‘WE’RE MAKING OUR OWN VERSION OF THE BLOCK !’
Fan favourites Kirsty and Jesse are about to launch a rival renovation series
Country singer Kirsty Lee Akers and her husband Jesse Anderson have been secretly filming a new renovation show to capitalise on their huge popularity from The Block last year.
The young couple are showcasing their own massive renovation of a lake house they bought in 2015.
“We’re doing our first room reveal the week after The Block finishes,” Kirsty exclusively tells Woman’s Day.
She and Jesse quietly employed a film crew to follow their five-month renovation project to put together their own version of The Block,
enlisting building supply sponsors and tradies to help launch them back into the spotlight.
They hope their new show, Lakehouse Build, will give the popular reno series a run for its
money, and are pitching it to commercial networks in the hope that Nine or one of its rivals will pick it up after it debuts on their social media platforms.
“We filmed it all ourselves,” explains Jesse, 33, who admits it was far easier and less stressful than the months they spent filming The Block: Fans V Faves last year. “I think people will be interested in what we’ve been doing.”
‘It changed our lives and allowed us to renovate’
The video producer, who still gets swamped with fan mail, says he had to stop watching this year’s series because he started suffering nightmares and was unable to sleep as it triggered anxiety.
“When it first came on, I was excited to see it again, but I didn’t sleep for a week!” he says, admitting that while he
was incredibly grateful for the $301,523.67 winnings they took away, he’s still disappointed they didn’t make $1 million as many people predicted.
Kirsty, 34, has long come to peace with the outcome after what many fans would say was one of the most explosive seasons of the reno show ever, with a cheating scandal engulfing two other teams, and a fight with Nine over lastminute inflated reserve prices.
LIFE-CHANGING
“The previous year’s contestants won $1 million but you certainly can’t sneeze at $300,000. It changed our lives and allowed us to renovate our own home, and now we’re even launching our own reno show,” she says.
The couple poured their winnings into renovating the three-bedroom home at Wangi Wangi on Lake Macquarie, north of Sydney. They bought the house for $330,000 in 2015, which has since proved to be a great buy.
When they had to refinance to fund their $500,000 reno, the bank valued the unrenovated property, which commands spectacular lake views, at $850,000, and once it’s finished it’s estimated to climb to more than $1.5 million.
The canny couple have sourced many building products free or at reduced prices from sponsors, who are supporting their new show. However, they still found their budget ballooning because of shortages in building supplies.
NEVER SAY NEVER
“I said after The Block I would never paint again, but I’ve painted this whole house,” laughs Kirsty, who has also been juggling her own booming career as a country and western music star after releasing her sixth album, Wild, which debuted at number one on both the country and pop charts.
While they did come second last on The Block, the popular couple have featured in a slew of advertising campaigns.
“I’m touring at the moment and Jesse is working fulltime here on the tools,” she says.
“The Block absolutely changed our lives. We still have to pinch ourselves. I would do it again, but I’d probably have to find a new husband!”