Week 8 is garage/storage area on the Block NZ and clearly as it’s such a boring feature building-wise, TV viewing space had to be filled with whatever drama could be manufactured.
Enter Orange’s Claire and Agni — the couple who have been relentlessly portrayed as Gizzy Hard duo Amy Moore and Stu Watts’ arch-rivals.
They have a significant area change plan they believe could be a winning point of difference when the houses are auctioned off at the end of the 12-week series.
Orange and their builder Dylan are converting part of their downstairs area into a fourth bedroom.
In theory, it sounds like a reasonable idea. A spare bedroom for guests or other family members.
Does that not mean, though, they will have to sacrifice garage and storage space? Where is all the stuff — from gardening equipment to recreational paraphernalia — going to go?
How is everything going to fit?
Orange are obsessively guarding their top-secret manoeuvre.
But, as The Block has constantly revealed, the chances of keeping a secret from often prying eyes are about the same as getting a bunch of 10-year-old girls at a birthday sleepover to stop talking when lights go out.
Orange don’t help their situation.
Agni tells Blue Team’s Ben. Builder Dylan shows Yellow Team Stu and Amy’s builder Dave Wallace. The cat is released from the bag and now everybody knows.
Then it becomes a storm of accusations as to who told who, with Orange venting their frustrations through another character assassination of Amy instead of the chief offender in this whodunnit — Dylan.
Orange fear that if Yellow get wind of their plan, they will copy it.
Would the team who have won five of the seven Room Reveals so far — and but for opposition team gang-up it would have been six — and set themselves apart from the rest quality-wise, feel the need to steal their idea?
When Amy tells Stu of Orange’s intentions, he cracks up and sums up his thoughts on it in one word: “Muppets”.
“I think they’re grasping at straws to get ahead,” says Amy.
If Stu had his way, the garage would be half garage/half man cave — dart board, beer fridge, stereo. A place for the boys to sink a few, pump up the heavy metal volume and chew the fat.
Amy appears not to be particularly endeared to this predominantly less creativie space, leaving Stu in the rare position of being in charge. For now.
Even if they were to go all-out, it’s likely Yellow won’t be taking part in Room Reveal anyway.
This week also features the Block Stars challenge, with each team required to provide a live performance at a theatre in Auckland.
The winners get $10,000 in tradie hours, plus the opportunity to delete a rival team from Room Reveal.
That team looks likely to be Yellow.
They drew the unenviable task of performing a ventriloquism act, were first-up and, to be blatantly honest, would probably have been cleaning off tossed vegetables and rotten fruit had it been medieval days.
“On the good side, no one lost an eye,” guest judge Jason Gunn diplomatically said.
Orange are next and princess Claire becomes the drama queen, excelling herself in a comedy sketch about Amy and judge Jason Bonham.
Stu and Amy are in unanimous agreement that “it was great”.
Team Blue follow with a theatrical performance, which is really just another skit in which they deliver the “Tools Down News” including a cleverly comical segment on the Team Yellow after-hours tradie controversy.
However, after being exposed to Ben dressed up as Samantha Hayes — complete with blazing red wig, lipstick caked on by a bricklayer and a Hawaiian-themed dress — one may never be able to look at the gorgeous TV3 anchor the same again. Thanks, Ben.
