Jess and Jared are feeling right at home

The down-to-earth Adelaideans have swapped footy and school books for a crowbar and tools

House Rules contestants Jared Petrenko and girlfriend Jess Dover at the Mayfair Hotel. Picture: MIKE BURTON

HE’S PLAYED Aussie Rules football at the elite level, dealt with the disappointment of an early end to that career as his body was ravaged with injuries, even walked the Kokoda Trail but none of that has come close to the emotional, mental and physical exhaustion of competing on House Rules.

Jared Petrenko, who played 76 AFL games for the Adelaide Crows and is now one of the SANFL’s premier midfielders, and his girlfriend Jess Dover thought they were prepared for the hard work ahead on the Channel 7 reality show, but it really was a whole new ball game for the genetically blessed pair.

“I’ve never done any renovating and I don’t like cameras so it’s been a fair adjustment for me,” Jared confesses to Watch at our photo shoot at the Mayfair Hotel. “I’ve done lots of hard things with footy over my life but nothing can prepare you for this. It’s a different kettle of fish.”

Jess agrees, adding: “We knew it would be hard, but we didn’t think it would be this hard and on every different level – physically, mentally emotionally. We were just pushed to the max. We were lucky we all had each other and we all lean on each other a lot.”

The rookie renovators, who’d barely even handled tools prior to the show, showed they’re made of tough stuff as the sixth series kicked off last week with a twist – the game changing auction house.

The seven teams joining together to renovate a house in an inner-western Sydney suburb. The transformation, including a second storey, of the rundown red brick eyesore was amazing and the $355,000 profit from auction day is now the prize pool for which the teams compete.

Tensions were high from day one with cracks already starting to appear in many of the contestants’ relationship. Fortunately, as we saw, our duo grew closer together – especially in the aftermath of the dramatic incident leaving designer Carolyn Burns-Mccrave injured.

“Obviously we do get stressed with each other but it’s usually just about what’s going on at that time,” Jess says, “We knew it would either make or break us and we’re just lucky. I think because we’re both rookies so we trust each other.”

Although Jared’s fairly sure it’s all due to his easy-going nature, laughing as he says: “I just agree with everything Jess says … Happy wife, happy life.”

Jess, who admits she is a perfectionist, adds: “I am very … I don’t want to say controlling ... but if I have something in my head, I have very set ideas like every females. Jared’s great. He just trusts me with the decsions I want to make.”

There were abundant nerves as they handed over the keys to their beachside house. Well, actually Jared’s lad pad, which he bought some five years ago when he was still playing for the Crows. It wasn’t a well-thought out decision the 28-year-old admits. It just was a perfect place for he and his mates to share.

Jared’s keen for his beautiful girfriend of two years to move in. But the house is falling apart. There’s no toilet door on the only bathroom which also has more mould than a swamp. The sink fills up and the roof leaks. Plus those mates are always there. Everything revolves around the very old couch – perfect for watching sport ... “the guys seem to come and get sucked into the couch and they’ll be on it for hours and hours”. Not really a recipe for romance or a forever home.

“I love Jared’s housemates but I don’t want to live in a house full of footy boys,” Jess laughs.

“Our whole reason behind applying (for House Rules) is to turn that lad pad into something we can grow our future together. We want to have kids in the future and it’s not somewhere you want to raise kids.”

It’s been a steep learning curve, quite literally against the clock, as Jess and Jared become familiar with hammers, power tools and painting under pressure. And that last hour is really as frantic and crazy as it looks.

“Before the show I thought they would have hours to do (the finishing touches) but it is genuinely down to the minute,” Jess explains. “You’re rushing around, running, your heart’s beating so fast, trying to remember everything (you) had planned for the week. Poor Jared doesn’t even know what I’ve bought so he’s running back and forth to the container.

“It is 100 per cent down to the seconds in the last dress. There’s a clock running the whole time. It doesn’t stop, and I thought it would. I was like ‘C’mon, give me 10 extra minutes?’. But it’s the same every week.”

