Speaker 1: Welcome back to TV Reload. My name is Benjamin Norris,
Speaker 1: and on this podcast, I'll be going behind the scenes
Speaker 1: with the biggest players in television. As we approach fifty
Speaker 1: episodes of the podcast, I want to say thanks for subscribing.
Speaker 1: We have so many great shows to choose from, and
Speaker 1: I hope to getting around to chatting with all the
Speaker 1: networks as we enter the new quarter of ratings. I
Speaker 1: think the Olympics has proven that people are still watching
Speaker 1: free to wear as well as the streaming services. I'm
Speaker 1: so pleased with the high quality of guests who have
Speaker 1: given up their time to join the podcast and do
Speaker 1: a deep dive on their current work in television. If
Speaker 1: you've missed any episodes, you can flip back over iTunes, Spotify,
Speaker 1: and iHeartRadio. Please press subscribe and leave some feedback. I
Speaker 1: really appreciate all the updates on what you think of
Speaker 1: the show. Normally, at this point i'd promote a popular
Speaker 1: podcast for you to check out this week. I'd love
Speaker 1: to hear which podcast you're listening to. You can leave
Speaker 1: your suggestions in the review section below, and I'm sure
Speaker 1: other people would love to hear your recommendations. This week,
Speaker 1: I watched a preview of the first five episodpisodes of
Speaker 1: the Block on Channel nine in preparation for today's chat,
Speaker 1: and I will get into that shortly. However, I'm also
Speaker 1: up to date on White Lotus on Binge and I
Speaker 1: have some exciting news which involves that show, and I'll
Speaker 1: let you all know as soon as I can confirm.
Speaker 1: This week on the pod, I have the delightful Shelley
Speaker 1: Craft to chat about the Block fans versus favorites. I've
Speaker 1: already been watching the series and I can confirm that
Speaker 1: this season is the most explosive yet, with some confrontation
Speaker 1: and drama that will rifle married at first sight. I'm
Speaker 1: not even joking. Shelley Craft is back for her fourteenth
Speaker 1: year as the series hits at seventeenth season. Shelley has
Speaker 1: an infectious laugh and a turn of phrase that audiences
Speaker 1: have been enjoying for many years. I've actually loved watching
Speaker 1: Shelley's career grow from strength to strength as I've followed
Speaker 1: her since Saturday Disney and who can forget Funniestone videos.
Speaker 1: Shelley has been a staple on our screen for as
Speaker 1: long as I can remember, and I'm absolutely delighted to
Speaker 1: chat with her today. The Block Fans Versus Favorites returns
Speaker 1: this Sunday night on Channel and brings three unsuspecting yet
Speaker 1: hopeful couples who will face off with two sets of
Speaker 1: very experienced all stars. It's the biggest shakeup in block history.
Speaker 1: For the first time, there will be no plans for
Speaker 1: contestants to work off. This is going to be an
Speaker 1: insane series. Let me tell you, this year's Blockheads must
Speaker 1: not only renovate the Mammoth project, they'll also have to
Speaker 1: design the layout. And I think this is going to
Speaker 1: be why the tension is at an all time high. However,
Speaker 1: let's get started with Australia's longest standing reality show co host.
Speaker 1: I'd like to welcome to the podcast. It's Shelley Craft.
Speaker 2: We've never experienced anything like this, the biggest TV scandal.
Speaker 3: I think people who audition for reality shows are really
Speaker 3: really brave. The sack on the Block this year's poll
Speaker 3: made Shelley Kraft. I don't think we're going to see
Speaker 3: the market slow anytime soon. Huge things goes to all
Speaker 3: the people who voted the Blockheads and the Blocaholic. I
Speaker 3: did think when the produces said, we're doing a cul
Speaker 3: de sac that we had bought Ramsey Street. Oh yeah, gee,
Speaker 3: that's a beauty. The block really does help people find
Speaker 3: out who they really are.
Speaker 1: Hey, Shelly, how are you?
Speaker 2: I am so good, Ben. It is lovely to be here,
Speaker 2: albeit virtually with you. This is very exciting for me.
Speaker 3: I've got all sorts of buttons here that I'm not
Speaker 3: allowed to touch, so I'll just sit with my hands folded.
Speaker 1: Do you think that the block is just what Australia
Speaker 1: needs right now with lockdowns and COVID restrictions keeping people
Speaker 1: at home? Is this the comfort television that we need?
Speaker 3: Oh my goodness, look at without being able to go
Speaker 3: outside and create your own drama. Yes, we are going
Speaker 3: to bring plenty of drama straight into your launder room
Speaker 3: starting this Sunday.
Speaker 2: Which I don't think was the intention of series seventeen.
Speaker 3: But I might be completely misguided in that idea.
Speaker 1: Surely not.
Speaker 2: It was going to be a.
Speaker 3: Fun series, I thought, which it is, But there's a
Speaker 3: rollercoaster ride coming our way.
Speaker 2: It's beat three newbie couples here to make their mark
Speaker 2: versus favorites.
