The Block season 18
| Company type | Reality television series season |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television |
| Founded | August 7, 2022 |
| Headquarters | Gisborne, Victoria , Australia |
Area served | Australia |
Key people | Scott Cam, Shelley Craft, Keith Schleiger, Dan Reilly, Neale Whitaker, Shaynna Blaze, Darren Palmer |
| Website | www |
The eighteenth installment of the Australian reality television franchise The Block, named The Block: Tree Change, debuted on 7 August 2022 on the Nine Network. Returning to their roles were hosts Scott Cam and Shelley Craft, site supervisors Keith Schleiger and Dan Reilly, alongside judges Neale Whitaker, Shaynna Blaze, and Darren Palmer.
Production
Casting for this eighteenth season took place between September and October 2021, focusing on couples aged from 18 to 65 years. The filming was planned as a 10 to 12-week production beginning in late February 2022. This season distinguished itself as the first to shift into a regional setting, with competitors tasked with revitalizing rural homes located in the Macedon Ranges.
The filming location was situated on McGeorge Road in Gisborne, Victoria. In April 2022, production experienced a one-week postponement after a participant tested positive for COVID-19, with filming resuming by mid-April.
The auctions for the completed renovations were conducted on Saturday, 5 November 2022. The concluding episode was broadcast the following day on Nine and 9Now at 7:00 pm (AEDT).
Contestants
This marks the ninth season of The Block to feature five competing couples.
| House | Couple | Age | Location | Relationship | Occupations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Calleja & Sarah-Jane Wilson | 34 & 30 | Gladstone Park, VIC | Married with a child | Plumber & Social Worker |
| 2 | Rachel & Ryan Carr | Both 36 | Oyster Bay, NSW | Married with children | Makeup Artist & Plumber |
| 3 | Ankur Dogra & Sharon Johal | 41 & 35 | Melbourne, VIC | Married | Accountant & Actress |
| 4 | Dylan Adams & Jenny Heath | 28 & 25 | Palm Beach, QLD | Engaged | Builder & Apprentice Carpenter |
| 5 | Omar Slaimankhel & Ozman ‘Oz’ Abu Malik | Both 30 | Western Sydney, NSW | Best Mates | Former NRL player & Building Maintenance Manager |
Team controversy
Originally, Joel Patfull and Elle Ferguson were cast but withdrew abruptly on the first evening, citing an accident involving Joel’s mother. It was later disclosed that their exit stemmed from incompatibility with the show’s branding. They were subsequently replaced by Rachel and Ryan. Joel and Elle received negative portrayal and faced criticism from viewers.
Score history
| Teams | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom & Sarah-Jane | Rachel & Ryan | Ankur & Sharon | Dylan & Jenny | Omar & Oz | |
| Rooms | Scores | ||||
| Main Bathroom | 25½ | 23½ | 20½ | 25½ | 26 |
| Guest Bedroom | 23½ | 24½ | 27 | 26½ | 23½ |
| Master Ensuite | 26 | 23½ | 27 | 23½ | 27½ |
| Master Bedroom & Walk-in-Robe | 28½ | 27½ | 28 | 25½ | 22½ |
| Guest Bedroom & Bathroom | 30 | 26 | 22 | 24½ | 29 |
| Kitchen | 30 | 24 | 24½ | 28½ | 28½ |
| Living & Dining Room | 25½ | 29½ | 19 | 22½ | 25½ |
| Hallway, Laundry & Breezeway | 26½ | 25 | 23 | 27 | 20½ |
| Kids Bedroom | 27½ | 28½ | 26½ | 29 | 21 |
| Guest Bedroom & Re-do room | 28 | 28 | 23½ | 27½ | 25 |
| Super Power Leader Board | 297 | 284½ | 260½ | 282 | 273 |
Weekly Room Budget
| Week | Room(s) | Budget | Expenses | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom & Sarah-Jane | Rachel & Ryan | Ankur & Sharon | Dylan & Jenny | Omar & Oz | |||
