after she had clashed with series favourites Britt and Taz.

“I couldn’t get out of bed for two days. At one point I told Sonny, ‘I think I might have to go to hospital.’”

She added that she couldn’t even take her children out of the house for the school holidays due to the fear of being approached by strangers in the street.

“I was petrified someone would say something, not that it ever happened, everybody was so kind to me in public, but it was just the fear.”
Sonny and Alicia were stoked with making $120,000 profit. (Credit: Woman’s Day)
Last up was Han and Can.

Unsurprisingly, but still disappointingly, their house was also passed in — but the girls, who were known for their fiery outbursts throughout the season, were hopeful for their futures.

“I’d love to go into cooking and start a Cangella show,” joked Can. “But if that doesn’t work out, I might go into real estate, I’ve had a few conversations with Marty Fox, he’s incredible, so I’d love to auction off one of the houses next year.”

“And I want to be Foreman Han, so it’s Foreman Han and Foreman Dan,” laughed Han.
Han and Can were seen making their way back after their house was passed in. (Credit: Woman’s Day)
All in all, it was a strange day. Equal parts joyous and somber. It was like no one really knew how to react.

Even when we spoke to Britt and Taz after their win, they really found it hard to stay happy. They just felt so much for their contestants, who had worked so hard on their homes and wanted to make their lives, or the ones of their families, better.

“It’s bittersweet,” Taz said, while Britt revealed that host Scotty Cam was “so upset”.

Even when we spoke to one of the bidders who had been inside each auction, they described the atmosphere as “morbid”.

Not really the term you want from your auction day.

All in all, each team put their blood, sweat and tears (literally) into each of their houses and while the end result for some of them was far from ideal, they can leave knowing that they’ve left behind five incredible houses in Daylesford and gifted us with some bloody good TV.

Can really put it best when she said next year’s Blockheads better “buckle up” because who knows what Mount Eliza has in store.

Until next time.