The Shock (Results from the Grand Final of The Block 2010)

All those weeks renovating, not sleeping, getting on everyone’s nerves… for this!? Damn straight.

The Block 2010 ended with an auction to be proud of – high drama, slow starts, big finishes. All the drama that should come with someone selling their prized posession in an open forum. Channel 9 delivered in spades. A nice package on each couple reviewing their time on The Block this year. Some sweeping shots of the open houses, including the biggest one from last Saturday where (allegedly) over 5,000 people lined up to trudge through the 4 apartments and meet the contestants. Blah blah blah – all good, but we’re here to find a winner…

I will admit I clearly misunderstood the cars they were all driving. I thought that the couples got to keep them as essentially a prize for being a part of the competition. Not this season at least, with the auction part of the ep starting with Natalie Gruzlewski (don’t bother – I’m sure I spelt it incorrectly) announcing the couple that Woman’s Weekly readers voted get to keep their car – and congratulations to Jake & Erin. Then the couples, in apartment number order, drew for auction order. John & Neisha, Mark & Duncan, Chez & Brenton, Jake & Erin. Game. On.

While the sale prices were reported in Fairfax papers this morning, no indication of which couple were in which situation was given, only adding to the tension of what played out. Each couple’s agent & auctioneer did a great job for them (very cheeky call from Mark & Duncan’s auctioneer at one stage mentioning “one unit sold recently for over $1m…” – very smooth, and scored a laugh from the room accordingly). Brenton & Chez rolled the dice by having Andrew Morello (winner of the Australian series of The Apprentice) act as their auctioneer, and while the fact their property passed in isn’t directly his fault I’ll certainly say it directly was his fault. His obscene persona, that hair, & the “all about me” attitude was not required – no one came to see the Morello show. Some additional controversy reigned after the property was passed in as Brenton stormed out to process what had happened (“6 months of our lives for nothing…”), and all Chez could do was sit and stare unbelievingly, while Scott Cam sat next to her stone-faced, not sure what to do. He could have at least offered some consoling words. Perhaps he was as taken aback by what had just happened as the couple were.

The results, such that they were:

Wow. Major congrats to John & Neisha, who additionally score $100,000 in prizemoney on top of their profit., AND now hold the record for the highest profit for a property sold from all three seasons of The Block. A healthy nest egg for them to use as they see fit. By the time the credits rolled, you could see all of the couples were very happy for John & Neisha, who were totally deserving of the win.

Some random thoughts from throughout the episode:

• Hell yeah, it’s The Block time…
• I know that a public auction is hard to contain details for a big ending, but a “closed” auction is a tough vibe builder.
• Chez is in Real Estate and she didn’t know what gyprock was? Watching the package on her and Brenton only reinforced my dislike of her and her attitude.
• There is clearly no love lost between Chez & Erin, independent of what we’re told about everyone “making up” after the show.
• Cannot tell you how much I like Mark & Duncan and John & Neisha – I hope one of those two couples win
• The boys lamented their lack of… umm… female attention: “Nothing like a girl’s touch.” “Hear, hear… It has been 52 days, you know…”
• The goodbyes seemed nice & heartfelt – but some were warmer than others
• My LovelyWife made two valid points: Chez ALWAYS wore her hair in that stupid messy sideways ponytail, and where was this amazing engagement ring Brenton gave her? Nowhere to be seen, that’s where…
• The boys had the best lines and the knew it: “We’re the only fully cocked unit in this building.”
• Just as their auction was kicking off, Scott asked John & Neisha how they did it – Nice dig  in response from John:  “Honesty & hard work”.
• Gutted for Mark & Duncan – their apartment so deserved better than that. So did they. At least the made a profit, I guess.
• Morello – shut up – it’s not all about you (and what the hell is with your head?!)…
• I knew that “Dibber Dobber” comment would bite her on the arse.
• With no profit made from the show, Brenton must now be reconsidering the cost of the absent engagement ring.
• MASSIVE congrats to John & Neisha – worthy winners of The Block 2010.
• The product placement was much more subtle in the grand final ep – with the exception of the Freedom promotional material, although it was pretty tastefully done.
• Scott Cam seemed out of his depth in a one or two auction moments, and without suggesting he had favourites you could tell he related to two of the couples better than the other two.
• You must watch the post-auction interview with Chez & Brenton. Boo hoo. At least they are a little circumspect in the outcome. In that position you have no choice but to be.

Hurry back, The Block. This series ended with a great return to form, and will only have producers being swamped with audition tapes for the 2011 series. Faith is restored, Channel 9, in the gamble you took on returning this one to our screens. Thank you.