After 11 weeks of ups and downs The Block Glasshouse has been won in dramatic fashion.
Shannon and Simon Vos are $435,000 richer after being declared the winners of The Block Glasshouse.
The brothers, who were born in Tasmania and grew up in Coffs Harbour, NSW, created a luxurious apartment that fetched the biggest sale price in the second auction of the night at $1,900,000.
The price was $335,000 over reserve – the largest sum over reserve of all five apartments – which means the boys not only take home this profit, but also an additional $100,000 in prizemoney as winners of the series.
Runners-up were Chris and Jenna Susetio from Campbelltown in NSW.
Their three-level apartment, featuring spectacular city views, was the first to go under the hammer. After quickly hitting its $1.5 million reserve bidding stalled, creating a sense of fear and anxiety for all contestants. After a gruellingly tense pause in bidding, the property was eventually sold for $1,810,000 – netting Chris and Jenna a profit of $310,000 over their reserve.
However, the celebrations came to an abrupt end after the first two auctions.
In the third auction of the night Maxine Stokes and Karstan Smith, who were married in the opening segments of the program, watched as the auctioneer submitted three vendor bids, before a handful of genuine bids eventually limped the sale price to $1,710,000 – making the couple from Newcastle, NSW, just $40,000 profit over their reserve.
But if the newlyweds thought that was an ordinary result, it was a fortune compared to the last two auctions.
Melbourne’s Darren and Deanne Jolly, arguably the most colourful couple of the series, watched in horror as their apartment, the smallest on The Block, sold for $1,380,000. The price was just $10,000 above its reserve, meaning this was all that the ex-AFL footballer and his feisty wife took home for eleven weeks of hard work and personal sacrifice.
In the final auction of the night, Gold Coast couple Michael and Carlene Duffy were similarly stunned when their apartment initially failed to even hits its reserve. After a lengthy pause in proceedings the auctioneer returned to say that a buyer had made a bid of $1,390,000, putting the property on the market. When no further bids were made, the property sold at this price, making the Queensland couple a profit of just $10,000 too.
Michael Healy, Director of Television for the Nine Network, said: “Tonight’s auctions were full of drama, with a sprinkling of tears, as well as celebration for the winners.
“While we hope that all contestants walk away with a financial reward for the time and effort they commit to The Block, it is the buying public that determines the outcome of this program. I’d like to thank the contestants for their remarkable achievements in producing these incredible apartments, as well as the very talented crew who produced this series, which has been a massive ratings success.
“I’m pleased to say that The Block will return to Australian TV screens early in 2015 for its tenth series.”
Julian Cress, Executive Producer, said: “The Block proved once again that it is the ultimate reality show. We just never know how it’s going to end until that hammer comes down. As Scott Cam said last night, it is a competition to win $100,000 and nothing else is guaranteed.
“Obviously we always want everyone to be rewarded for their efforts, but at least two teams have made a life-changing fortune.”
A total of $805,000 was earned by all contestants tonight for turning a 3,540-square metre, 1980s-style office block in inner-city Prahran in Melbourne into five luxury apartments.
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