The Block

• Tv Show: The Block
• Year: 2017
• Host: Scotty Cam
• Country: Australia 
• Runtime: 55 minutes per episode 
• Genre: Renovation/ reality 

The Block is a tv series where reality meets renovation, seeing 5 couples battle it out every week to create beautiful, styled rooms with a mix of heritage and contemporary designs.  Each week, the contestants are given a brief of which room they are to complete and a strict timeframe. These may include, bedrooms, master suites, bathrooms, living/dining rooms, study, kitchen, laundry and finally the landscaping and exterior. The show is excellent in its ability to combine renovating and amazing room transformations alongside reality television. Viewers enjoy watching the show due to the combination of these factors. It is both enjoyable to watch whilst also providing inspiration for everyday styling and renovation. 

Additionally, each week the host Scotty Cam presents a range of challenges in which the contestants compete against each other in order to win extra prize money to enhance their spaces. For example, this may include making over family style accomodation offsite and charity based work. The other week, contestants renovated and styled a Ronald McDonald house to enhance the space and make it more aesthetically pleasing and functional for families staying with sick children. Not only did they present amazing spaces but were also able to give back to the community by helping out this charity. 

At the end of each week, the spaces are magically transformed and are judged by style guru and design experts Shaynna Blayze, Neil Whittaker and Darren Palmer. Providing their expertise and constructive criticism, this episode is usually the most anticipated out of the four aired each week. The spaces are shown as before and after's, allowing the audience to see the amazing transformations as well as hear the judge's feedback. It also allows audience members to form their own opinions on the rooms, which are usually discussed further via social media platforms. The show has generated both a high number of viewers/ fans as well as a strong social media presence, across platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Overall, I believe The Block is an excellent show, showcasing strong renovation and design skills which provide inspiration for all viewers.

I would highly recommend this tv show to anyone interested in home renovation and styling, or audiences who enjoy a good laugh. 

By Alyssa - 

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