Heartbreak for The Block fans as Scott Cam confirms the show’s open house inspections are CANCELLED this year due to the coronavirus pandemic
Scott Cam has left The Block fans devastated after delivering some sad news about this season’s open house inspections.
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic forcing Melbourne into a six week lockdown, Scott revealed on Thursday that the much-awaited inspections have been axed in 2020.
The annual event was scheduled to take place in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton.
‘Unfortunately open for inspections have been canned, that’s pretty obvious,’ the 57-year-old told Hit FM’s Fifi, Fev and Byron.
‘We normally get around 20,000 people there,’ he continued, adding: ‘There’s nothing happening at the moment because of your lockdown.’
The TV tradesman confirmed that even individual inspections are not on the cards.
Canned: The Block’s Scott Cam, 57, (pictured) has confirmed that this year’s open inspections have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
He also revealed that Channel Nine has so far ruled out the idea of having a virtual online inspection.
And as for the all-important live auction, scheduled for November, Scott admitted: ‘We’re not sure what’s going to happen.’
‘We haven’t sort of gone to a plan B yet, we’re just going to wait and see, and cross that bridge when we get there,’ he added.
‘We normally get around 20,000 people there’: Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic forcing Melbourne into a six week lockdown, Scott told told Hit FM’s Fifi, Fev and Byron it would be impossible to hold the inspections at the moment
Fortunately, the cast and crew managed to complete the homes to finish filming before Melbourne’s second lockdown in July.
Production was first brought to a grinding halt back in March, with the cast and crew returning to the show’s new $15million site in Melbourne’s Brighton in May.
Earlier this week, Scott explained how the 2020 season will be different in an interview with The Daily Telegraph’s Stellar magazine.
No plan B yet: As for the all-important live auction, while it’s scheduled for November, Scott admitted: ‘We’re not sure what’s going to happen’ Pictured: Shelley Craft, Scott Cam
He said: ‘Our show is a construction and real estate show, but this year I think it’s also a bit of a documentary about what Australia has gone through.
‘We did five weeks [of filming] and shut the whole thing down for six weeks, which has never been done before, and then we had to work out how to come back.
‘That was a really difficult thing, so when we do come back, it’s a very different show again.’
In the nick of time: Fortunately, the cast and crew managed to complete the homes and finish filming before Melbourne’s second lockdown in July. Pictured is the 2020 cast of The Block
Extra precautions were taken on set as a result of COVID-19, including a full-time nurse, regular temperature checks, flu shots and hand sanitiser stations, Scott told Stellar.
For this year’s season, five rundown houses dating from the 1930s to 1960s were relocated to a $15million plot of land in Brighton.
Teams have been tasked with renovating one of the old properties, bringing it into the 21st century.
The Block premieres Sunday at 7pm on Channel Nine
Mammoth task: For this year’s season, five rundown houses dating from the 1930s to 1960s were relocated to a $15million plot of land in Brighton. Teams have been tasked with renovating one of the old properties, bringing it into the 21st century