THE winners of the 2016 season of The Block have walked away with a near-record-breaking profit of $815,000, with even this year’s last-placing couple scoring themselves a profit of several hundred thousand dollars.
Engaged Queenslanders Will Bethune and Karlie Cicero, both 25, pocketed a whopping $715,000 over their reserve, with their expansive ground floor apartment selling for $2,600,000. That was enough to secure them the grand prize of $100,000, taking them to $815,000 — second only to Darren & Deanne’s $935,000 win in season 10 of the show.
Speaking to news.com.au after Saturday’s auction, which aired in tonight’s finale episode, the pair said they were relieved with the win after their time on the show tested their finances.
“We’d seen previous years of The Block, and some people walking away with $10,000 ... We’re a young couple and we’d put our lives on hold. We’d just bought our first home and struggling to pay our mortgage while being on The Block was very difficult. We actually became quite broke and very stressed,” Will reveals.
“For our [lost] wages and the amount of savings that we’d dipped into on The Block, we thought anything over $100,000 would be great. Anything over $200,000 we’d be ecstatic with,” Karlie says.
The pair did more than four times that, meaning their wedding next year will be a little ritzier than the “sausage sizzle” affair Will said he feared.
It was a stunning victory for a ground floor apartment that “nobody wanted” when the five couples each originally had to pick their respective fixer-uppers in this former soap factory in Port Melbourne. But, thanks to their impeccable styling, outdoor terrace and surprisingly roomy garden, the young couple managed to take out the title of winners of The Block 2016.
Here’s how the other four couples (well, four couples and one bromance) fared out of this massive total profit pool of $2,935,000:
2nd place: Julia and Sasha
Perhaps the most dramatic couple on The Block this season, these ladies found a reason to dry their eyes come auction day as their apartment sold for just $10,000 less than their downstairs neighbours’ at $2,590,000. The ‘Style Queens’ old Hollywood-style home netted them a tidy $660,000 over their reserve price of $1,930,000.
3rd place: Dan and Carleen
The oldest couple on The Block were often scored poorly by the judges, but they got the last laugh, scoring a profit of $525,000 when their apartment sold for $2,490,000.
4th place: Ben and Andy
Yes, somehow these two, who admitted they’d racked up barely a few days’ reno experience before coming on the show, didn’t come last. The Geelong primary school teachers netted a profit of $510,000 when an underbidder from a previous auction bought their apartment for $2,250,000.
5th place: Kim and Chris
Unlike some previous seasons of The Block, when some contestants have walked away with comparatively paltry sums for their months of hard work, this time even last place is something to smile about. Newcastle parents Chris and Kim’s apartment sold for $2,305,000 — giving them a $425,000 profit. It came after some auctioneer moves that host Shelley Craft admitted she “hadn’t seen before,” as he told bluffed bidders then retreated behind the scenes to give Kim and Chris the option to withdraw from the auction and sell at a later date when their profit margin stalled at $320,000. They were adamant they’d go ahead with the auction, insisting they’re “not greedy.” It left viewers confused, to say the least:
Winners Will and Karlie told news.com.au that filming the show had been hardest on Kim and Chris, who missed their two young children terribly and often took the judges’ more cutting criticisms to heart.
“The judges didn’t seem to like their style, but the public and us contestants thought it was a really nice apartment,” Will says.
“Kim and Chris were the hardest working on The Block. To work seven days and have no sleep and then get little comments like that from the judges, it’s hard.”
As for Will and Karlie, who say their time on The Block made them more trusting and decisive in their relationship — would they do it all again if Nine came knocking for another season?
“I loved The Block, to be honest,” says Will.
“I love being busy, I’m a hands-on person, and I loved it every single day. A lot of other couples have gone through heavy things on The Block and haven’t ended up together, but I think this has made us stronger.”
Winners of The Block to date:
2003 — Bondi — Adam & Fiona — $256,000
2004 — Manly — Jamie & Andrew — $178,000
2010 — Vaucluse — John & Neisha — $305,000
2011 — Richmond — Polly & Waz — $115,000
2012 — South Melbourne — Brad & Lara — $606,000
2013 — All Stars (Bondi) — Phil & Amity — $395,000
2013 — Sky High (South Melbourne) — Alisa & Lysandra — $395,000
2014 — Fans v Faves (Albert Park) — Steve & Chantelle — $736,000
2014 — Glasshouse (Prahran) — Shannon & Simon — $435,000
2015 — Triple Threat (South Yarra) — Darren & Deanne — $935,000
2015 — The Blockagon (South Yarra) — Dean & Shay — $755,000
2016 — Heritage Art Deco (Port Melbourne — Will & Karlie — $815,000
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