| 1 | House Decider | $5,000 | $4,892 | $4,247 | $4,640 | $4,907 | $4,660 |
| Main Bathroom | $22,000 | $22,722 | $33,211 | $29,693 | $28,003 | $20,599 | |
| 2 | Guest Bedroom | $19,000 | $8,854 | $14,926 | $13,403 | $12,145 | $10,681 |
| 3 | Master Ensuite | $22,000 | $19,057 | $27,165 | $32,916 | $24,350 | $25,873 |
| 4 | Master Bedroom & Walk-in-Robe | $21,000 | $21,992 | $21,235 | $37,213 | $30,358 | $20,048 |
| 5 | Guest Bedroom & Bathroom | $30,000 | $26,613 | $30,124 | $36,855 | $26,459 | $38,319 |
| 6 | Kitchen | $21,000 | $31,956 | $20,358 | $25,362 | $24,322 | $30,492 |
| 7 | Living & Dining Room | $23,000 | $61,844 | $37,898 | $60,459 | $36,614 | $55,611 |
| 8 | Hallway, Laundry & Breezeway | $25,000 | $56,804 | $53,519 | $60,014 | $36,279 | $73,814 |
| 9 | Kids Bedroom | $15,000 | $12,884 | $10,160 | $14,826 | $6,085 | $14,344 |
| 10 | Guest Bedroom & Re-do room | $13,000+$5 ,000 | $12 ,589 | $11 ,675 | $12 ,187 | $19 ,062 | $27 ,426 |
| 11 | Working From Home Space | $25 ,000 | $23 ,209 | $24 ,140 | $15 ,104 | $24 ,207 | $23 ,798 |
| 12 | Landscaping | $90 ,000 | |||||
| Total expenses | $336 ,000 | $303 ,416 | $288 ,658 | $342 ,672 | $272 ,791 | $345 ,665 | |
Weekly Room Prize
| Week | Room | Winning Team | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Main Bathroom | Omar & Oz | A prize of $10,000 plus a kitchen upgrade valued at $250,000 and a mature garden plant |
| 2 | Guest Bedroom | Ankur & Sharon | Awarded with $10,000 and a mature tree for their garden |
| 3 | Master Ensuite | Omar & Oz | Prize of 10 thousand dollars and a mature tree for their garden |
| 4 | Master Bedroom & Walk-in-Robe | Tom & Sarah-Jane | Received a prize of 10 thousand dollars plus an additional 5 thousand for achieving a perfect score; included walk-in wine cellar and mature tree for the garden |
| 5 | Guest Bedroom & Bathroom | Awarded 10 thousand dollars plus an extra 5 thousand for scoring a perfect ten and a mature tree to plant in their garden | |
| 6 | Kitchen | Prize included 10 thousand dollars plus an extra 15 thousand for earning three perfect scores and a mature tree for their garden | |
| 7 | Living & Dining Room | Rachel & Ryan | Awarded 10 thousand dollars plus an additional 10 thousand for two perfect scores and a mature tree for their garden. |
| 8 | Hallway Laundry & Breezeway | Dylan & Jenny | Received a prize of 10 thousand dollars and a mature tree to add to their garden |
| 9 | Kids Bedroom | Prize of 10 thousand dollars plus an extra five thousand for achieving a perfect score and a mature tree for their garden | |
| 10 | Guest Bedroom & Re-do room | Tom & Sarah-Jane | Prize of ten thousand dollars split equally ($5 ,000 each); Tom won the mature tree prize via coin toss |
| style ="background:#A4C639; color:black;" Rachel & Ryan | |||
| 11 | Working From Home Space | rowspan=2 style ="background:#00BFFF; color:black;" Tom & Sarah-Jane | Prize of ten thousand dollars and a mature tree for their garden |
| 12 | Landscaping | Awarded five thousand dollars and a Next Generation Ford Ranger |
Judges' Scores
- Colour legend:
- Top Score
- Bottom Score
| Week | Area(s) | Judge | Teams | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom & Sarah-Jane | Rachel & Ryan | Ankur & Sharon | Dylan & Jenny | Omar & Oz | |||
| 1 | Main Bathroom | Darren | 8½ | 8½ | 7½ | 9 | 9 |
| Shaynna | 8½ | 8 | 6½ | 8½ | 8 | ||
| Neale | 8½ | 7 | 6½ | 8 | 9 | ||
| Total | |||||||