Speaker 1: Well, COVID has affected every Australian and the production of
Speaker 1: the Block was no exception. What sort of restrictions impacted
Speaker 1: the filming of this series.
Speaker 3: Look, I think last series taught us so much and
Speaker 3: as we saw for the Block twenty twenty, we went
Speaker 3: into that completely eyes wide open.
Speaker 2: And here we were for another series.
Speaker 3: And as we saw on that first episode, the countdown
Speaker 3: started to lockdown, which was of course Australia's first. We've
Speaker 3: all been through many since then, whether it's with friends
Speaker 3: and family, interstate, whether it's ourselves in lockdown for a
Speaker 3: thousand days. So it was very different starting a production
Speaker 3: amidst all that this year with fingers crossed really but
Speaker 3: of course, as you say, lots of plans in place
Speaker 3: as to what could and should happen, should we need
Speaker 3: to shut production down or let's just try and keep
Speaker 3: everyone safe throughout the process. We got through unscathed, I'm
Speaker 3: happy to say.
Speaker 1: Was it a shorter series like I think I was
Speaker 1: talking to one of the crew who was saying that
Speaker 1: it was almost like not rushed, but they just got
Speaker 1: it done faster. Is that right?
Speaker 3: It felt very quick compared to last year, There's no
Speaker 3: doubt about that. Having that eight weeks off in the
Speaker 3: middle last year was in one way a bit of
Speaker 3: a breather, but it did make the show drag right
Speaker 3: out and we were pushing right to the end to
Speaker 3: get it all done before the auctions, which are of
Speaker 3: course always live. So this one, yeah, it did seem
Speaker 3: pretty quick, and we had some amazing contestants, so that
Speaker 3: always makes it sort of a power along as well.
Speaker 3: I think we still did at least ten weeks of reno,
Speaker 3: so no, no shorter than before, but after seventeen series that,
Speaker 3: you know, they all do start to feel like one
Speaker 3: giant building building site.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I can imagine. Well, look, the block location is
Speaker 1: a cul de sac in Bronte Court, Hampton, just around
Speaker 1: the corner from where I am. This is a first
Speaker 1: What makes this location stand out from some of the
Speaker 1: other seasons.
Speaker 3: Oh look, it's just so quintessentially Ossie, isn't it to
Speaker 3: be in a could a sack? I did think when
Speaker 3: the producers said we're doing a sack that we had
Speaker 3: bought Ramsey Street. I thought we were going to make
Speaker 3: over Ramsey Street. But no, it's our own little cul
Speaker 3: de sac. Some of the neighbors chose to stay and
Speaker 3: didn't move out during the process, and obviously didn't sell.
Speaker 3: So that's really interesting that we had some real locals
Speaker 3: in the hood while we were working and they got
Speaker 3: to see obviously the goings on which sometimes is behind
Speaker 3: you know, as we've done entire apartment buildings, you don't
Speaker 3: get to see a lot of the work that's going
Speaker 3: on inside.
Speaker 2: See.
Speaker 3: Hopefully for the neighbors, they had a good time. Hopefully
Speaker 3: for neighbors, they're safe in Ramsey Street and everyone's aaka.
Speaker 3: And for us, we got an awesome location in a
Speaker 3: great suburb and hopefully come auction day, everyone is rewarded
Speaker 3: for that.
Speaker 1: Imagine the Channel nine Channel ten crossover that no one
Speaker 1: saw coming.
Speaker 2: No, I don't know why I did, but anyway.
Speaker 1: Well, look I love it. And another first is contestants
Speaker 1: won't have house plans, which is a first. How is
Speaker 1: that going to impact the contestants for better and for worse?
Speaker 3: Well, yes, no global pandemic, but no plans either. So
Speaker 3: Scotty's crazy idea to just let these.
Speaker 2: Guys free ball itt so to speak.
Speaker 3: You know, Off they go into their houses and some
Speaker 3: of them will grab that with both hands and charge,
Speaker 3: you know, and that's probably where our faves come into play.
Speaker 3: A little bit having been through the experience so many
Speaker 3: times before. For our newbies, you know, maybe their eyes
Speaker 3: are bigger than their tummies. Maybe they're just going to
Speaker 3: go all out early and it's going to blow up
Speaker 3: in their face. That idea of creating something from scratch
Speaker 3: with no guidelines is a little bit of a contentious
Speaker 3: issue for new contestants. Will they run out of money?
Speaker 3: Will they get it finished? Will they hang in there
Speaker 3: till the end? Will it be a disaster? Will it
Speaker 3: be a cracking series?
Speaker 2: Yes? It will.
Speaker 1: Well, you know, these all stars are revealed in the
Speaker 1: very first episode. For people who probably don't read the
Speaker 1: papers and are watching it fresh, you know, Mitch and
Speaker 1: Mark are back, Ronnie and Georgia are back. What makes
Speaker 1: those two teams worth bringing back to the competition?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I asked, whose favorites are they? Anyway? Yours? They
Speaker 2: make excellent television?
