reality tv

After storming off The Block, will Kylie and Brad return for the auction?

The Block reached peak drama in recent weeks, as a flirtatious scandal between two contestants took over the reality renovation show.

While Season 20 delivered on 'cheating scandal' chaos, wild claims of bullying, and several dramatic exits, it also delivered the main thing it was meant to: five beautiful homes on Phillip Island.

Over the course of 12 weeks, five teams worked from the ground-up to deliver stunning coastal homes in a dilapidated holiday park in the seaside town of Cowes. Well, technically six teams, since Jesse and Paige sensationally quit the series mid-way through.

Now all that remains is the dreaded auction day. Or, you know, celebrated auction day. All depends on how it pans out, doesn't it?

While some former teams have made The Block history and walked away with a pretty penny or two in their pockets, we've also seen some contestants leave the show empty handed. After all, there is just one team guaranteed to 'win' each season and leave with $100,000 in prize money.

At the moment, it's still unknown if one team will even bother showing up on auction day — after Kylie and her husband, Brad, left the show 'for good' in Week 13 of the competition. Juicy.

Watch Shaynna Blaze's criticism of Kylie & Brad's final room reveal on The Block. Story continues below.



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Here's everything you need to know about The Block Auction 2024.

When is The Block auction day?

The Block auction day will be held on Saturday, November 9, on Phillip Island.

The finale will air on Channel Nine on Sunday, November 10, at 7pm.

Will Kylie & Brad return for The Block auction?

After weeks of on-screen drama, Kylie finally made the call to walk out of The Block with just one week left in the competition.

Though Kylie and her husband, Brad, did complete their home, they did not stick around for Week 13 (in which the remaining teams created a communal space in their holiday park).

On Sunday night's episode, Kylie told producers, "I don't want to come back for auction, I don't want to come back and have to deal with them. I don't."

The following night, Scott Cam confirmed they wouldn't be coming back for the final week of renovations: "It's a really disappointing situation that we've found ourselves in. The competition now is between four houses only. Kylie and Brad are not returning."

But where do we stand, months later, as we approach the auction this weekend?

Brad told The Daily Mail that they haven't ruled out attending. And with potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line, I'd like to say 'duh.'

"That's something that I am still talking to my wife about, we don't know what we're doing," he told the publication. "It's not ruled out, I guess we will see."

The couple were also spotted attending Melbourne Cup celebrations together on Tuesday this week, hinting they may very well still be together.

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As for whether or not they're entitled to their winnings if they don't show up on auction day, a source has revealed Channel Nine needed to step in to complete the house after Kylie and Brad quit. Meaning the other contestants don't think the couple should see any potential winnings.

"If that property sells for over the price guides and they haven't attended the auction — most of the other contestants think the couple shouldn't be able to collect any of the money the house makes," a TV insider told Yahoo Lifestyle.

"There was a lot more that needed to be finished by Channel Nine after the couple quit the show. House Four was the least completed property and other builders just finished it off and made a lot of the remaining decisions," they added. "It seems unreasonable not to finish your house and still be eligible for the same percentages."

Image: Nine.

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What are The Block price guides?

For the first time in a whopping eight years, the price guides have been set below $2 million for these four-bedroom holiday homes. All the homes have a uniform price guide of $1.7 million to $1.85 million.

  • House 1 (Maddy and Charlotte, previously Jesse and Paige): 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 car spaces – $1.7m – $1.85m
  • House 2 (Courtney and Grant): 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 car spaces – $1.7m – $1.85m
  • House 3 (Ricky and Haydn): 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 4 car spaces – $1.7m – $1.85m
  • House 4 (Kylie and Brad): 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 car spaces – $1.7m – $1.85m
  • House 5 (Kristian and Mimi): 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 car spaces – $1.7m – $1.85m

The drop in price should come as no surprise, given the series moved to a small town this year — as opposed to the bustling metropolitan city of Melbourne, where most seasons have taken place.

The median house price in the town is $820,000 — meaning The Block homes are expected to make well above average on auction day. But will the homes see bids above their reserve prices?

What are The Block 2024 reserve prices?

A reserve price is the minimum price a seller would be willing to accept from a buyer — if the top bids don't meet the reserve price on auction day, a home will usually be 'passed in' and not sell on that day.

On The Block, the reserve price typically incorporates the amount of money Channel Nine has poured into the series and the homes.

Each team was given a budget of $250,000 to renovate and design their homes, with additional prizes and bonuses in store for winning couples throughout the competition. Nine also purchased the holiday park, which is reported to have cost around $9.58 million.

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On Sunday night, viewers will find out what the 'reserve' is for each team — from there, the teams will have to sell their homes for over-and-above the reserve amount in order to take home any funds.

Not only that, but auction order will play a big part in determining how the day goes for each team.

Image: Nine.

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Why does auction order matter on The Block?

It may seem like everyone is being a bit dramatic about auction order every single time the finale rolls around, but there's an important reason.

"The order of sale on the day of the auction can be very strategic and very important," auctioneer Damien Cooley told Domain. "The biggest factor that it all boils down to is the quality of the buyer pool, and that comes back to how many buyers there are looking at purchasing, and essentially, how much the buyers are willing to spend."

Over the past decade, most winning properties were auctioned off first and second. This goes hand-in-hand with common auction advice viewers have seen on The Block, with most teams being advised to auction the house with the most buyer interest first. If a keen buyer misses out on their dream home, they may very well hit up one of the other auctions later in the day. It gives everyone the best shot at a successful auction day.

In recent years, fans have come to see staple home buyers on auction day — in particular, David Brandi, Danny Wallis and Adrian Portelli (who both have plans to attend the auctions in 2024).

Auction Strategist Frank Valentic told realestate.com.au that he expects to see high-profile clients return this season.

"Phillip Island has a strong Airbnb return around $190,000 to $220,000 per year," Valentic said. "So if you pick up one of The Block 2024 homes for $2.5m you're getting about seven per cent return plus the extra $3000 in tax depreciation."

Feature Image: Channel Nine.

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