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As the reno show returns for its 14th season, WHO gets the inside word on what to expect from the five teams
Sara & Hayden NEWLYWEDS, NSW
With a little one at home, it’s no wonder construction manager Hayden, 45, and stay-at-home mum Sara, 33, found The Block experience to be tough going.
Congratulations on getting married! When was the wedding? Sara October 21, 2017. We applied for the show in September last year, did one interview and then got married. Then after the big day we had one more interview and jetted off to our honeymoon. Hayden, you’re a bit older than Sara. Were you ready to settle down? Sara I was the one who didn’t want to get in to a relationship. He kept pestering me! Hayden I think you were waiting for someone to sweep you off your feet. So did you know straight away that Hayden was the one, Sara? Sara Mmm, it wasn’t really like that for us. It was more of a growing friendship and fondness. It wasn’t like, “Oh, I’m madly in love with him.” It just grew, and when you fall in love with your best friend it’s a lot different to falling in love in an infatuation situation. Why did you apply for the show? Hayden I knew that it would set up our daughter, Harlow, for her future, and any other siblings that she has. Sara I also wanted to know the secrets behind the show—that was something I looked forward to. How did you find your time on the show? Hayden For the first few days we had to camp in a room that had dusty floors and no showers. Everything we were used to was stripped away. Sara We were pretty pumped initially but as the weeks progressed, the tiredness and frustration set in. We were dying on our arses.
Courtney & Hans HIGH FLYERS, WA
Flight attendant Courtney, 33, and pilot Hans, 37, ditched their engagement celebrations for a chance at winning this season.
How did you meet? Courtney We met through a mutual friend but there was no wooing initially as I had no interest in dating a pilot. But after I got to know him, I found out he has a great sense of humour, a beautiful personality, and really good values and morals. Hans So basically, that’s a really nice way of saying I wore you down. Tell us about your exciting engagement! Courtney Hans proposed a few days out from filming The Block! We had the ring ready to go but I thought Hans was going to wait until when the renovation was all done and dusted. Hans But instead I put her to the test. We had the ring ready, so we figured, why not? Have you ever considered any other reality shows? Courtney Hans and I applied for The Amazing Race four years ago and made it through to auditions. We travel on standby 80 per cent of the time, so we’re always running to gates to get flights, which you do a lot on the show, so we thought we would be great at that. What did you think when you got the gig on The Block? Courtney I panicked. I wasn’t ready! Hans We had no mood boards or plans, we didn’t have any strategies or rooms that we’d based the apartment on, so we were just winging it. How did you cope with the stress of the competition? Courtney If I felt like I wasn’t doing well, I’d have a meltdown, but I’ll own that. Hans and I had little arguments, but they were based on little things. It definitely was tough at times. What qualities proved to be your downfall on the show? Hans We were relying on builders that dictated how we went about doing things. We were basically jumping into the abyss and chasing our tails the whole season.