After what was arguably the most chaotic finale in The Block's history, contestants Sarah-Jane and Tom Calleja have revealed the painful toll of a disappointing result at the auction.
The Melbourne couple's house sold for only $4,100,000.99, which was just $20,000.99 above their $4.08 million reserve price. It’s the lowest profit a Block house has made since Series 9, Glasshouse, in 2014.
In an Instagram post shared on Sunday night, the pair shared that they would be selling the $80,000 Ford Ranger they won during Landscape Week.
"Unfortunately for Tom we will sell the Ford 😂🚙 and we will be walking away with 100k so no complaints from us," Wilson wrote on the couple's shared Instagram account.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
"Even if we walked away with nothing we had the experience of a lifetime and something we can tell our grandkids about! Are we disappointed sure but nothing is ever guaranteed and at this point I think we’ll be fully over it by Tuesday."
The reality stars told 9Entertainment that it was "disappointing" to only walk away with $20k after working tirelessly on their five-bedroom, three-bathroom house over the past three months. After having made financial sacrifices to appear on the Channel 9 reality TV show, the parents of a one-year-old had hoped it would all pay off when the house was eventually sold.
"We spent more than $20,000 of our savings to be here," said Sarah-Jane.
The couple weren't the only team who had unfavourable auction results last night. Each team had renovated a house in Gisborne South in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges, 40 minutes from Melbourne, and their reserves were all the same, sitting at $4,080,000.
Unfortunately two houses — Sharon and Ankur's and Dylan and Jenny's, didn't actually sell on the night. The couples are still in negotiations after attracting a highest bid of $4,075,000, which is below their reserve.
Rachel and Ryan managed to sell their home for $4,249,999.85 in a post-auction negotiation, meaning that they walked away with a profit of $169,000.85.
Ultimately, Western Sydney friends Omar and Oz were named the winners of The Block: Tree Change, selling their property for $5,666,666.66 and making a profit of $1,586,666.66. With the $100k winner's prize money from Channel 9 added to this, Omar and Oz took home a collective $1,686,666.66.
The Block will return with Season 19 in 2023, where a new batch of contestants will build five new family home in Melbourne.
Want more? Get Refinery29 Australia’s best stories delivered to your inbox each week. Sign up here!