Channel Nine has reportedly found an unexpected way to support fan favourites Emma and Ben after the couple’s devastating auction result on last year’s season of The Block.
Production insiders say there was widespread internal disappointment after the pair’s Daylesford property failed to sell following the 2025 finale, adding that many crew members believed the popular contestants had been “robbed” by the outcome and “deserved better”.
“The way last season ended didn’t sit well with a lot of people involved in the show,” one well-placed source alleged.
Several homes from the Daylesford season struggled to sell amid Victoria’s cooling regional property market, creating one of the franchise’s most awkward post-finale periods in recent years.
However, according to production insiders, Channel Nine soon identified an opportunity to solve two separate problems simultaneously by quietly purchasing Emma and Ben’s newly bought Mount Martha property.
After losing money during their time on the show, the couple reportedly decided to sell the home, which was transformed into accommodation for contestants and crew working on the upcoming 2026 season in Mt Eliza.
“The network realised they were already spending significant money housing crew and contestants during production,” one source claimed.
“So instead of putting that money into hotels or caravans, the idea became: why not use Ben and Em’s property?”
As previously revealed by SkyNews.com.au, contestants on the upcoming season are no longer living on-site during filming and are, instead, being housed together in shared accommodation away from active construction zones.
The arrangement is understood to have helped inspire one of the biggest behind-the-scenes format changes in the show’s history, leading the crew to compare the upcoming season to dating series Married At First Sight.
Industry sources claim this reflects a broader shift occurring across reality television as networks increasingly prioritise social media engagement and personality-driven casting.
“There’s still renovating at the centre of the show,” one insider alleged, adding: “But there’s definitely a larger focus now on the contestants themselves and how they interact with each other.”
Internally, some of the crew are joking that it feels “more MAFS than renovating,” with one well-placed source adding: “Could I see some of these women on MAFS? Yeah, probably.”
However, it is “the intensity of the conflict and emotional resolution playing out off-site” that really pays homage to the Nine dating show, according to the insider.
“There’s obviously no dinner parties in Mt Eliza but production are filming at the contestants’ after hours,” one person behind the scenes noted, adding that there have reportedly been blow-ups, tears and relationship tensions, themes that have become synonymous with the MAFS format.
Several participants are already believed to be emerging as major personalities internally, with sources claiming producers expect strong audience reactions to multiple cast members throughout the season.
The Block’s 2026 season, filmed on Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula, is expected to air in September.