Speaker 3: Yes, if you haven't watched the series before featuring Mitch
Speaker 3: and Mark, they were on our Oslo series.
Speaker 2: They had a really tough run. Again.
Speaker 3: They were so ambitious with their own plans for their townhouse.
Speaker 3: They got in sticky situations with their neighbors, which perhaps
Speaker 3: marred their experience on the show. Auction day didn't quite
Speaker 3: go to plan for them, But as I said, they're
Speaker 3: great characters and they do make awesome homes and awesome TV.
Speaker 3: So they're back for another shot at it.
Speaker 2: We are so.
Speaker 1: Honored and privileged to be back on this show. Of course,
Speaker 1: we want to win the.
Speaker 2: Block out right.
Speaker 3: We're competitive people.
Speaker 1: We've come back with a lot more experience, a lot
Speaker 1: more insight, so we will play the block game with passion.
Speaker 3: Ronnie and Georgia from our elston Wick series, which was
Speaker 3: the first time we'd done homes in a long time.
Speaker 3: And again the game really didn't play out for them
Speaker 3: the way they wanted it to. They are an excellent couple,
Speaker 3: they're wonderful renovators.
Speaker 2: They're from wa They got.
Speaker 3: A lot of heart, and I think their hearts perhaps
Speaker 3: got in the way a little bit the first time around,
Speaker 3: and they didn't enjoy it as much as they could have.
Speaker 2: And it wasn't until after the auction and perhaps you know,
Speaker 2: months or weeks.
Speaker 3: Later, that they realized they'd really missed half the essence
Speaker 3: of the show about enjoying the ride and having a
Speaker 3: wonderful experience. So I know that they're back to redeem
Speaker 3: themselves and to have fun this time round. Coming into
Speaker 3: the season as an All Star, the pressure is on
Speaker 3: your back to do well.
Speaker 1: We're here to wins.
Speaker 3: We're going to produce amazing rooms. We're going to be efficient,
Speaker 3: We're going to try and be on budget, so you know,
Speaker 3: game players. Yeah, cool, we'll both.
Speaker 1: Then, do you think that there's an unfair advantage to
Speaker 1: those two teams returning to the show.
Speaker 2: On day one? Probably?
Speaker 3: Ben, yes, on day twenty six, forty two, and seventy nine.
Speaker 2: No, no advantage at all.
Speaker 3: Look, they do know in some regard what's coming, what
Speaker 3: they don't or all those twists and turns that are
Speaker 3: build can bring, and that's different every single time you renovate,
Speaker 3: whether you've done it once or a thousand times. What
Speaker 3: they will bring is serious competitive energy and edge, and
Speaker 3: that certainly I believe makes our new teams have to
Speaker 3: step up really quickly. So instead of having those weeks
Speaker 3: to find their feet and bed in, they really need
Speaker 3: to be on their game from day one, and I
Speaker 3: see that as a positive, not as a negative for
Speaker 3: our new teams. They just don't agree with me yet.
Speaker 1: Well, this is a good question for you. I mean
Speaker 1: you've been on the show for so long now, who's
Speaker 1: been your favorite couple ever? I mean, you've seen some
Speaker 1: real characters joining the show in I think it was
Speaker 1: twenty eleven when you joined. Do you have a favorite thing?
Speaker 2: Oh, no, you can't have a favorite. How do you
Speaker 2: choose between your children?
Speaker 1: That's just good.
Speaker 2: It's a tough question.
Speaker 3: I've got my phase that I love to watch, and
Speaker 3: I've got people who've created amazing homes and my favorite renovators.
Speaker 3: I've got the people that I'm excited to see when
Speaker 3: I turn up to work, you know, every week. Yeah,
Speaker 3: so it's all very, very different. But we are as
Speaker 3: cliched as it sounds. You know, one big block family,
Speaker 3: and you're always a part of that, whether you want
Speaker 3: to be or not. And some of our contestants and
Speaker 3: family members, like the crazy Uncle, choose not to deal
Speaker 3: with us anymore, but most happy to be a part
Speaker 3: of the family and come around for Christmas every year.
Speaker 1: Imagine that. Imagine if you had like a big reunion
Speaker 1: with all of these people over so many seasons altogether.
Speaker 1: Now that would be chaos.
Speaker 3: Oh it would wouldn't it be amazing? We need one
Speaker 3: gigantic apartment block and they all get all get an
Speaker 3: apartment each, all fifty of them all back at once.
Speaker 3: You know what is lovely though, is a lot of
Speaker 3: the teams are great friends. A lot of our Melbourne
Speaker 3: teams have gone into business with each other, the Interstate teams,
Speaker 3: the Queenslanders catch up a lot and work together a lot.
Speaker 3: There's so many crossover shows now which feature past Block
Speaker 3: contestants that are now hosting their own forms of Reno shows,
Speaker 3: so that I'm really proud of that. You know, Scotty
Speaker 3: is the building background as well as TV, and my
Speaker 3: background always been TV. So to see contestants come from
Speaker 3: all different walks of life and also embrace television as
Speaker 3: their new home, that makes me feel really good too,
Speaker 3: because I feel like I have done my job as well.
