In news that absolutely no one had on their 2025 Bingo Card, The Block is staring down the barrel of a legit identity crisis and it’s all thanks to a set of proposed Victorian laws that could blow up the show’s most dramatic moment: the reserve reveal.
Yes, the thing contestants cry over, viewers scream about and boomers post conspiracy theories about on Facebook? That. Wait… so who actually sets the reserves? Even The Block doesn’t seem to know.
Under proposed reforms, all reserve prices for auctions, including TV ones like The Block, would have to be published online seven days before the sale.
Yes. Public. A whole week early. Which means the couples would know their reserves before the finale.
The audience would know! The bidders would know! And that entire dramatic “reveal the reserve” segment? Absolutely cooked.
One source told DMA: “Producers are nervous. This changes everything.”
Speaking to TV Tonight, Julian Cress basically said he gets why the government wants transparency, but he’s worried the new rules could screw over the everyday Aussies who own The Block houses IRL.
He pointed out that sellers might not want their acceptable price plastered online a week early, especially when their entire life savings are tied up in the property. Which, fair.
“I understand that people are clamouring for change, because it’s becoming increasingly hard for first home buyers to get into the market,” he said. “I’m all for any positive change that can help first home buyers get into the market, because I was one, and I remember how hard it was.
“But real estate transactions are about buying and sellers, and I’m not sure that the sellers being forced to accept a price that they may not be happy with, is going to be the solution that everyone’s looking for.
“I think there’ll be other factors that will play. It’s important to remember that it’s not just about the buyers. It’s also about vendors, people selling their family home is often the single biggest asset transaction they’re going to make in their lifetime.
“It might be all of the profit that they’ve amassed through all of their hard work for decades. And I don’t think that they’re necessarily going to want to be forced to reveal the price that they will accept a week before they go to auction and be forced to accept that price.”
But according to insiders, the real fear is that the laws could finally expose the mysterious reserve-setting process that Blockheads have been arguing about since the dawn of time (or at least since the Mitch and Mark era).
If this goes ahead… The Block’s whole finale format may need a rebuild.
If the new laws pass, the iconic reserve reveal? Dead. Buried. Cremated. Auction strategy? Gone. The veil of secrecy the show thrives on? RIP. Fans may know the numbers before the contestants even put on their matching finale outfits.
The entire Mt Eliza finale structure could be forced into a total redesign. And with production kicking off soon, The Block is reportedly scrambling behind the scenes to figure out how to keep the magic alive without breaking the law.
One insider put it best: “This could be the biggest shake-up in the show’s history.”
And honestly? If The Block suddenly has to play by the same rules as every other auction… we might be about to witness the show’s most chaotic reno yet.
