BLOCK IS BACK

COURTNEY AND HANS, WA ‘WE’RE PERFECTIONISTS’ Sharing a sky-high ambition, this go-getting team is sure to be a force to be reckoned with. Hans, 37, a commercial airline pilot, and Courtney, 33, a flight supervisor, have been together for seven years and got engaged just one week before the show. The pair admit they were nervous going up against couples with far more renovation experience. ‘We’d dabbled, like painting walls and putting floorboards down, but nothing on the scale of The Block,’ Courtney says. ‘It was intimidating at first.’ However, the couple believe their shared attention to detail will make up for their lack of experience. ‘We’re perfectionists, but we like things to be done well,’ Courtney says.

HAYDEN AND SARA, NSW ‘WE’RE GOING TO BUTT HEADS’ These new parents from Sydney have already been pinned as ones to watch in the competition, thanks to their outspoken and driven nature. Hayden, 45, is a construction project manager while Sara, 33, is a former flight attendant and stay-at-home mum to their baby daughter, Harlow. There’s a lot on the line for these newlyweds, who plan to use the auction money to give their young family the best possible start in life. With their eyes firmly on the prize, it’s no surprise the couple ruffled a few feathers throughout the competition. ‘We’re pretty open. We don’t hold anything back,’ Sara says of their altercations with the other contestants. However, their feisty personalities could prove to be a disadvantage when directed at each other. ‘I think we might slightly butt heads,’ Sara admits. ‘Because Hayden will want his input and it will be great, but at the same time, don’t take my job away from me. Just say yes to everything.’

JESS AND NORM, QLD ‘WE’RE TOO BROKE TO GET MARRIED’ Nicknamed ‘Hurricane Jess and Norm’, viewers are sure to fall in love with these Aussie battlers who’ve encountered their fair share of hardships. Breakfast radio host Jess, 33, grew up in country Victoria without electricity until she was 18, while builder Norm, 40, reveals he often felt like a ‘mistake’, being the youngest of seven children. The pair – parents to Freddie, four, and Matilda, one – say the money from the auction would absolutely change their lives. ‘If we could win a few dollars and wipe off a few debts so we don’t have to work as hard and spend more time with the kids, that would make it all worth it,’ Norm tells New Idea. ‘Right now we’re too broke to get married. And we want another baby, but financially it’s just not possible,’ adds Jess. While the tough times have brought them closer together, Norm reveals he’s had to kick Jess off a building site before! ‘I’ve had Jess work for me a couple of times and she just wasn’t putting screws in the right way,’ he reveals. ‘She refused to do it the way I wanted... I had to fire her.’

THE RENO SERIES RETURNS FOR SUMMER AS TEAMS TACKLE THE RUN-DOWN GATWICK HOTEL IN ST KILDA. BUT IT’S NOT ALL SUMMER LOVIN’ – THERE’S PLENTY OF TEARS, TENSION AND TANTRUMS IN STORE. HERE ARE THE CONTESTANTS AT THE CENTRE OF IT ALL

BIANCA AND CARLA, VIC ‘WE’RE OPEN TO FINDING LOVE’ Best friends Bianca, 36, and Carla, 35, stand head and shoulders above the competition – literally. The statuesque professional netballers work well on and off the field, discovering a mutual love of renovation when they fixed up Carla’s warehouse apartment. Despite being in the minority, Bianca and Carla believe that being the only team who aren’t romantically linked has worked to their advantage. ‘Coming into the show, I knew it would probably be tough doing it as two girls and not having a trade,’ Bianca says. ‘But as weeks went by, we saw everyone arguing around us and a lot of tension at times – we could hear yelling and screaming.’ While they’re focused on the game, both ladies are single and haven’t ruled out finding love on the show. ‘A couple of hot tradies would be nice,’ Carla laughs.

KERRIE AND SPENCE, SA ‘WE’VE GOT A GAME PLAN’ This husband-and-wife duo are no strangers to the reno world – their home has already featured on the architecture TV series Grand Designs! Spence, 46, a prestige builder, and Kerrie, 48, a qualified theatre nurse, started a whirlwind romance when they were set up on a blind date eight years ago. ‘Within three months we’d bought a house together and gone to Europe together. It was crazy!’ Kerrie says. While Kerrie and Spence already have a game plan in mind, their often conflicting personalities may lead to some testing times. ‘Spence gets defensive because he is a delicate soul,’ Kerrie admits. ‘He thinks I am having a go at him when I’m not. I just want to get to the point, abruptly. And I am impatient.’