Speaker 1: And the show has twins Josh and Luke, you know,
Speaker 1: who are not unfamiliar with television, coming from Channel nine's
Speaker 1: second series of Love Island Australia. We were on Love Island.
Speaker 2: I clocked pretty quickly. I was like, I know these
Speaker 2: two Love Island.
Speaker 1: You too, I knew it.
Speaker 3: I was like, I've seen these blossore, I've seen a thought.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 1: She was a big fan of the show and she
Speaker 1: knew who we were the winners. Anna and Josh quick question,
Speaker 1: did you watch Love Island? Did you already know the boys?
Speaker 2: No? I didn't look.
Speaker 3: I'm a bit out of the demographics, so that's probably
Speaker 3: not so bad to say. But Channel and I love
Speaker 3: the idea, loved the show, just can't start that late.
Speaker 2: I didn't know them.
Speaker 3: At all, and I think that was probably a good thing,
Speaker 3: because not in Scottie.
Speaker 2: I don't think he's a love viewer.
Speaker 3: But the boys really wanted to prove themselves is more
Speaker 3: than just some you.
Speaker 2: Know, hunks of reality. Yeah, you know, and they're really
Speaker 2: out to do that from the word go.
Speaker 3: You know the promos, Yes, they did have to do
Speaker 3: the traditional Trady thing shirts off, but from this point on, yeah,
Speaker 3: they are contestants like the rest, and we show them.
Speaker 2: A lot of respect.
Speaker 1: Then well, the boys coming out of the water in
Speaker 1: episode one, I have actually seen the first five episodes,
Speaker 1: so I'm just going to say episode one worth the
Speaker 1: price of admission, evenough it's frank because iss on freeware television.
Speaker 1: But the boys coming out of the water is pretty
Speaker 1: It's something to watch. I'll tell you something.
Speaker 2: Out of a James Bond film and dress there or something.
Speaker 1: I'm here for it. I'm here for it. You know
Speaker 1: what shows your guilty pleasures? Then on the box? I
Speaker 1: mean I'm imagining. Yes, you and Scottie Cam didn't get
Speaker 1: together and watch Love Island, but there's got to be
Speaker 1: something that's a bit of a guilty pleasure for you
Speaker 1: to watch. That's not the block.
Speaker 3: Oh look, Scotty and I have a very different viewing schedule.
Speaker 3: I would imagine can you imagine.
Speaker 2: What he watches?
Speaker 1: Can you imagine?
Speaker 3: No, I can't even imagine what he watches. I did
Speaker 3: watch him on Who Do You Think You Are? Though,
Speaker 3: and I had tears in my eyes the whole way
Speaker 3: through that.
Speaker 2: There was a lot about Scotty I didn't know, and
Speaker 2: that he didn't know about himself.
Speaker 3: So that was a good one. Who Do You Think
Speaker 3: You Are? Look, I'm a bit of a binger, I
Speaker 3: must say. When I'm sitting in the sauna or have
Speaker 3: five minutes in the kid.
Speaker 2: Pickup line, you know I'll bang out some stand a
Speaker 2: bit of the bowl type.
Speaker 3: That's my guilty pleasure as far as you know. Obviously
Speaker 3: we've been watching the Olympics. The last couple of weeks,
Speaker 3: So it'll be great to see some reality back on.
Speaker 1: Sunday one hundred percent. You know, look, in episode one,
Speaker 1: we have our first block argument for twenty twenty one,
Speaker 1: being Josh and Luke and Christi. The confrontations on the
Speaker 1: show haven't ever sort of reached that conflict that we're
Speaker 1: probably used to seeing on you know, Maths and other
Speaker 1: reality shows. Do you think that this season of the
Speaker 1: block will reach Maths level of drama?
Speaker 2: Oh not.
Speaker 3: I don't think anything is quite like Maths's and Guilty Pleasure.
Speaker 3: Let me tell you, it's very different. It's a very
Speaker 3: different type of drama. There's so much that goes on
Speaker 3: on a building site day to day, and so many pressures.
Speaker 3: Not saying that doesn't happen in personal relationships, but we've
Speaker 3: got personal relationships plus a construction site, plus a TV show,
Speaker 3: plus Keith and Dan storming around all day telling you
Speaker 3: that you've copped something up. So yes, I think our
Speaker 3: drama is perhaps a little bit more family friendly than
Speaker 3: Maths drama.
Speaker 2: You work fully?
Speaker 3: What about to go down human beings?
Speaker 2: Or are we animals?
Speaker 3: Rude?
Speaker 2: Rich slot flow like the trash?
Speaker 3: They don't fight these things because you get dirty and
Speaker 3: they love it.
Speaker 2: But you were the cause of this.
Speaker 1: I want to speak to the producers. You don't call
Speaker 1: the shots break. We call the shots.
