Inside The Block's biggest controversies that stunned viewers
The Block has built more than 100 homes over its past 20 seasons, but it's the blow-ups, breakdowns and backstabbing that have really kept Australians watching.
From topless party photos and marriage-ending flirtations to secret photos that blew up a season, the country's biggest renovation show has delivered some of the wildest moments in Australian TV history, and left more than a few contestants in tears.
And now, with the show's 21st season on the horizon and rumours already swirling about tensions on set, we've gone back through the archives to rank the top 10 biggest scandals ever caught on camera, the moments that raised eyebrows, broke headlines, and left hosts Scott Cam and Shelley Craft shaking their heads.
Lambo Guy's $15m power move (The Block 2024)
A Melbourne tech billionaire with a fleet of Lamborghinis shocked viewers when he bought every single property at The Block 2024 finale, a move no one expected and fans are still talking about.
Luxury car magnate Adrian Portelli, dubbed Lambo Guy, dropped a whopping $15.03m across the night, capping off the winners Maddy and Charlotte's haul with their record-breaking $1.65m profit with their house selling for a jaw-dropping $3.5m.
Portelli later confirmed on Nova 100 that he had worked closely with Maddy and Charlotte, hand-selecting their bidding order, to help them secure the win.
'It worked – I've never said it was rigged. I made the decision,' Portelli said.
Auctioneer Tom Panos added context, noting the finale wasn't a typical weekend auction but a media event, with buyers seeking exposure as much as homes
Channel 9 confirmed the process followed standard open-auction rules, but social media lit up afterwards.
Some viewers took to social media and cheered the strategy while others accused the show of favouring the billionaire.
Portelli has vowed not to return for the show's 2025 season and will be hosting a new rival show My Reno Rules, alongside Dr Chris Brown on Channel 7 in 2026.
Influencers dump Block mid renovation (The Block 2022)
They came with the followers and the fitspo, but influencer Elle Ferguson and ex-AFL star Joel Patfull didn't even last a weekend before they walked off The Block.
Just 48 hours into filming the 2022 Tree Change season, the couple pulled the pin and flew back to Sydney.
The pair revealed in a post on Instagram that Joel's mother had suffered a serious fall and was being flown to hospital in Adelaide.
But the show's host, Scott Cam, wasn't impressed.
Days later, Cam revealed at the TV Week Logie Awards that they'd vanished in the night without explanation and accused them of putting the production in chaos:
'They never spoke to us … we flew them down, put them up in a hotel … and they left, it's piss-poor, to be honest.'
Cam later doubled down, calling their exit 'unâ€'Australian' and saying it cost the show time and money, despite his insistence he still wished them well.
Elle and Joel were swiftly replaced by Rachel and Ryan, who stepped in to fill their spot.
It remains the shortest, most controversial contestant stint in Block history.
Photo leak blows up Block (The Block 2021)
It all began with a single photo, and it detonated one of the most explosive scandals The Block has ever seen.
During the 2021 Fans vs. Faves season, contestants Tanya & Vito and Josh & Luke were caught in possession of a photograph of the show's production schedule, giving them insight into upcoming room reveals, challenge days, and timing, a major unfair advantage that sent shockwaves through the competition
Rumours started when past contestants Ronnie and Georgia accused the twins of 'having the full schedule' after a surprising judging upset, they said it directly affected their heavy-scoring master bedroom build.
Pressure built all season until, in the final weeks, Tanya admitted on camera:
'I took the photograph. I didn't get it sent to me. I actually took the photo.'
Host Scott Cam labelled it 'the biggest cheating scandal in Block history', and both teams were hit with penalties, losing two points each on their front-garden scores in the final judgment.
In the lead-up to auction, tensions simmered.
Teams publicly spat accusations, including Josh and Luke blaming Tanya for dragging them into the scandal, and many fans felt the two-point penalty was too lenient.
To this day, there's still debate from fans over whether the punishment was enough to compensate for the unfair lead they gained.
Flirt fallout: Block pair exit show (The Block 2024)
One week before the auctions, The Block: Phillip Island erupted in real-life drama when Brad Baker admitted his remarks to co-contestant Mimi Belperio were 'inappropriate'. sparking a dramatic reaction from his wife, Kylie.
During Frontyard Week, footage captured Brad confessing:
'I was flirting with Mimi … Kylie overheard them, and very understandably, she's quite upset.'
That evening, Kylie stormed off-site barefoot, visibly distressed, during the judging segment, leaving behind her car at the Aldi car park. Production and Brad later located her to ensure her safety.
In tears, she told Brad on camera,
'I can't be on national television having my marriage breaking down.'
The following night, Brad appeared in a stand-alone interview where he admitted:
'I've just single-handedly destroyed my family.'
Host Scott Cam later addressed the remaining teams during Clubhouse Week, confirming that 'Kylie and Brad are not returning' for the auction finale, making them ineligible for the prize.
Block's $8000 bath sparks controversy (The Block 2018)
Influencers on The Block, Hayden and Sara made waves in 2018 when they centred their premium ensuite around a luxe brass bathtub, dubbed the 'Gatsby Bath.'
The eyeâ€'watering $8000 price tag nearly doubled the room's expected cost, and prompted widespread controversy.
Design briefs called it 'the hero piece' of their space.
The paired marble herringbone floor earned praise from judge Shaynna Blaze.
