Hi there! Someone said to me the other day I really should look at The Block NZ and see what they are up to over there. They are in full swing of their show titled Villa Wars and 4 couples are competing. I decided to check it all out and bring you some of their room reveals. I can see, just from the website, that the couples are working with reasonable and achievable budgets.
First, let me give you a quick run down on the couples, and then I chose their living rooms to show you…
This is Brooke and Mitch. They are both 25 years old. Brooke is a Personal Banker and Mitch is a plumber. They live together, but at Mitch’s parents’ house!
…
This is Cat and Jeremy. Cat is 27 and she is a pre-school teacher and Jeremy is 28 and he is an Art Director. They live together and are partners.
…
This is Jamie and Hayden. Jamie is 23 and she is a sales rep. Hayden is 29 and is an ex-police officer who is now studying law full time. They are engaged. * Hint – their entire house is black by the looks of the photos!
…
This is Sarah and Minanne. They are sisters. Sarah is 24 and holds a bachelor degree in Design Innovation and Masters in Industrial Design. Minanne is 19 and is currently completing a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Commerce degree. Their Dad is a builder so they are familiar with the trade.
So, there you go! A taste of The Block New Zealand. I’ll bring you some more of their completed rooms over the coming days. Any room you like so far??
♥ KC.
I like the first and last couples’ rooms the best. Their styling and product choice looks a lot more achievable for the average person than the Australian version! Can’t wait to see more!
They really do have a different look going on between couples. Interested to see the rest of the rooms.
It was me who told you to check the rooms out 😉
Cat and Jeremy also live at one of their parents’ houses … Jerry’s, I think.
The NZ version differs slightly to the Aussie version in a number of ways … the prize money is terrible – just $5k per room reveal win; but there are challenges almost every night from which they can earn more money and/or prizes (such as kitchen appliance upgrades; solar panels; etc.).
This series feels a bit cheap as in the past … not only have the contestants had a much smaller budget to work with than in previous years, but there are also very few prizes for viewers (normally there’s at least a car and a few appliance packages, but not so this year – unless you go to the trouble to get a quote for insurance from AMP, in which case you go into the draw to win a few things). There is a viewer’s choice prize for the most popular couple – they’ll get a naff little Honda Jazz to take home (considering the contestants have been driving around in Honda HRVs, that’s quite a downgrade).
If you do happen to catch any of the reveals on TV, I’d be interested to hear what you think of the judges. I think they’re awful. Sadly, we don’t have wonderful people like Shaynna here in NZ who judge based on what they know.
Another interesting thing … all the couples except one went over budget the week before last, so are now $30k in the red … which will be taken off their reserve … auctions are this coming Sunday.
Here are links to the houses:
Brooke and Mitch (the most unliked couple – they’re ruthless!):
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=979062576
Sarah and Minanne (the definite underdogs of the series; Sarah got engaged to her partner onscreen last night):
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=979055921
Hayden and Jamie:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=979112605
Cat and Jeremy (most peoples’ favourite couple):
http://www.trademe.co.nz/property/residential-property-for-sale/auction-979112619.htm
Also on the subject of The Block NZ, the houses from Series 1 are about to be demolished to make way for apartments! Incredible (waste of money and effort that all was):
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11552856