Jared Petrenko and Jess Dover. Picture: MIKE BURTON

Jared is quickly coming to grips with the tools and Jess is discovering she has a real flair for styling, fortunate, given, as she teases, Jared wouldn’t know brown from black. “I would like to say I’m up with trends being on social media a lot but all the different house rules is what will throw us, because my trend is one thing but then having to go into another house and implement someone else’s will be hard,” the 25-year-old says. “I just want to put everything I like in the house and we can’t do that.”

Getting to know the various house rules is hard, working along side the teams who come up with those rules is even trickier. Reality shows are renowned for casting huge, and feisty, personalities and this season is no different. WA’s Chiara and David and Gold Coast’s Mel and Dave have already come to blows ... over potplants, no less. Jess and Jared, however, are confident they’ll retain their title as the nice ones.

“We’re lucky we don’t fight with each other but we also don’t fight with anyone else,” Jared says. “We both avoid drama, we both don’t like it. There are some very large personalities and that takes some getting used to I suppose.”

Although Jess does worry their calm and caring nature may be a disdavantage in the cut-throat reality TV arena. “Obviously it is a competition and that is where we do struggle a bit because we do need to be more competitive, but it’s just not in our nature,” she says. “But at the end of the day, as long as we are true to ourselves and we are happy with who we are, that’s what counts.”

And staying consistently true to themselves means they have no real worries in regards to how they will be portrayed on the show. Nor are they particularly concerned about the inevitable social media feedback. “I never really read any of the comments (on social media) even playing footy,” Jared says. “Every single week you’d cop it from someone. I don’t look at any social media, because no matter what, people are going to say harsh things. So I don’t really buy into it.”

He is, however, steeling himself for the ribbing he’ll get from his Eagles teammates when he returns later in the season and acknowledges he’s been fortunate to have some time away from footy.

“It’s a little bit of a selfish path that we’ve gone on with this,” Jared says. “I’m lucky to have such a close relationship, not only with my coach, but also my teammates and the supporters. I’m hoping it will serve me well at the latter part of the year when I’m back and that I’ll be a bit fresher.”

The glare of the spotlight and being filmed constantly, however, doesn’t sit comfortably for the unassuming sports star.

“I really don’t like it to be honest,” Jared admits. “Everyone says ‘but you’re on camera all the time when you play footy.’ But it’s different – you don’t have a camera right in front of you, I don’t have to talk to the camera when I’m playing footy.”

House Rules judges Wendy Moore, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and Drew Heath, with host Joh Griggs. Picture: Supplied/Seven.

What the pair have loved is getting to know delightful host Johanna Griggs and the eclectic judges, Drew Heath, Wendy Moore and, especially, the eccentric Laurence Llewelyn Bowen. Jared, who cheekily admits he only started watching House Rules when the pair applied, unlike Jess who was a long-time devotee – was an immediate fan of LLB. “It was pretty overwhelming seeing him, as soon as he’s there, you know it. He has a larger-than-life personality,” he says.

Jess adds: “He really is larger than life and he can just articulate things well– it’s insane.”

But it’s Joh that immediately put them at ease. The down-to-earth host meeting the teams prior to filming, walking into the pub, shaking hands, introducing herself and already knowing each of them by name. “That blew us away from the start. She is so, so warm and makes you feel comfortable the second you are around her,” Jess says.

Jared adds: “She literally cares so much for all of us and we’re not just contestants on a show to her or products of Channel 7 for ratings.”

Jess, who qualified as a primary school teacher last year, and Jared, who along with his SANFL commitments works as a program coordinator for indigenous communities, are interested to see what doors will open after their reality experience.

“There’s nothing we are set on doing after this, we’re just going to embrace the experience – if it means that I’ll be teaching two weeks after it finishes then so be it,” Jess says.

“It could be the start of something different and amazing or it could just be everything we’ve known. We’re just excited for the ride to happen.”

House Rules, Sunday, 7pm, Monday -Wednesday, 7.30pm, Seven