Speaker 3: The biggest TV scandal.
Speaker 1: How dare you say that this is the biggest cheating
Speaker 1: scandal in TV history?
Speaker 2: But yes, drama nonetheless.
Speaker 1: Will you find yourself in the crossfire?
Speaker 2: You know?
Speaker 1: Is this a turning point for the show? You know,
Speaker 1: having a little bit more conflict And were you shocked
Speaker 1: to be in the line of fire when that happened?
Speaker 2: Oh?
Speaker 3: Am I just getting old and grumpy? Am I finally
Speaker 3: speaking my truth?
Speaker 2: Ben? This is all?
Speaker 1: I loved it. I was like ghost Shelley, I was.
Speaker 1: I kind of felt like you were speaking what I
Speaker 1: was thinking.
Speaker 3: I hope so, And look, I hope I do that
Speaker 3: every week, but I'm usually coming from a little bit
Speaker 3: more of a kind of position. I suppose this one
Speaker 3: just caught me so off guard and caught everyone off guard.
Speaker 3: We have never experienced anything like this in seventeen series
Speaker 3: of the Block.
Speaker 2: It is just plain out of control.
Speaker 3: And so I thought, if I'm ever going to speak
Speaker 3: up about something, this is this is it.
Speaker 2: This is just well it was a.
Speaker 3: Yeah, as you say, a turning point for me as
Speaker 3: far as what I'm prepared to show myself on air. Yeah,
Speaker 3: I was just dumbfounded by the whole thing. Speechless, I'd
Speaker 3: have to say for a while there as we're Scotty
Speaker 3: and the whole production team, which I still had to
Speaker 3: stop for a moment and catch our breath at our
Speaker 3: thoughts and how do we all move forward from this?
Speaker 3: But you'll see all that play out on National Telling.
Speaker 1: Well, there's an explosive teaser to the rest of the
Speaker 1: season that happens mid first episode, which you know sort
Speaker 1: of sets a lot of it up. Was there a
Speaker 1: moment when you were filming and you were thinking, Oh,
Speaker 1: I can't wait for this to be executed on television.
Speaker 1: I can't wait to see how this plays back.
Speaker 3: Because I float in and out, I sort of rock
Speaker 3: up on a Wednesday afternoon and I fly home usually
Speaker 3: on a Friday afternoon, a lot of the drama that
Speaker 3: happens at the beginning of the week has played out
Speaker 3: and is sort of put to bed by the time
Speaker 3: I turn up.
Speaker 2: So often when I say, oh, how have you been
Speaker 2: going this week?
Speaker 3: So much has happened and there's water under the bridge
Speaker 3: that I don't really get filled in until I watch
Speaker 3: it on air and go, oh my god, if someone
Speaker 3: had told me that went down this one I was
Speaker 3: there for and it was. It's changed the game. There's
Speaker 3: no doubt this time around, and I hope that the
Speaker 3: contestants can watch with their families and be able to
Speaker 3: justify their actions. Some will, some won't.
Speaker 1: The thing that I think is really interesting about reality
Speaker 1: television is we often don't know how other people see
Speaker 1: us in real life, and so when we are on
Speaker 1: reality television, we do get an insight into how others
Speaker 1: see us, which can be quite uncomfortable. And I can
Speaker 1: tell you from my perspective as well. I watched back
Speaker 1: the season of Big Brother and thought, oh, that really
Speaker 1: jars against me and I had no idea, and people
Speaker 1: have said, You've always been like that, So I think
Speaker 1: it can be a little bit of an uncomfortable experience
Speaker 1: to watch yourself on television and see how others have
Speaker 1: always seen you.
Speaker 3: Oh well, can I just start by saying I thought
Speaker 3: you were absolutely bloody fabulous and I loved you on
Speaker 3: Big Brother, which was a guilty pleasure, and.
Speaker 1: It's really nice of yourself.
Speaker 3: For myself, I've been on air for twenty five odd
Speaker 3: years now, but always in that sort of nice girl role.
Speaker 3: I guess not to say that as I've aged, I
Speaker 3: haven't been more comfortable putting my opinion forward and that's
Speaker 3: what I'm there for.
Speaker 2: But I do choose to see the glass half full.
Speaker 3: I do choose to see the happy side of life
Speaker 3: in most things, and not everyone's like that. I think
Speaker 3: people who audition for reality shows are really really brave
Speaker 3: and maybe, yes, maybe they don't know how they're going
Speaker 3: to be perceived, or maybe they don't know what they're
Speaker 3: really going to be like under that sort of pressure,
Speaker 3: but they're brave enough to do it, and I commend
Speaker 3: them all for that because I would.
Speaker 2: Never audition for a reality TV show.
Speaker 3: There is no way that I could actually put myself
Speaker 3: out there like that. So thank goodness there are Aussies
Speaker 3: that are happy to be as raw as possible on TV,
Speaker 3: or the world would be very boring.
Speaker 1: Shana Blaze on Celebrity Apprentice this year.
