The Block feud explodes after Tanya and Vito’s gift backfires

An olive branch from controversial Block couple Tanya and Vito backfired spectacularly in the latest explosive episode of the reno show.

Only on this season of The Block could the surprise gift of a food hamper be cause for a big fight.

Weeks on from the cheating scandal that engulfed the reno show, contestants Tanya and Vito are still finding it hard to make friends among the other teams, with their latest olive branch earning them the title of “fakest contestants ever on The Block” from Ronnie.

In Wednesday’s episode, Tanya is shown organising for fruit and vegetable hampers to be delivered to each of the other four contestants’ houses, to mark the fact that it’s kitchen week on The Block.

Who knew a food hamper could cause so much drama?

Tanya hand-delivers the box to twins Josh and Luke, who happily accept. Country couple Kirsty and Jesse give Tanya a more muted reception, noting in an on-camera interview that the gift feels “weird” seeing as she’s only visited their house twice previously, both times for negative reasons.

The real trouble comes from the two couples Tanya and Vito had clashed with most in the past, Ronnie and Georgia and Mitch and Mark. Tanya opts not to deliver the hampers to them herself, instead sending a crew member in her place.

Tanya didn’t hand-deliver the hamper to the two couples she’s had the most trouble with.

“Mark, I have a little gift for you from Tanya and Vito. A ‘good luck for kitchen week’ – everyone’s getting one,” the crew member is heard saying.

“No thank you,” is an unimpressed Mark’s response. He explains why in an interview to-camera: “I don’t really need it. I’m not sure what this is about … I was confused by it.”

“Did it come with a tablespoon of insincerity?” asks Mitch.

Ronnie and Georgia say Tanya and Vito are ‘fake’.

Ronnie and Georgia do accept the gift delivered by the crew member, but make it clear it hasn’t been well-received. Their big problem? They claim grand gestures like the fruit hamper are all for show.

“If we’re on the street, Tanya will just walk past and ignore me,” says Georgia. “I’m confused. One minute you’re like, ‘Here’s a present’, the next minute, behind our backs, you’re like ‘b**ch, b**ch, b**ch.’ Just be the same, mate. Cameras on, cameras off, just be genuine and authentic and you’ll get more out of life.”

Her husband Ronnie agrees.

“The cameras are gonna know. If you’re fake, it’s going to come out. You can’t be someone you’re not for three months – especially in this situation. So I would have to say out of all the contestants I’ve met in the last four years, they have been the fakest contestants I’ve ever met,” he says.

Tanya, on the other hand, says the “cliqueness” between Georgia and Kirsty is hard to handle, labelling them “mean girls”.

“Georgia wasn’t a fan of Kirsty at all, she told me that herself. But it’s fine, because Kirsty is actually a huge Georgia fan, so that’s why it works – she gives Georgia a lot of time and attention, and I don’t do that for her … They’re definitely both not my cup of tea; I wouldn’t choose them to be my friends, ever.”

Tanya’s husband Vito, as in most recent episodes, looks like he’s disassociating and quietly wishing he never signed up for the show.

Vito, seen here wishing he tried out for Lego Masters instead.

It’s been a tough ride for Tanya and Vito ever since they owned up to their part in The Block’s cheating scandal earlier this season.

The Melbourne couple have revealed they’ve received death threats and abusive calls to their businesses since the scenes aired on television.

“You know what, people are angry at the moment. They’re really upset, it’s an audience that are not happy in their lives and are in lockdown … And they take it out on me,” Tanya said.

Originally published as The Block feud explodes after Tanya and Vito’s gift backfires