The Block is a reality show that has given us a lot: enough kitchen and bathroom inspo to bankrupt us all, a litany of Scotty Cam catchphrases to shout at passing cars, and of course, just so, so, so many scandals.

However, this year’s The Block has been light on controversies. Sure, Han and Can were briefly accused of copying Alicia and Sonny’s spa reno one week, but other than that, the vibe between the teams has remained relatively civil.

But never fear. Just in time for the 2025 auction, we are going to relive the biggest scandals in The Block’s history, and oh wow. Over the show’s two decades on air, there were a lot to choose from.

Stay messy, The Block.

2024: Mimi and Brad’s ‘flirting scandal’.

This ‘flirting scandal’ involved Brad and co-star Mimi, and led to Brad’s partner Kylie making a shock exit.

Kylie overheard Brad making inappropriate comments to Mimi, and was particularly “disgusted” by a remark he made about following Mimi on OnlyFans. Distraught, Kylie initially left the site, but was later convinced to return, alongside Brad, to complete their house for the auction, despite their relationship being on thin ice.

2024: Adrian Portelli bought every house at auction and selected the winner.

At the 2024 auction, Adrian Portelli sensationally bought all five houses for over $15 million, using a buyer’s agent to conceal his clean sweep plan.

He then gave the win to sisters Maddy and Charlotte by making a massive final bid on their property, stating he wanted to reward the “underdogs” and “go out with a bang,” leading to claims that the auction was rigged.

2023: Kristy vs Eliza.

The bitter feud between Kristy and Eliza (and her sister Liberty) dominated The Block in 2023.

Kristy frequently targeted the sisters, accusing them of receiving “special treatment.”

In a major on-air confrontation, Eliza then accused Kristy and her partner Brett of creating a “toxic” work environment, alleging that the couple were “really unpleasant” to be around on set and had even made members of the production crew cry. Of course, the bad vibes and animosity continued after the season aired.

Kristy and Brett were a divisive couple. Image: Nine.

2022: Elle and Joel quit after just two days.

Influencer Elle Ferguson and her fiancé, former AFL player Joel Patfull, walked out of The Block: Tree Change after just 48 hours of filming in 2022.

Their abrupt, middle-of-the-night departure shocked both the cast and crew, who claimed the couple gave no reason for their prompt exit from the competition.

The couple later said that they’d decided to leave after learning that Joel’s mother had suffered a serious fall, but host Scott Cam publicly called their decision “piss-poor” and “un-Australian” for disrupting the entire production.

2022: Tom and Sarah-Jane bombed out on auction night.

Despite being season faves, Tom and Sarah-Jane’s house at The Block: Tree Change auction sold for just $20,000 over their $4.08 million reserve.

The disastrous result — following Omar and Oz’s massive win — led the remaining teams to pass in their properties. Sarah-Jane later shared that the grim profit hadn’t covered their costs, which, in turn, forced them to sell the car they’d won to break even.

Tom and Sarah-Jane’s auction result shocked viewers. Image: Nine.

2021: The film schedule cheating scandal.

You don’t get much bigger than the infamous cheating scandal that involved contestants Tanya and Vito.

Tanya obtained a photo of the production schedule from the site, which she then admitted to sharing with Love Island brothers, Josh and Luke.

Initially, Tanya claimed that a former tradesperson had sent the photo to her, but later confessed that she had taken it herself. When asked, “Did you take the photograph?” she replied: “Yes.”

This admission came after the brothers, Josh and Luke, had already come clean about the full story, claiming that Tanya had approached them to be “on guard” while she took the photo.

The show decided that both teams had an unfair advantage, leading to a huge controversy and a two-point deduction penalty for each involved team.

Tanya had to come clean. Image: Nine.

2020: Luke and Jasmin were accused of cheating… twice.

Luke and Jasmin were accused of cheating on The Block in 2020 after judge Shaynna Blaze called out their children’s bedroom design for being a near-replica of an image found on Instagram.

Then, the pair faced a second controversy when their kitchen design featured a curved fluted timber bench that was very similar to one Daniel and Jade had specifically commissioned.

Luke and Jasmin denied the accusations, insisting they simply took “inspiration” from other designs.

2020: The Block’s winning buyer failed to pay for the house.

Emese Fajk placed the winning $4.256 million bid on Jimmy and Tam’s house, but failed to settle the sale. She allegedly produced fraudulent bank transfer documents, which left the winning couple heartbroken and without their record-breaking profit.

Fajk’s posted a statement on Instagram after A Current Affair aired a story about her. “When people I don’t know try to dig into my life, that has been locked down and sealed… I feel like it needs to be said: ‘BACK THE F*** OFF’.”

Channel 9 ultimately honoured the prize money of $1.6 million in winnings, and the house was later resold to a legitimate buyer.

Jimmy and Tam with their ‘winning buyer’. Image: Nine.

2014: Brothers Shannon and Simon secretly record the judges’ private feedback.

Brothers Shannon and Simon Voss caused a major scandal on The Block: Glasshouse. They were caught hiding a mobile phone under a bed to secretly record the judges’ private feedback during room reveals.

Sneaky, sneaky!

Judge Darren Palmer discovered the device, exposing the brothers’ attempt to gain an unfair advantage by learning the judges’ specific critique before official scoring.

2014: The Block: Glasshouse auction disaster.

The 2014 season resulted in an abysmal auction for two teams.

After months of work, both Darren and Deanne, and Michael and Carlene, walked away with a minimal profit of just $10,000 each over their reserves.

The shocking result, which left both couples devastated, was blamed on a limited buyer pool and the poor auction order, which benefited the first houses sold.

Thankfully, Darren and Deanne returned the following year for the season The Block: Triple Threat in an attempt to rectify their disappointing $10,000 profit.

And huzzah! On their second attempt, they won the entire season, walking away with a total of $935,000 in prize money. That’s more like it, hey!