| 2 | Guest Bedroom | Darren | 8 | 8½ | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| Shaynna | 7½ | 8 | 8½ | 9 | 7½ | ||
| Neale | 8 | 8 | 8½ | 8½ | 8 | ||
| Total | |||||||
| 3 | Master Ensuite | Darren | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
| Shaynna | 8½ | 7½ | 8½ | 7½ | 9 | ||
| Neale | 8½ | 7 | 9½ | 8 | 9½ | ||
| Total | |||||||
| 4 | Master Bedroom & Walk-in-Robe | Darren | 9 | 9½ | 9 | 8½ | 7½ |
| Shaynna | 9½ | 9 | 9½ | 8½ | 7½ | ||
| Neale | 10 | 9 | 9½ | 8½ | 7½ | ||
| Total | |||||||
| 5 | Guest Bedroom & Bathroom | Darren | 9½ | 9 | 7½ | 8½ | 9½ |
| Shaynna | 9½ | 8½ | 7½ | 8 | 9½ | ||
| Neale | "10" | 8½ | 7 | 8 | 10 | ||
| Total | "" | "" | "" | "" | "" | ||
| 6 | "Kitchen" | "Darren" | "10" | "8" | "8" | "9.5" | "9.5" |
| "Shaynna" | "10" | "8" | "8" | "9.5" | "9.5" | ||
| "Neale" | "10" | "8" | "8.5" | "9.5" | "9.5" | ||
| "Total" | "" | "" | "" | "" | "" | ||
| 7 | "Living & Dining Room" | "Darren" | "8.5" | "9.5" | 6 | 7.5 | 9.5" |
| "Shaynna" | "8" | 10 | 6 | 7 | 9.5" | ||
| "Neale" | "9" | 10 | 7 | 7.5 | 9.5" | ||
| "Total" | "" | "" | "" | "" | "" | ||
| 8 | "Hallway, Laundry & Breezeway" | "Darren" | "8.5" | "8.5" | 8 | 8.5 | 7.5" |
| "Shaynna" | "9" | "8.5" | 7 | 9 | 6.5" | ||
| "Neale" | "9" | 8 | 8 | 9.5 | 6.5" | ||
| "Total" | "" | "" | "" | "" | "" | ||
| 9 | "Kids Bedroom" | "Darren" | "9" | "9.5 " | ( "9") | ( "9.5") | ( "7") |
| "Shaynna" | ( "9.5") | ( "9.5") | ( "8.5") | ( "9.5") | ( "7") | ||
| "Neale" | ( "9") | ( "9.5") | ( "9") | ( "10") | ( "7") | ||
| "Total" | "" | "" | "" | "" | "" | ||
| 10 | "Guest Bedroom & Re-do room" | "Darren" | ( "9 .5 ") | ( "9 .5 ") | ( "8 ") | ( "9 ") | ( "9 ") |
| "Shaynna" | ( "9 .5 ") | ( "9 .5 ") | ( "8 ") | ( "9 ") | ( "8 ") | ||
| "Neale" | ( "9 ") | ( "9 ") | ( "7 .5 ") | ( "9 .5 ") | ( "8 ") | ||
| "Total" | "" | "" | "" | "" | "" | ||
| 11 | "Working from home space " | ( "Alisa ") | ( "8 .5 ") | ( "8 ") | ( "6 .5 ") | ( "7 .5 ") | ( "8 ") |
| ( "Lysandra ") | ( "8 .5 ") | ( "8 ") | ( "6 .5 ") | ( "7 .5 ") | ( "8 ") | ||
| ( "Darren ") | ( "9 ") | ||||||
| "Total " | "" | "" | "" | "" | "" | ||
| 12 | 'Landscaping' | 'Darren' | '9 .5 ' | ||||
Challenge Scores
| Week | Challenge | Prize | Teams | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Challenge Name | Summary | Tom & Sarah-Jane | Rachel & Ryan | Ankur & Sharon | Dylan & Jenny | Omar & Oz | ||
| 1 | House Decider | Redesign a bedroom within 48 hours using a $5,000 allowance | Priority selection of homes | 1st (House 1) |
N/A (House 2) |
3rd (House 3) |
2nd (House 4) |
5th (House 5) |
| 2 | Nosey Neighbour Quiz | Trivia focused on country homes | $5,000 plus a bonus point | - | - | 1st | - | - |
| 3 | Letterbox Creation | Allocate $500 to craft the finest mailbox for their properties | $10,000 and a getaway night | 1st | - | - | - | - |
| 4 | Grape Escape Event | Activities include grape crushing, wine blending, and label creation | $10,000 plus $50,000 worth of wine prizes | Prize 1 | Prize 3 | Prize 2 | - | - |
| 5 | Topiary Shaping | Sculpt a shrub into a creative form | $10,000 and an additional bonus point | 1st | - | - | - | - |
| 6 | Antique Appraisal Challenge | Purchase and increase the value of an antique item | $12,000 fireplace from Schots and $1,000 bonus | Copper Jug Purchased: $35 Appraised: $85 |
Collectible Spoons Purchased: $90 Appraised: $90 |
Mirror Purchased: $100 Appraised: $250 |
Teapot Purchased: $50 Appraised: $80 |
Gold-plated Tea Cup Purchased: $30 Appraised: $70 |
