The Block 2026 Episode 45 recap: Jolene’s fury reaches new heights as girls exploit a loophole

It was a classic case of sour grapes as the bitter battle between arch rivals Courtney and Sev and Jolene and Adam — and their competing wine cellars — ended in a flat-out tie. Neither side was in the mood to toast the compromise.

Courtney and Sev had gambled every dollar they had in the hopes of scoring four 10s to fund their front yard, while a vengeful Jolene was hellbent on crushing the “serial copycats” warning she would rain down fury if the girls’ bargain-basement bespoke cellar beat hers.

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Jolene realises she’s going to have to have dinner with Courtney and Sev.

Instead, both teams walked away with a modest $5000 cash injection and the deeply unappetising prospect of sharing a celebration meal together.

“A tie with our enemies, yay!” Courtney said sarcastically. Seeing everyone else laughing at the prospect of the two teams sharing a table, Sev asked, “Do we hate each other that much that it’s funny?”

Courtney and Sev’s garage with bargain basement wine rack/art installation.

She then conceded they did, adding, “I just know it’s going to be very, very sour, and that sucks.”

In fairness, Jolene had good reason to have a bitter taste in her mouth. Hot on the heels of copying her mirror and fireplace, Courtney and Sev added a car-wash station and a bespoke wine cellar — both concepts hand-picked by Jolene. Worse still, it emerged that Sev paid roughly a tenth of the recommended retail price for her wine rack, whereas Jolene only received a 50 per cent discount from the same maker.

Adam and Jolene’s hidden wine rack.

Lisa rumbled the deal, noting that the girls were supposedly outlaying $86,000 on their entire backyard and garage, which somehow included a cellar valued upwards of $100,000.

“So, it doesn’t add up,” Lisa complained. “This deal is dodge. The rule is anything you buy you must pay 50 per cent of the recommended retail price for it unless they are a sponsor. We are following the rules and delivering nothing. We can’t compete with someone who isn’t following the rules and delivering something they got for nothing.”

When Lisa asked cellar seller Rob how much the rack cost, he answered cryptically that “the value was in the eye of the beholder.” Sev had found a loophole by classifying the custom timber racks as artwork, where pricing is left to the artist’s discretion.

Chantel and Wyatt’s front yard.

When Lisa and Rosco pressed for receipts, Sev confirmed she paid $14,500. Rosco was disheartened that his own garage would sit empty simply because he played by the rules.

Unsympathetic, Sev snapped: “It’s not up to us for you to figure out how to play the game and know what to put in your garage to build that asset.”

Courtney, still aggrieved that Rosco and Adam had family working on site for minimum wage, added: “You figured out how to get your dad to come and work here for $25 an hour, and we figured out we could get a wine cellar.”

Lisa and Rosco’s side yard with the sauna they couldn’t afford but won back in a challenge.

Sev was further annoyed that Jolene sent Lisa and Rosco to do her dirty work, arguing Jolene should be grateful to receive a discounted piece herself. Jolene, meanwhile, slammed Courtney and Sev as “smug c**ts” for wrangling the deeper discount.

It was left to Scott Cam to point out that the ubiquitous Christian Cole dining tables so popular with Block contestants (including Adam and Jolene) were classified as “art” rather than furniture, allowing for similarly huge discounts.

Ultimately, judges Marty Fox, Shaynna Blaze, Darren Palmer, and guest Dave Franklin were equally impressed by both pieces of joinery, which stood head and shoulders above the blank or unfinished garages delivered by the other three teams.

Adam and Jolene’s yard lacked fence or screening plants.

The judges were underwhelmed by Jolene and Adam’s spartan front yard, with Shaynna noting its lack of screening trees or fence meant it felt like a “fishbowl”. However, she groaned with delight at their side garden, praising its walled alfresco area for providing total privacy, while Marty felt the arbours were ready for a magazine cover.

Marty could only see kids with cracked heads in Courtney and Sev’s yard .

They were equally enamoured with Courtney and Sev’s layout. Dave declared their outdoor shower one of the best he’d seen, and Marty swooned over the arbours making the back gate feel like a grand entrance. Marty’s sole critique was the lack of lawn, warning that the stone steppers were a safety hazard: “All I see is kids with cracked heads.”

Rick and Tayla present yet another unfinished space.

Where Courtney and Sev lacked lawn, Rick and Tayla delivered. With no cash for mature trees, they rolled out Lilydale turf far and wide. Spotting a cricket set on the grass, Marty smiled that they were selling the family dream. Their garage was less popular, with Darren criticising time spent on wallpaper, wall sconces, and LED strip lighting over practical flooring.

Lisa and Rosco also left work unfinished after discovering cracks in their garage foundation. Choosing to repair the concrete properly before applying flooring cost them points with the judges, though they hoped it would pay off on auction day. They did, however, win the weekly budgeting prize, pocketing $10,000. Their garden was a hit, with boundary olive trees adding instant privacy, a seating area with a massive outdoor fireplace, and a Zen garden featuring their reclaimed sauna.

Lisa and Rosco’s yard was a hit.

Finally, Chantel and Wyatt suffered another harsh critique. Shaynna flattened their garage effort as a “white box with a couple of things in it” prompting Dave to joke that they’d built a panic room instead.

Chantel and Wyatt’s side garden with pizza oven and barbecue.

Their attempt at a cellar turned out to be a disappointing bank of black cabinets. However, the judges saved genuine praise for their undercover side garden — complete with a pizza oven and Smeg BBQ — which Shaynna declared their best space on The Block so far, even if it wasn’t enough to secure their first win.

FINAL SCORES

Adam and Jolene: 34.5

Courtney and Sev 34.5

Lisa and Rosco 31.5

Chantel and Wyatt: 29.5

Rick and Tayla: 30

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