The Block’s Hayden and Sara
HAYDEN The Block’s controversial contestants Sara and Hayden open up about how they’ve dealt with their ‘villain’ status on this year’s show
THIS YEAR’S FEISTY BLOCK CONTESTants Sara and Hayden Vale have been on the receiving end of nasty backlash. Fans have taken to social media to voice disappointment about how they’ve conducted themselves, weighing in on some of their controversial design decisions along the way – ahem, that gold bath anyone? But recently, things turned ugly, and the couple have had enough. “We’ve copped heaps,” says Sara, chatting to WHO. “You would think The Bachelor girls would be getting worse criticism, but it feels like I’m on a par with them. What’s that about? They didn’t even do a renovation! And they weren’t sleep deprived!” she says. Husband Hayden agrees: “All they were doing was drinking Champagne!”
But jokes aside, the couple from New South Wales, who left their 1-year-old daughter, Harlow, behind with family to take part in the show, admit the constant commentary has been taxing. “I haven’t been receiving death threats, but I’ve been coming under fire for my parenting,” Sara concedes. “[People talk] about how I throw tantrums, saying, ‘ You’ll know who Sara’s kid in the schoolyard is – they’ll be the one throwing tantrums.’ ”
While Sara is willing to face up to her behaviour on screen, when it comes to commentary about her daughter, it’s a step too far. “When I see comments like that, that’s when I bite back,” she admits. “It’s like, ‘Don’t you dare talk to me about my parenting style – you don’t know who I am.’ ”
On the show, Sara and Hayden threatened to quit after they were criticised for their bathroom design. Then, more recently, she lost her cool again after a minor car accident. In the heat of the moment, she used a well-placed Mcdonald’s bag to cover an in-car camera – all that separated her from an audience of millions witnessing her spectacular meltdown. A stroke of genius? “Oh my gosh, when you’re in the middle of a meltdown, you don’t want Australia to see it!” she laughs. “But it was the lowest point that I had felt. I knew after the accident I couldn’t get lower. I needed that to kick my head back into gear,
to say, ‘Right, we can now move forward, because the only way is up.’ ”
Luckily, this year’s contestants have supported each other when times get tough. “We have group messages, and whoever is having a hard week, everyone supports them, and makes sure they’re OK,” says fellow contestant Bianca. Teammate Carla agrees: “Every week you go into it thinking, ‘ Who is in for a tough week? Who’s week is it this week?’ It was never smooth sailing, but what an experience. We’ve all been there for one another.”
Back home in Sydney with Harlow, the dramas of the past few months are behind Sara and Hayden. “Harlow is speaking not just words, but full-on sentences!” Sara says. “She’s nearly 2, and it’s so good to see her progress. This is the thing – we did all this for her. We always had her in the back of our mind, she was our driving force.” •