The Block 2026 Episode 42 recap: Girls’ are threatened with disqualification over spending

Right from the start, Queenslanders Courtney and Sev haven’t been afraid to splurge cash they don’t always have, operating on the belief that future prize money will cover their tracks. That high-risk strategy has yielded six wins so far. However, with the competition entering its penultimate week, opportunities to secure extra cash are running out.

Host Scotty Cam and the team have urged everyone not to overextend themselves on their upcoming gardens and garages.

While the recommended budget for the week is $30,000, every single team plans to exceed it. Courtney and Sev are staging the biggest gamble yet, planning an $86,000 splurge — literally every last cent in their bank account — on a pizza oven, outdoor fridge, outdoor shower, curved wine cellar, fireplace, and a dedicated car-washing station.

Reality hit quickly when Sev realised the numbers simply didn’t stack up. Landscaper Troy Lovett’s bill came in at $125,000 — a massive $25,000 over their initial $100,000 estimate.

“I realised there were a few too many splurges, blowouts, and assumptions being made,” Sev admitted, reflecting on their failure to win a few key rooms they felt were locked in.

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Producer Julian Cress tells the girls they are running the risk of disqualification for consistently overspending.

Concerned the pair were overspending on the gamble of a win, executive producer Julian Cress stepped in with a stern warning: “Don’t buy anything extra that you can’t afford. We will disqualify you if you put stuff in that you can’t afford.”

With Cress’s threat of disqualification ringing in their ears, the pair had to shave roughly $18,000 from their budget. Reluctant to sacrifice their fancy wine tasting room — especially with arch rivals Jolene and Adam also building a cellar — the girls pressed Troy to find areas to cut back.

“Give some cash back is essentially what I am saying to him,” Sev explained. “It might be a detail he can compromise on, plants he can cut out, or manpower he can trim. But it feels like there’s resistance there.”

Troy pushed back, drawing Sev’s ire by calling the wine cellar a “gimmick”.

“I don’t see it as a gimmick. I see it as an asset, and so does our real estate agent,” she countered.

Landscaper Troy Lovett is told he’s going to have to spend $18,000 less.

Troy eventually conceded, but warned that all plants had already been purchased.

Without a win this week, the girls will be left doing all the heavy manual labour themselves in their front yard. Still, Sev remained confident in her choice: “This is going to be one of the most impressive features this house has. The craftsmanship behind the custom timber rack is epic. It’s art.”

Courtney and Sev weren’t the only ones feeling the pinch. Chantel and Wyatt, who have yet to win a single room, opted for a no-frills approach to their space — all while feeling growing resentment toward rivals who keep winning despite delivering incomplete work.

The normally amiable Rosco had also lost his patience with the entire process, growing particularly fed up with Foreman Dan nitpicking their yard details. His temper flared further when the Cursio brothers commandeered his digger mid-excavation to work on Chantel and Wyatt’s property.

Taking pity on him, Adam invited Rosco to sub in for an under-the-weather Jolene at his winners’ dinner with Scotty Cam.

Sev tears up at the thought of losing her wine rack.

Meanwhile, Tayla and Rick faced the largest outdoor zone of the week with a rapidly shrinking cash reserve. Given their poor track record on much smaller projects, Foreman Dan expressed serious doubts about their ability to finish. As usual, Tayla talked a big game while doing very little actual labour.

Despite the chaos, Tayla remained confident about taking out the garden win as well as the weekly challenge set by fan favourites Eliza and Liberty: writing and performing a one-minute song about their experience on The Block for a $10,000 prize. (And let’s be honest, it couldn’t be any worse than the AI offerings served up as constant show filler this season.)

Classy Tayla clears the room in front of former contestants Steph and Gian.

Tayla also hogged the spotlight during a special family dinner featuring former winners Steph and Gian. Invited to inspire the teams with stories from their record-breaking season, the guest couple barely got a word in edgewise through Tayla’s relentless barrage of dinner chatter — followed by a post-meal chaser of room-clearing gas.

Speaking of explosive moments, Jolene caught wind that her nemesis Wyatt was wheelbarrowing concrete right through her yard without permission — and spilling it through her garden bed on the way.

Furious, she confronted him on the spot.

Jolene confronts Wyatt for using her sideway for access to his backyard.

“In the real world, if you wanted to do something in your neighbour’s yard, you’d ask first — not just assume you have access,” Jolene declared after giving a sheepish Wyatt an absolute spray.

Wyatt later admitted he had been actively avoiding Jolene ever since their blowout a few weeks prior.

“I’d rather talk to Adam so I don’t get called intimidating,” he explained to an incredulous Jolene.

MISSED AN EPISODE? HERE’S ALL OUR RECAPS SO FAR

Episode 1: First tears shed on season 22 of The Block

Episode 2: ‘I will shut you down’

Episode 3: ‘I won’t help them again’

Episode 4: ‘You will only last five weeks’

Episode 5: Block couple ready to quit after scandal

Episode 6: ‘Everyone is in on it’: Chantel and Wyatt cry foul

Episode 7: Gloves are off as Courtney accuses Rosco of treachery

Episode 8: Dan fuming as Tayla barely lifts a finger

Episode 9: A huge prize causes bitterness in one contestant