Upon entering the ensuite, she admitted the bath and marble floor were striking:
'I think that is a lot of money spent and I think it's great money spent,' she said.
'But, I think we need to talk about the rest of the bathroom.'
The result? Their ensuite claimed the title of the most expensive bathroom in Block history, estimated at $75,000, but also placed them last in room rankings for three consecutive weeks.
Sara said the entire apartment is built around the bathtub.
'But as the age-old adage goes, money can't buy love, nor can it buy you a win on The Block,' she said.
The brass bath gamble generated headlines and online debate: was it genius luxury or budget folly?
By the look of the scores, it was a glam gamble that didn't quite stack up and still remains the show's most expensive bathroom to date.
Block stars penalised over piano purchase (The Block 2022)
It was a living room reveal that iced their score, not crowned best design.
During Living & Dining Week in 2022, Omar and Oz delivered a stunning room, complete with a baby grand piano that retailed for $36,000, but which they secured for an astonishing $7,500.
Judge Shaynna Blaze immediately raised eyebrows:
'Do you remember last week I was saying … I was a bit worried about where they're getting the money from? And now we've got a baby grand … they're not winning every week.'
Host Scott Cam confirmed the purchase broke the rule which stipulates contestants can't purchase items more than 50 per cent off retail price.
'You can't go and spend $7,000 on a piano … the retail price is $36,000 … 50 per cent of retail cost is $18,000 boys'.
The result? A three-point deduction and disqualification from that week's win, even though the room scored a strong 28.5.
Omar later said they thought the discount was legitimate since the seller was struggling to move it, but admitted nobody had flagged the rule earlier.
Online fans were divided: some praised the design, others defended the penalty as 'textbook enforcement'.
Despite the blunder, the boys went on to win the 2022 season of the show.
Steph and Gian's rogue Dad drama (The Block 2023)
What should have been a simple 'body corporate' meeting to clarify site safety instead exploded into accusations of rule-breaking and possible cheating.
In the first week of The Block 2023, contestants Steph and Gian faced backlash during a snap meeting called by fellow teams Leah, Ash, Kristy, and Brett after Steph's father, builder Nick, stepped onto the onsite build to help fix their bathroom issues.
Contestants warned that, per Block rules, anyone working on site must be inducted for safety and paid minimum wages.
'If he hasn't been inducted … and if he's installing a shower screen … that's cheating,' Eliza said.
While Leah added the move 'bent the rules'.
Steph responded openly, saying they 'didn't realise' the oversight but would ensure her father received induction and would be paid, adding 'We didn't cheat' in later interviews.
Production didn't dock points, but the drama sparked a wider debate on what counts as cheating, and how far family can be involved before it crosses a line.
In the end, the bathroom didn't win, placing last that week, but the 'rogue dad' moment has become one of the most talked-about rule skirmishes in the show's history.
'Bogan' spray sparks Block judge feud (The Block 2014: Glasshouse)
It was one of the most savage feuds in Block history: contestant Deanne Jolly in full-offence mode against interior design judge Shaynna Blaze.
The tension boiled over after Deanne's couple received sharp criticism on their ensuite. In the heat of the moment, Deanne exploded:
'She's a bogan from Wantirna who's got no f**king idea, and I will out-style you any day.'
Reporters covering the episode called it an expletive-ridden rant and one of the show's most memorable outbursts.
Despite the backlash, Deanne later defended herself:
'In the context of that day, not having slept for 36 hours … you get tired and say things perhaps you shouldn't,' she said.
Deanne adding she still had 'nothing but respect' for Shaynna.
Surfboard stirs cultural controversy on Block (The Block 2024)
During a surfboard design challenge contestants Ricky Recard and Haydn Wise unveiled artwork that many viewers believed borrowed heavily from Indigenous dot-painting styles.
The surfboard featured a bold orange base with circular dot motifs — which judge Darren Palmer admitted he found 'interesting,' saying:
'This is very orange … it's also got some … tones of Indigenous art to it.'
Social media erupted, on Instagram, threads went viral, with comments such as:
'Take this down and apologise,' 'This blatant display of cultural appropriation is beyond disappointing.'
The criticism prompted Channel 9 to release a statement saying Ricky and Haydn had 'reached out to a traditional owner of the land who guided them on the protocols around interpreting Indigenous art,' and that the artwork was 'inspired by, but never intended to be a mimic of an original Indigenous artwork.'
Though it didn't result in penalties or removal of the surfboard, the controversy raised serious questions, turning a lighthearted decor challenge into a heated national debate on cultural sensitivity and creative boundaries.
Spy-gate: Block duo caught cheating (The Block 2014)
Brothers Shannon and Simon Voss hid a phone under the main bedroom bed to record the judges' private feedback during Season 9 (Glasshouse) of The Block.
Judge Darren Palmer spotted the device while inspecting the power points under the bed.
'There's a major error down here … guess what he found?', Palmer said before pulling out the phone.
Host Scott Cam and the judges then confronted the brothers on camera, asking whether their action was 'cheating'.
Darren later confirmed to Yahoo News, he had to overdub his original 'cheeky f***ers' comment to 'cheeky monkeys' for broadcast.
The stunt was one of the earliest controversies of the show's history, with the judges at the time saying the move was 'unprecedented'.
Despite the scandal, the Voss brothers went on to win The Block: Glasshouse.
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