There was more tension behind the scenes of The Block than in the auction room itself, as producers rushed to prevent a financial disaster when the 2025 Daylesford season culminated in one of the show’s most nerve-racking finales to date.
With reserves set more than $2 million above the local median house price, contestants were reeling when they learned they’d have to convince buyers to part with close to $3 million for homes in a regional Victorian town where properties typically fetch around $820,000.
The decision sparked what executive producer Julian Cress described as a “desperate scramble” to ensure contestants didn’t walk away empty-handed.
“Today’s conversations were a little more difficult because they were about strategy,” Cress admitted. “We could see the wheels were coming off… I was trying to reassure them they weren’t about to walk into a car crash where they’d made zero money for their efforts.”
Cress and host Scott Cam worked to rally the teams, urging auctioneers to open with vendor bids to safeguard the homes from being undersold too early.
Despite their lobbying, Nine refused to lower the $2.99 million reserves – figures Cress said were decided “at a much higher level” without his input.
“I wasn’t even consulted about what I thought they should be,” he said. “Those decisions are made at a much higher level at Nine.”
It proved an uphill battle. While winners Britt and Taz enjoyed a $420,000 windfall above their reserve, other teams struggled to attract bids with a “three” in front.
Cress acknowledged the unique challenge of trying to move five high-end homes in one regional town on the same day.
“I don’t think that five houses have ever been auctioned before in one single day in Daylesford,” he said. “That would never have happened – and as it turns out, it still hasn’t.”
The producers had hoped that with flamboyant investor Adrian Portelli sitting out this year’s auction, more “mums and dads” would have a shot at buying a Block home. But the high reserves dashed those hopes.
Still, Cress maintained the season shouldn’t be written off as a failure.
“The result wasn’t that bad,” he said. “We’ve got a couple of houses that need to sell, but even those would return over 100 grand in profit to the contestants. And we’ve got a couple who made over half a million. I think we need to remain calm.”
Scott Cam agreed, laughing off suggestions the contestants had been “fed to the sharks.”
“They certainly weren’t,” he said. “There was $3.4 million in the room for Britt and Taz’s house. And remember, the buyers don’t even know the reserves before bidding starts.”
Cam admitted he felt for the teams whose properties were passed in, but remained hopeful.
“They’ve got the opportunity to be rewarded for their hard work as their houses go back on the market first thing tomorrow morning,” he said. “We’ve got two and a half million viewers watching. Plenty of potential buyers will know those homes are still available.”
For Cress and Cam, auction day remains the most stressful moment of the Block year, not for ratings or reputation, but for the human cost.
“We wake up feeling physically ill,” Cress confessed. “It’s not because we’re worried about the show. It’s because we’ve become so close to the contestants that the thought of them not making money is horrifying.”
And while the numbers may not all have fallen their way, The Block once again delivered what it does best: a cocktail of high drama, heartbreak and hope, all under the hammer.
Image: The Block
