{"id":840590,"date":"2026-08-02T21:54:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T21:54:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/840590\/"},"modified":"2026-08-02T21:54:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T21:54:25","slug":"the-block-2026-the-secret-skills-giving-each-block-team-the-upper-hand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/840590\/","title":{"rendered":"The Block 2026: The secret skills giving each Block team the upper hand"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve met the 10 fresh faces<\/a> ready to take on The Block 2026<\/a>, but which teams hold the key to winning? <\/p>\n

This year\u2019s contestants are stacked with experience, from secret skills to hidden trades that are sure to bring a huge advantage to the nation\u2019s biggest renovation competition<\/a>. Just don\u2019t tell the other Blockheads<\/a>, OK? <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Secrets? What secrets?!\u00a0Nine<\/p>\n

Brisbane besties Courtney and Sev<\/p>\n

Ask Courtney<\/a>, 34, what she does for a living, and she\u2019ll say \u201cjust in admin\u201d, \u201cnothing exciting\u201d. Although she has renovated two of her own properties. <\/p>\n

Ask her away from the contestants<\/a>, and she\u2019ll tell you her biggest secret: She works as a site manager in commercial construction. \u201cMy job on site would be what Gmac<\/a> does on The Block<\/a>,\u201d she revealed. <\/p>\n

\"GMac<\/p>\n

She does what? \u00a0Nine<\/p>\n

Forget waterproof Wednesdays<\/a>, in just three weeks Courtney oversaw the mammoth renovation of 110 hotel bathrooms<\/a>. The other Blockheads<\/a> just don\u2019t know that yet. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf they found out, that would instantly put the competition on their toes,\u201d said Sev<\/a>. \u201cThey\u2019d feel threatened so it would make them step up.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cJob sites are chaotic, and I can see past the chaos. I am very good at my job,\u201d Courtney added. <\/p>\n

What\u2019s not a secret, is that Sev, 37, is a commercial interior designer whose lavish portfolio includes airports, shopping centres and hotels. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Courtney and Sev are far from renovating rookies. \u00a0Nine<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Courtney is also a site manager for a huge construction company. \u00a0Nine<\/p>\n

She also watches The Block \u201creligiously\u201d. She\u2019s seen the last 11 seasons so knows exactly what judges Shaynna<\/a>, Darren<\/a> and Marty<\/a> will expect each week. <\/p>\n

Gold Coast gym-goers Chantel and Wyatt <\/p>\n

Wyatt<\/a>, 30, admittedly has no building experience. Does body building count? <\/p>\n

His is, however, a former rifleman in the Australian Defence Force turned personal trainer<\/a> who is both competitive and disciplined. <\/p>\n

But mum-of-three Chantel<\/a>, 32, holds a very hidden skill set. This stay-at-home mum has a tonne of hands-on building experience, is a trained carpenter and a qualified supervisor, no biggie. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Surprise! \u00a0Nine<\/p>\n

\u201cI started on site with my dad when I was 16 or 17,\u201d she revealed. \u201cI ended up doing my trade and my Certificate IV in Building and Construction as well.\u201d <\/p>\n

Chantel has worked with her builder dad to construct more than 100 homes. Her goal is to officially get her builder\u2019s licence one day.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

How will Wyatt and Chantel go in the competition?\u00a0Nine<\/p>\n

South Australia\u2019s Adam and Jolene <\/p>\n

Self-proclaimed \u201cbush bogans\u201d Adam and Jolene<\/a> are your \u201cdiamonds in the rough\u201d.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t underestimate their farming background. Adam, 48, may be a cattle station manager, but he\u2019s also a qualified carpenter who has been on the tools for years. <\/p>\n

Wife Jolene<\/a>, 42, has a background in property management, and has managed small renovations of investment properties and a new build. Those skills will certainly come in handy managing a small build team! <\/p>\n

Victorian dad and daughter, Rick and Tayla <\/p>\n

Rick<\/a>, 63, is a builder and has been for the last 47 years. That\u2019s longer than most of this year\u2019s contestants have been alive. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Rick the builder and daughter Tayla! \u00a0Nine<\/p>\n

The dad loves being on the tools and has renovated upwards of 100 houses over his time. His latest job is a high-end home in one of the most exclusive enclaves on the Bellarine Peninsula. So, building a luxury home in coastal Mount Eliza<\/a> should be a breeze. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Can he fix it? Yes, he can. \u00a0Nine<\/p>\n

Daughter Tayla<\/a>, 32, has limited experience renovating her own homes. She\u2019s also learned a lot from her dad. <\/p>\n

Perth parents Lisa and Rosco <\/p>\n

Lisa<\/a>, 34, is a Block superfan so knows a thing or two about how the competition works. She\u2019s also a paramedic meaning she\u2019s cool, calm and collected even in the most stressful situations. <\/p>\n

Her husband Rosco<\/a>, 38, works FIFO in logistics for the oil and gas industry. What you might not know is the couple spent three years building their own home from bare bones. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Could Lisa and Rosco be the underdogs of the season? \u00a0Nine<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We\u2019ve met the 10 fresh faces ready to take on The Block 2026, but which teams hold the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":840591,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[64,63,134],"class_list":["post-840590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/840590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=840590"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/840590\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/840591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=840590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=840590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=840590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}