Sneaky tactics revealed on The Block

Cat and Jeremy say there are plenty of sneaky tactics being made by teams on The Block.

Two contestants on The Block say there are plenty of underhand tactics being used by competitors on the show's latest season.

Ahead of tonight's debut of the home renovation show, Taranaki couple Cat and Jeremy told the Herald plenty of "bluffing" was used by contestants in the show's early moments.

"There was a bit of bluffing going down on the first day," admits Cat, a 27-year-old pre-school teacher.

"I don't think anyone wanted to give away too much, so it's clear we are all quietly competitive."

The show sees four teams of two - including Hamilton sisters Sarah and Minanne, Auckland couple Jamie and Hayden, and Christchurch couple Brooke and Mitch - competing in home renovation challenges on a Sandringham.

The winner is the couple that makes the most profit when their homes go to auction during the season finale.

Both Cat and Jeremy say their first week on the show was intense - especially after being thrown into their first challenge just 20 minutes after arriving on set.

"We weren't expecting it - we thought we would have a bit more time to sit down and think about what we would have to do. Everything being so 'go now' - that was really hard," Cat said.

Jeremy: "We were demolishing straight away, stripping out the walls. But we were also trying to figure out what we wanted to do with the first room - what to remove or what to keep. Finding a builder was a big task, and there was just a lot of uncertainty."

Both admitted they were running on adrenaline, sleeping on site for anywhere up to five hours a night.

"Going to bed really late and still having the energy to get up the next morning, or not getting any sleep at all and having to work through the following day has been tough," said Jeremy.

Cat: "I'm finding the lack of sleep really hard - you run out of energy so quickly, but you have no time to take a break, you just have to keep going."

* The Block's fourth season begins on TV3 from 7.30pm.

- nzherald.co.nz