Scott Cam, it’s fair to say, isn’t the biggest fan of the most recent season of The Block.
In a recent chat with his co-hist Shelley Craft on the reality show’s official podcast, the presenter expressed his dismay at the out-of-control spending habits of some teams.
“They just keep spending. Shell, I think we might have to change the rules next year,” Cam said to Craft, who replied by noting that the teams’ budgets had already been significantly reduced.
“We’ve already reduced the budget so they only get what they can spend that week,” she said. “Remember when they used to get the entire budget upfront, and some of them would blow that by week four? At least with these guys, they’re only blowing the week that they’ve got. What else can you do?”
“Well, they only get, say, $25,000 for a bathroom. But they might spend $35,000 – and then the bill comes in the following week,” Cam answered.
“I’m going to have a meeting about this. I’ve already discussed it with some people… We’re going to have a meeting, and I don’t know what we’re going to do. We’re going to make some changes.”
So if you’re thinking of applying to be on season 19 of The Block, you’ve been warned – your budget’s probably going to be rather restricted. During his chat with Craft, Cam didn’t explain any further his plan for the show to monitor contestants’ spending.
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Money woes were all over season 18, with contestants Sharon and Ankur even having to be “cut off” by Cam after they overspent by over $50,000. After their credit cards were cancelled as a result, their spending was closely monitored for the rest of the season.
During the podcast chat, Cam also revealed his best piece of advice for future The Block contestants “Now, I’m not suggesting that Ankur and Sharon could plaster, but they could learn how to hang sheets. That’s very feasible and easy to do. Then when your plasterer comes in, you could learn off him and at least do the base coat, before he does the top coat,” Cam’s said.
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