Speaker 3: I am terrified to put myself on the line for
Speaker 3: this because you always know that the project manager has
Speaker 3: their head on the chopping block no matter.
Speaker 1: What, and they're making another series of Celebrity Apprentice already.
Speaker 1: Have they asked you to take place on Celebrity Apprentice?
Speaker 2: Nope, Nope, they haven't.
Speaker 3: I am such an extraordinary business mind, Ben that I
Speaker 3: would just put everyone to shame and there'd be, you know,
Speaker 3: one episode in and they'd realize that there was just
Speaker 3: no competition here to be had.
Speaker 1: But Shelley, you know, I mean, I've watched so much
Speaker 1: of your television, all the way back to Disney everything
Speaker 1: I've grown up really and loved watching on television. Surely
Speaker 1: with all of these celebrity reality shows, you've been asked
Speaker 1: to do at least one of them. I've never asked you.
Speaker 3: The Singing Bee Back in the day, was there there
Speaker 3: might have been a dancing show. No, I don't think
Speaker 3: I've even been asked to dance. I'm so busy, you know,
Speaker 3: my schedules full What can I say?
Speaker 1: How do you think you'd go though?
Speaker 2: Terribly full stop? Yes?
Speaker 3: No, there is no way ever. Please never ask, because
Speaker 3: I will never say yes.
Speaker 1: I'll always say no. For producers that are out there
Speaker 1: listening to this right now, Shelley's a no go for that.
Speaker 3: Absolutely, I've put a target on it back now over
Speaker 3: the Wow.
Speaker 1: Well, look, you're one of the celebrities that's moved to
Speaker 1: Byron Bay and I'm living for all of these new
Speaker 1: South Wales coastal town bang the new Hollywood. But I
Speaker 1: want to know, have you seen any of these A
Speaker 1: listers walking around town? Oh?
Speaker 3: Look, i'd have to say, you know the hem's words obviously,
Speaker 3: the ones that you're talking about. And they've been here
Speaker 3: for years now, and they are so wonderfully integrated into
Speaker 3: Byron life. You know, you see them out and about
Speaker 3: and they're at soccer, and they're at Circus and.
Speaker 2: They're Pony Club.
Speaker 3: They're just a great family who have really embraced the
Speaker 3: freedoms that Byron has been able to offer them. I
Speaker 3: can't even imagine what their life in LA might have
Speaker 3: been like, or for any of those true A listers,
Speaker 3: what life must be like under the spotlight. So they
Speaker 3: do get a lot of freedoms here that I'm sure
Speaker 3: they wouldn't get elsewhere.
Speaker 2: And they're awesome. You know, I can't say that we
Speaker 2: hang out and party with them.
Speaker 3: You haven't seen me on their instagram sadly, but they
Speaker 3: really great people and yeah, we're lucky to have them here.
Speaker 2: It's the people that you.
Speaker 3: Don't know that have moved to Byron. There's a lot
Speaker 3: of wonderful, philanthropic folk here that are trying to do
Speaker 3: great things. Our little industrial estate here is a bit
Speaker 3: like a Silicon Valley. There's so much happening in Byron
Speaker 3: other than just celebs being here in town. I think
Speaker 3: we have the best lifestyle of anywhere in Australia and
Speaker 3: that's you know, that's a big competition really because there's
Speaker 3: some awesome.
Speaker 2: Places and some great cities.
Speaker 3: But to be able to find that fabulous balance between
Speaker 3: work life and lifestyle, I think we've got it here
Speaker 3: in town.
Speaker 1: Is there any truth to the rumors that are out
Speaker 1: this week that the Block could be moving to Byron?
Speaker 2: Oh?
Speaker 3: Look, God, I would love to see it. That means
Speaker 3: I wouldn't have to fly to Melbourne every single week.
Speaker 3: Of course, Byron is a real estate hotspot, so for
Speaker 3: a real estate show it would make sense. But no,
Speaker 3: we're looking everywhere for season eighteen, all over the country
Speaker 3: to see it here in Byron. Yeah, we'll see, but
Speaker 3: we're kicking off seventeen this Someday we'll get through this
Speaker 3: one first and hopefully hopefully get a series eighteen, and
Speaker 3: as you say, being this far into a show, seventeen
Speaker 3: series coming up under our belts, it is a true
Speaker 3: milestone and we're really proud of what we produce.
Speaker 2: If we get an eighteenth series, that would be gold.
Speaker 1: I think it's going to happen, because I just can't
Speaker 1: get over the first five episodes that I saw. It
Speaker 1: is in my mind, it is so engaging, and I
Speaker 1: don't know whether it was just that I was ready
Speaker 1: for a season of the Block, but I think the
Speaker 1: season's really heating up more than me.
Speaker 2: Oh hello, first episode.