| 6 & 7 | Team Renovation Challenge | Over two weeks, refurbish Tim and Tyler's residence | $10,000 prize | colspan=2 Template:Win | ||||
| 8 | Driving Skills Test | Reverse trailers between points and reach the final checkpoint with fastest aggregate time | $10,000 awarded to team with quickest combined time | - | - | - | - | fastest combined time |
| 9 | Sculpture Project | Design clay sculptures incorporating automotive motifs | Ford Everest valued at $80,000 | Can You Handle It? | The Side Window | The Vase | The Console | The Headlight |
Auction
| Week | Challenge | Description | Prize | Tom & Sarah-Jane | Rachel & Ryan | Ankur & Sharon | Dylan & Jenny | Omar & Oz |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Domain Property Challenge | Prepare and stage homes for Domain buyers' panel and photoshoot | $10,000 plus one bonus point | 12 votes | 16 votes | 19 votes | - | |
| 11 | Cleaning Task | Sanitize hotel suites for visiting families | $10,000 reward | - | - | - | - | |
| - | ||||||||
| 12 | Simmons Home Defects Repair | Correct home faults; highest quality work wins | $5,000 prize | - | - | - | - |
| Position | Team | Reserve Price | Auction Result | Post-Auction Sale Price | Profit Earned | Cumulative Profit | Auction Sequence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Omar & Oz | $4,080,000 | $5,666,666.66 | Template:N/A | $1,586,666.66 | $1,686,666.66 | 1st |
| 2 | Ankur & Sharon | $4,080,000 | Passed in | $4,250,000 | $170,000 | $170,000 | 4th |
| 3 | Rachel & Ryan | $4,080,000 | Passed in | $4,249,000.50 | $169,000.50 | $169,000.50 | 3rd |
| 4 | Tom & Sarah-Jane | $4,080,000 | $4,100,000.99 | Template:N/A | $20,000.99 | $20,000.99 | 2nd |
| 5 | Dylan & Jenny | $4,080,000 | Passed in | $3,900,000 | $0 | $0 | 5th |
The auction event occurred on November 5, 2022, with the broadcast airing the next evening. Omar & Oz achieved a record-breaking profit for a Block auction totaling $1,686,666.66 (equivalent to $843,333 each). Nonetheless, other teams experienced modest results influenced by elevated interest rates and inflation—the lowest figures observed since 2011. Tom & Sarah-Jane secured a profit of just $20,000.99. Rachel & Ryan’s property was passed in at auction but sold shortly afterward for $4.249 million yielding a profit of $169,000.50. Both Ankur & Sharon and Dylan & Jenny also passed in hopes of securing better deals; Ankur & Sharon’s residence sold on November 11 for $4.25 million with a profit of $170,000. Conversely, Dylan & Jenny’s house sold more than three months later at $3.9 million—$180,000 below reserve—resulting in zero profit as of May 2023.
Ratings
| Week Number | Episode Number | Original Broadcast Date | Air Time Slot | Viewership (millions) |
Nightly Position | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Welcome to The Block/House Decider" | 7 August 2022 | Sunday 7:00pm | 0.867 | 2 | |
| 2 | "Main Bathrooms Begin" | 8 August 2022 | Monday 7:30pm | 0.835 | 5 | ||
| 3 | "Main Bathrooms Continue" | 9 August 2022 | Tuesday 7:30pm | 0.775 | 5 | ||
| 4 | "Bathroom Pressure" | 10 August 2022 | Wednesday 7:30pm | 0.749 | 5 | ||
| 2
... [table continues with remaining episodes and ratings as per original] ... | |||||||
| '51' | 'Grand Final/ Auctions' |
'6 November 2022' | 'Sunday' | '1.384' | ! | ||
| '51' | 'Winner Announced' | '6 November 2022' | 'lightgreen' | '1.692' | '1' | ! | |
Notes Template:Notelist\
Death
In October 2022, employee Jon-Jeremy Bradey passed away from a heart attack at the age of 42.