‘Rude’ Block judge leaves contestant in tears

The Block’s newest judge isn’t holding back this season, with his colleague labelling him “rude” as he leaves one contestant sobbing.

New Block contestant Kylie’s love of all-black spaces was always going to prove divisive when she faced the judges – but even so, one Block judge’s “rude” feedback appeared to take her by surprise, leaving her in tears.

The Block’s newest judge, real estate agent Marty Fox, repeatedly clashed with judging veteran Shaynna Blaze during the first walkarounds of the season, as they delivered their verdicts on each house’s main bathroom.

But it was in Queensland couple Kylie and Brad’s house where Fox really let loose. Blaze was a real fan of the predominantly black bathroom, while fellow judge Darren Palmer had some more reserved praise.

Kylie and Brad's all-black bathroom was always going to be divisive.

Fox, on the other hand, hated it, and saw it as a worrying omen for the rest of the house – one that could end up being “the biggest disaster The Block has seen in 20 years.”

“The only thing I like about this room is the skylight, because when I’m looking up, I don’t have to see anything else in this room,” he declared.

He joked that just about the only salvageable part of the whole room was a roll of black toilet paper – a dig that Palmer dismissed as “rude.”

Fox estimated that if he brought 10 potential buyers into the bathroom, “maybe one or two” would like it. He said this was particularly a worry given the homes need to sell for prices way above the Phillip Island average for the contestants to have a shot at making any profit.

Faced with all that negative feedback, Kylie broke down in tears.

Fox said their home could end up as a “disaster.”

Contestant Kylie breaks down.

“It’s all right, it’s week one,” Scott Cam said as the other contestants rushed to console her. “There’s always next week.”

Meanwhile, Cam and fellow Block host Shelley Craft told news.com.au earlier this month they’ve noticed a real difference in contestants across the 20 years of the show – and it’s not a positive one.

“The contestants are less resilient than they were 20 years ago, 15 years ago,” Cam said.

“There’s more expectation of it getting easier, but it’s not. It gets harder. And people aren’t ready for how hard it is.”

He and co-host Craft also pinpointed one mistake contestants keep making that costs them at auction day: Renovating to their own personal tastes, rather than trying to appeal to prospective home buyers.

“[Some contestant] built for themselves and not for sale; that’s a huge difference,” Craft told news.com.au.

“In the industry, you’re either building for selling – flipping – or you’re building your family home. They’re two specific ways of renovating,” she said.

“And I think some of the contestants get a little bit lost in the fact that there is so much amazing product available to them, they want to put everything in the one house and that’s a little bit overwhelming for a family that just wants to buy a family home.”

Originally published as ‘Rude’ Block judge leaves contestant in tears