Speaker 3: We always watch episode one with the contestants just before
Speaker 3: they leave the block, just to give them a little
Speaker 3: taste of what they've been working for, because again, ultimately
Speaker 3: they sign up for a reality show and then they're
Speaker 3: thrown onto a construction site and television does very much
Speaker 3: play a backseat to just the day to day goings
Speaker 3: on of a building site that cameras happened to follow
Speaker 3: them around. So I think a couple of weeks in
Speaker 3: they even forget what an earth they're doing this for.
Speaker 3: And it's not until they see themselves on the Telly
Speaker 3: and they start to see the promos and they're back
Speaker 3: in the safety of their own homes and towns and
Speaker 3: people start recognizing them in the street that they actually go,
Speaker 3: oh my god, that's right, we made a TV show.
Speaker 3: What an earth are we going to see of ourselves now?
Speaker 3: So yeah, I think that's forgotten along the way for
Speaker 3: the contestants, which is great too, because this is a
Speaker 3: whole new ride now they've finished the renos, we start
Speaker 3: on air. This will be a rollercoaster for them emotionally
Speaker 3: as they watch themselves on the telly and have to
Speaker 3: explain themselves to Grandma and explain their actions. And then
Speaker 3: comes auction Day, which is another whole program, and reality
Speaker 3: in itself is actually having to sell these houses at
Speaker 3: the end. So yeah, there's so many different elements to
Speaker 3: the block. It does have a little bit of something
Speaker 3: for everyone, even for the contestants.
Speaker 1: Are you've allowed to have like a tipping competition like
Speaker 1: a footy competition and pick who you think is going
Speaker 1: to win or who's going to get the most amount
Speaker 1: of money when it go action? Can you pick them
Speaker 1: every year and be like, I think this one's gonna
Speaker 1: this house is going to go on?
Speaker 3: No, look to bet on that, you'd have to be
Speaker 3: a crazy person, I think. And with the way real
Speaker 3: estate is around the country at the moment and how
Speaker 3: changeable that is coming up to auctions, which will be
Speaker 3: I guess October November by the time we get there.
Speaker 3: Who knows what the market might be doing. I'd love
Speaker 3: to say it's still going from strength to strength, and
Speaker 3: I think it really is. When the borders open back up,
Speaker 3: we'll see what happens if Melbourne and Sydney, you know,
Speaker 3: do start to flood to other cities, whether the expats
Speaker 3: all come home. You know, that's a whole different real
Speaker 3: estate market that's on the boil now. Is people saying
Speaker 3: when I can leave where I am, I can't wait
Speaker 3: to get back to Australia. I'll buy something now, be
Speaker 3: it on a video tour or online. And at least
Speaker 3: I've got my base for when I can come home.
Speaker 3: So I don't think we're going to see the market
Speaker 3: slow anytime soon. What interest rates do that'll rattle things
Speaker 3: as well. But for our contestants, they've created five magnificent
Speaker 3: homes which we get to watch over the next you know, however,
Speaker 3: many weeks and come auction days, it's fingers toes, arms
Speaker 3: crossed heart in the mouth kind of stuff and scotty
Speaker 3: and I just pray that everyone sells well and is
Speaker 3: rewarded for their hard work.
Speaker 1: Oh. Absolutely. You know, being a presenter and being in
Speaker 1: the public life for so long, you know you often
Speaker 1: get asked about your health and fitness. Do you get
Speaker 1: nervous about sharing diets and fitness routines being a person
Speaker 1: of influence.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't share much. Ben, As you'll see, I'm
Speaker 3: pretty slack on any socials and that's because not because
Speaker 3: I don't feel like I have information and knowledge, just
Speaker 3: that it's not my position to throw that in people's faces. Really,
Speaker 3: there's plenty of other experts out there doing that, and
Speaker 3: people who are perhaps not so expert also doing that.
Speaker 2: But yeah, it's just never been.
Speaker 3: My voice to tell people what to do other than
Speaker 3: paint colors and throw cushions.
Speaker 1: How's the hobby going? Is he going?
Speaker 2: Well, he's awesome. Thanks.
Speaker 1: Has it been beneficial marrying someone who's had television experience?
Speaker 1: So no, Christian has had plenty of experience behind the camera.
Speaker 1: Do you think that helps him understand your routine and
Speaker 1: what you have to go through as a presenter.
Speaker 3: Oh, yes, I do. I think he understands a lot
Speaker 3: better than I do. There's no doubt he certainly understands
Speaker 3: the comings and goings in the hours and the fact
Speaker 3: that we do live here in Byron, and he is,
Speaker 3: you know, a working dad when I'm away. But also
Speaker 3: that incredible balance that we have that when I'm not
Speaker 3: on set, I'm very much a full time mum here
Speaker 3: at home and can do the pickups and drop offs.
Speaker 3: But again, as I said, living in Byron, you know,
Speaker 3: we try to do that together every day anyway, for
Speaker 3: the girls, and that's you know, one of the beauties
Speaker 3: of only being five minutes from school, no matter where
Speaker 3: you were up to or what you were doing. Not
Speaker 3: not too many traffic problems up here. So yeah, look
Speaker 3: we have that lovely. We're really lucky we've you know,
Speaker 3: I think we've got a great relationship. But again, not
Speaker 3: going to counsel anyone on the makings of a good marriage.
