The Block NZ has been postponed after six seasons after the winning team’s renovation made a record-low profit at auction.
Chloe Hes and Ben Speedy won The Block NZ this year, however, their house only sold for NZ$1.145m (AU$1.128m) – which was just NZ$4,000 (AU$3,046) above the NZ$1.141m (AU$1.124m) reserve. Runner-up couple James and Maree Steele only took home NZ$100 (AU$76) from the sale of their property.
The Block NZ announced that they next season of the reality show has been put on hold.
“We’ve made the tough but necessary decision to postpone The Block NZ until 2024 due to the challenging housing market,” they said in a statement.
It continued, “BUT, we know you need that reno-show in your life. We’re excited to bring you a local version of House Rules in 2023! In the show they hand over their keys to their homes and leave their competitors to transform every room in their house.”
The 2022 Australian season of The Block was a controversial one. Omar and Oz won the show by a landslide – they walked away with $1,586,666.66 in profit, plus an extra $100,000 in prize money for winning. The next closest couple, Sharon and Ankur, made just $170,000 on their house. Meanwhile, Tom and Sarah-Jane made just $20,000 for their time on the show.
Omar and Oz’s triumph was overshadowed by speculation that they have a personal relationship with one of the men, Adrian Porter, who was locked in a bidding war for their property.
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Although Omar and Oz’s house sold to Danny Wallis, he battled two other fellow bidders who drew up the price. One of those bidders was multi-millionaire Adrian Portelli, who left the auction immediately after he failed to win Omar and Oz’s house and didn’t stick around for the auctions on fellow contestant’s houses, which are very similar.
While Adrian has since defended himself against the allegations, he also posted a photo of him sitting in the spa with Omar and Oz just days after the finale.
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