The Block season 1
| Industry | Television |
|---|---|
| Founded | June 1, 2003 |
| Headquarters | Bondi , Australia |
The inaugural season of the Australian reality show The Block, later referred to as The Block 2003, premiered on the Nine Network on 1 June 2003. The series was hosted by Backyard Blitz personality Jamie Durie and judged by business expert John McGrath. It took over the network’s prime Sunday evening slot from 6:30 to 7:30 pm AEST, replacing both Backyard Blitz and Location Location. The production was mainly based in Bondi, New South Wales, with most filming completed prior to broadcast to facilitate post-production editing.
Contestants
From an applicant pool of approximately 2,000, four couples were chosen to compete:
- Adam Thorn (30) and Fiona Mills (27), a married pair from Banksia with previous renovation experience. They worked on the first ground-floor apartment and were regarded as frontrunners throughout the competition. Their unit was the last to go under the hammer, achieving a sale price of $751,000, which resulted in the highest profit margin of $156,000 plus the $100,000 grand prize. Mills also appeared on the cover of Ralph during the show’s run.
- Warren Sonin (37) and Gavin Atkins (35), a sales manager and public relations professional from Elizabeth Bay.
- Paul (30) and Kylie Ingram (31), a married couple for two years; he is a plumber and she works as a travel agent.
- Phil Rankine (33) and singer Amity Dry (24), a marketing executive duo residing in Kirribilli.
The total profits generated from all auctions amounted to $443,000.
Room Wins
| Couple | Number of Room Wins |
|---|---|
| Adam & Fiona | 2 out of 5 |
| Kylie & Paul | 1.5 out of 5 |
| Gav & Waz | 0.5 out of 5 |
| Phil & Amity | 1 out of 5 |
Auction
| Position | Couple | Apartment | Reserve Price | Final Sale Price | Profit Made | Total Earnings | Auction Sequence | Buyer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adam and Fiona | Flat 1 (Ground floor) | $595,000 | $751,000 | $156,000 | $256,000 | 4th | Unnamed Sydney female buyer |
| 2 | Paul and Kylie | Flat 4 (Upstairs) | $747,000 | $152,000 | $152,000 | 3rd | Sydney-based businessman Wayne | |
| 3 | Warren and Gavin | Flat 2 (Ground floor) | $670,000 | $75,000 | $75,000 | 2nd | Crazy John's | |
| 4 | Phil and Amity | Flat 3 (Upstairs) | $655,000 | $60,000 | $60,000 | 1st | The Sun-Herald |
Reception
This debut season achieved strong ratings success with an average nightly audience of 2.239 million viewers. The Grand Finale episode drew an even larger audience of 3.115 million.