Speaker 1: I just thought it was great though, because so many
Speaker 1: people who work in the entertainment industry they can sometimes
Speaker 1: struggle with you know, their partner's not understanding that's sort
Speaker 1: of a very it's a rollercoaster. You're going up and
Speaker 1: down all the time, and it's not like a nine
Speaker 1: to five job, so it's good to be able to
Speaker 1: have someone who understands it. But I was kind of
Speaker 1: leading with this question anyway, because I was going to ask,
Speaker 1: how do you think the two of you would go
Speaker 1: if you're on the block.
Speaker 3: Oh, we have built a few homes together, renovated a
Speaker 3: few homes together.
Speaker 2: How that guy actually not so bad? Not so bad?
Speaker 3: We try to stay in our own lane. Which lane
Speaker 3: that is, I'm not quite sure. He's now in real estate,
Speaker 3: so he has a very, very keen eye and probably
Speaker 3: a lot more attention to detail than I do, if
Speaker 3: I'm really honest.
Speaker 1: Before I let you go, one of my questions that
Speaker 1: I always ask my guests before they leave is what's
Speaker 1: an amazing story from behind the scenes. That's something that
Speaker 1: maybe the audiences didn't get a chance to see while
Speaker 1: making this season.
Speaker 2: Of the Block tricky question.
Speaker 3: I think the thing that people probably don't realize about
Speaker 3: The Block is just how much goes into the show.
Speaker 3: You know, some of the contestants when they first arrive,
Speaker 3: they still say, oh, so when you know, when do
Speaker 3: we go to the hotel or when do we leave?
Speaker 3: And say, no, no, this is it now you are
Speaker 3: here on site, you will find somewhere to sleep, rain,
Speaker 3: hail or shine for the next ten weeks, you know,
Speaker 3: until you build your first bedroom. I still think people
Speaker 3: assume there's a lot of smoke and mirrors about the block,
Speaker 3: but it's not. This is just it And if you're
Speaker 3: crazy enough to audition, which I encourage you all to do,
Speaker 3: it is probably one of the greatest life experiences you'll have.
Speaker 2: And I'm not beating that up, you know.
Speaker 3: I love the fact that you watch these humans transform
Speaker 3: over the period of the show. They really challenge themselves
Speaker 3: in ways that other shows don't ever push their contestants
Speaker 3: to do that sleep deprivation that you know, just desperately
Speaker 3: wanting to do well. It's human spirit and as wanky
Speaker 3: as that might say, you know, the block really does
Speaker 3: help people find out who they really are, and as
Speaker 3: I said, to see contestants then go on to create
Speaker 3: whole new careers for themselves is what I love the
Speaker 3: most about it. And there's a team of amazing, extraordinary
Speaker 3: production staff that help these contestants get through and build
Speaker 3: these incredible homes.
Speaker 2: And I don't think you know that's the story.
Speaker 3: I suppose for me is just how much effort and
Speaker 3: passion and love goes into the show from everyone who
Speaker 3: works on it, and sometimes that's not realized by the
Speaker 3: contestants until after they've left, or until after auction day.
Speaker 2: And they watch it go to wear.
Speaker 3: And that's why it's fabulous to see as we've got
Speaker 3: this time round. You know, your faes coming back that
Speaker 3: I think really wanted to come back for their own
Speaker 3: personal redemption, but to also enjoy the experience more second
Speaker 3: time round. And you know, I'm experiencing it fourteenth time
Speaker 3: round this season and still love every single minute of it.
Speaker 1: I can't believe it's fourteen seasons. That crazy, so many
Speaker 1: houses being built. I mean, I will say I'm glad
Speaker 1: there's no smell of vision for television because watching episode
Speaker 1: one and hearing about the snoring and farting when they
Speaker 1: made them all sleep in that basement, I was like, yeah,
Speaker 1: that's something is of you. I'm glad that we don't
Speaker 1: get to experience.
Speaker 2: Yes, well there's a lesson you make your bed you line,
Speaker 2: it didn't you.
Speaker 1: I like that one of the twins was like it
Speaker 1: was really nice and warm where he was sleeping, and
Speaker 1: he was definitely the one doing the farting so.
Speaker 2: Well, that's taken the edge of Love Island boys, hasn't it.
Speaker 1: You still think hunts not just.
Speaker 2: Yes, super stinky Hope.
Speaker 1: I love it well. Congratulations on turning up for another series.
Speaker 1: We absolutely love seeing you on the show. I think
Speaker 1: it's going to be an absolute cracker. And thanks for
Speaker 1: being on TV REALO today.
Speaker 3: Oh this has been awesome, Ben, and you are as
Speaker 3: much as I know Andrew you're still around, but look out,
Speaker 3: Ben is coming your way.
Speaker 2: Give him enough rope and you never know what mister
Speaker 2: Norris might just do. It's so good to chat the
Speaker 2: Green