The Block judges Neale Whitaker, Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer reveal why the hit reno show will NEVER return to Sydney
The Block’s first three seasons took place in Sydney before it moved to Melbourne for the following 13 seasons.
And according to judges, Darren Palmer, Shaynna Blaze and Neale Whitaker, the hit reno show won’t be returning to Sydney anytime soon.
The trio explained to Domain that the capital of Victoria is the perfect place to film the show because of it’s ‘arts culture’.
Calling Melbourne home: According to The Block judges (from L to R), Neale Whitaker, Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer, the hit reno show will never return to Sydney
According to Shaynna, 57, not only does the city have easier access to a wider variety of homeware stores due to less traffic, but it is the perfect place to film because of the city’s energy.
‘We are an arts culture here, and architecture and design really comes into that,’ she says.
Even NSW based Neale, 58, agrees with Shaynna stating it’s the ‘best city.’
He added: ‘Melburnians love The Block, and I think they love having The Block in their city.’
Big move: The Block’s first three seasons took place in Sydney before it moved to Melbourne for the following 13 seasons. Pictured: The Sydney site used for the second season of the show
Darren, 42, also said that that building heritage-fronted homes with modern additions is generally easier to do in Melbourne, because of councils ‘progressive approach’ to planing.
‘The Block is really about finding something old and then adding something new – it’s really perfectly situated in Melbourne because Melbourne does it best.’
Of course, this year’s season of The Block has been unlike any other due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Production was brought to a grounding halt in March, with the cast and crew returning to the show’s new $15million site in Melbourne’s Brighton in May.
Unsure: The Block host Scott Cam (pictured), 57, revealed his doubts on production of the 2021 season in an interview on Monday, after the show underwent major changes amid COVID-19
And speaking to Realestate.com on Monday ahead of Sunday’s premiere, host Scott Cam revealed that he was unsure about what may happen to production of the 2021 season amid Victoria’s second lockdown.
When asked whether there’s been ‘any word yet’ on filming for 2021, the 57-year-old said: ‘It’s too early to tell – I have no idea about next year and what the story is.
‘I don’t even know about this year’s auction. It’s in November, and we still aren’t sure! Hopefully, in three months time things are different, but you never know.’
The Block premieres Sunday at 7pm on Channel Nine
Time will tell: When asked whether there’s been ‘any word yet’ on filming for 2021, Scott (pictured with co-host Shelley Craft) said: ‘It’s too early to tell – I have no idea about next year and what the story is’