The Block Gatwick Episode 23


Jess FM is back and she’s going to have Courtney and Hans on the show and is determined to get to the bottom of the duplicitous nature of pool-gate. Why do I get the feeling that she’s going to be surprised by what she hears. Or something.

Oh and kitchen week continues.

I want a butlers pantry. Actually I just want a functional kitchen. Check out my oven!

Rosewal Oven

Ok shhh everyone it’s moment of truth time:

Courtney starts of by saying how they were initially “wow that’s awesome” then in separate on camera interviews she said she got scared and Hans said they’re not good at confrontation.

It then goes on and Hans talks about the confusion and being told by real estate agent that it will jeopardise them winning $100k, Jess says how is money worth more than friendship (it’s a friggin competition you sweet, sweet lady).

Tears flow.

Jess is grieving for their friendship and didn’t like that they were talked about behind their backs and “double snookered”.

A bit of hugging then a bit more truth and Jess sums it up essentially that it’s a stupid circular argument going nowhere and let’s stop talking about it now.

Kerrie’s in all sorts again trying to work out how to style her Kitchen (her bathroom choices were too beige) so she goes to the sponsor Freedom for some help… But then in a couch interview with Spence they talk about how she’s gonna have this to wow the judges:


LEEKS? THEY STINK!? It will leave an impression alright…

So many non cookers in the competition, Sara likes the picture of what looked like a steak on her Bosch oven and the girls have gone with Siemens for their intuitive products, Carla dropping that she did all the wiring the night before


Scotty said something technical about what she actual did, am presuming it wasn’t anything too important or drastic. So anyway Carla keeps banging on about her achievements (it’s good to see someone finally do some work) and tells the oven guy, made a video about it, rang Dan the sparky again to debrief. BUT Carla gets a call back from Dan the sparky to say Emma the OH/S person onsite says a full investigation about unauthorised work is imminent!

Oops Foredan is back in the penthouse, saying “we might have to rip all of this out”


Carla begins to question her keen-ness to help yesterday: “The inspector also said that the electrician may lose his licence”

And “Being stupid and being an idiot is suddenly becoming serious”.

Ohhhh the shenanigans! What a stitch up!

Our Little Wirer

I’ve been a bit late with this one, knocked over by a rotten head cold and this tune really lifted my spirits - to the sky in fact

Dan’s poking around Courtney and Hans’ where they’ve put in a wobbly wall to dissect their kitchen from their butler’s pantry which also blocks out the original sash windows (!!??) but there’ll be some sort of light portal thing at the top of the wobbly wall which will help stabilise it but let some light through from the tiny original windows

How Ya Goin

It’s a bit “How Ya Goin’”, apparently.

Then Courtney and Hans find out they’ve not got enough money to finish their apartment. That must be slightly annoying! Then more shenanigans with a nicked trolley so Spence ends up leaving again (ha!) with Kerrie down to the Pier (it really is lovely there) and Kiosk!

Night Pier

Oh and they do the Little Penguins walk! You can go any night about an hour after sunset to see the little tackers on the rocks, there are volunteers who run the program and just be respectful of their colony home with no flash photography etc.

Little Penguins

Back to the Block, Hayden and Sara are ready for their floors to be installed in the morning and they’re not fighting (!!); Courtney and Hans are behind, again; Norm just has to get his herringbone parquetry laid what a crappy job to do when it’s not something that you usually do.

Then some dickheads in workers outfits do a rendition of the 90s troupe Stomp to wake everyone up (everyone’s actually delighted by their skill once they work out what the cacophony is) who serve them with an “invitation” to go out for a challenge. Norm almost wanted to deck them as they were doing it on his contentious floor (and fair enough too) but there’s not much that’s initmidating about a skinny bloke in jocks

Norm Not Happy

Off they go across the Westgate Bridge to the Newport Railyards and playing is a great driving tune by Sweet

Much disappointment that they’re not going to get to reno an old train but they’ll be doing some steel sculptures for their terrace! The winner gets $5000. Courtney and Hans desperate to win because they have zero bucks.

Everyone gets help from an expert, Courtney and Hans are joined by Carla (whose work I have seen and it’s AMAZING) and they decide a neon palm tree would be great:

Palm Sketch

Kerrie and Spence had already gone with a pendant pot plant holder slash light; B and C found “inspiration” on Pinterest and theirs is a sphere with a plant in it; Sara also looked to Pinterest and Hayden helped develop an idea of their own using features from The Gatwick as a reference point (bickering ensues); Norm and Jess go for a steel bench to sit on.

Everyone gets on the tools today and that’s some of Carla’s work in the background


Jess even scoped their surroundings and found some railway sleepers that were on a ‘rubbish’ pile, so she sanded one back

Sanding Jess

“Sara demands a lot but doesn’t do a lot” is the perfect summation from Amy who’s helping with the steel work today when Sara is harrumphing in a corner saying she needs it finished so she can put her plants in it… HEY IT’LL BE FINISHED WHEN IT’S FINISHED. The only grinding Sara is doing is gears…

Grinding Gears

Kerrie and Spence finished ages ago, Sara is telling some poor guy ‘nup the other way’ as he presents her with the finished metal ‘diamond’ for her precious plants, and Courtney and Hans have an hour of work to do to get the neon onto their palm frame in half and hour. Then there’s a fight about the plants Sara chose. Jess is still sanding her bench oh no now she’s varnishing it and popping it onto Norm’s frame.

Meanwhile Sara is shoving neon tubing into the base of the diamond to help light up the plant from the inside because Hayden said it would look good - since when does she listen to him - and then she’s descended upon by Shelley and Amy who say NO DON’T it’s just lovely the way it is! Resignedly Sara says “ok just grind it up then” to make it even shinier!

Kerrie and Spence help Courtney and Hans out a little bit and then it’s tools down, forever condemnatory Courtney in a couch interview runs through what everyone else has done and praises their creative choices - three plant holders and a garden bench - and wonders why they did this


But what will the judges think!? We’ll have to find out next episode.