‘Nothing more frustrating’: The Block judge Neale Whittaker’s problem with show’s edit

The Block judge Neale Whittaker has expressed his frustration at the edit of Sunday’s season premiere, sharing the truth with fans.

The Block judge Neale Whittaker has expressed his frustration at the edit of Sunday’s season premiere of the show, with vital information about his role this season apparently left on the cutting room floor.

Viewers watching last night’s season premiere saw Whittaker take a beat before room judging began, telling his fellow judges Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer that he had something to tell them.

Visibly emotional, he confessed that he would be “breaking up the band,” and wouldn’t be able to join them as a full-time judge this season.

His longtime colleagues embraced him and told him he had their full support – and then the moved on to judging rooms, with viewers not told the reason Whittaker’s decision.

Neale Whittaker breaks the news …

He’s “breaking up the band.”

Only those who follow Whittaker on social media or saw media coverage of his announcement almost a month ago would know what was going on: He’d made the decision to “cut back” on work to support his partner David through ill health.

In a post to his Instagram followers after the episode had aired last night, Whittaker expressed his frustration that viewers hadn’t been given any context for his on-air announcement.

Sharing a clip of the moment as it went to air, he wrote: “There’s nothing more frustrating than an unexplained decision or an incomplete narrative – especially where health and family are concerned.

“This is what went to air tonight on the first episode of The Block’s 19th season, my 17th. I broke the news to Shaynna and Darren that I would be unable to join them each week and explained my reasons. It was an emotional conversation for all of us. Unfortunately those important reasons didn’t make the cut so here goes.”

Whittaker explained that he’d “chosen to put family first,” and support David, his partner of 20 years, through “some serious and ongoing health issues.”

“Melbourne real estate expert Marty Fox will be standing in for me on the weeks I can’t be there, but I’ll still be popping up from time to time over the next 12 weeks. The good news is that David is making great progress, my Block family has been fully supportive of my decision and I’m looking forward to returning to The Block full time for the show’s 20th anniversary season in 2024,” he continued.

New Block judge Marty Fox (right) will join the panel when Whittaker can’t be there. Picture: Supplied/Channel 9

While we might be seeing less of Whittaker on this season of The Block, he’s certainly not holding back when it comes to the judging – giving one couple a withering critique and a paltry score of 4 during Sunday’s season premiere.

The judges all agreed that couple Steph and Gian’s attempt at a Toy Story-themed children’s bedroom completely missed the mark, but it was Whittaker who delivered the best line of the episode, pointing to a lamp in the room and asking if they’d misinterpreted the “Buzz Lightyear” brief as “Bad Lightshade” – a zinger that got a shocked response when it was relayed to the contestants.

“Oh my god … that is so brutal,” said one.

Meanwhile, The Block host Scott Cam has let slip a major change to the show’s rules that will be in force during this season.

In scenes yet to be aired, he will give the contestants the show’s entire production schedule, so they all know from the start of the build what rooms they’ll be doing each week and can plan accordingly.

“We’d never do that before. But it’s such a big build that we thought, we need to give them a heads up so they can plan for the future,” Cam revealed in an interview with 2DAY FM’s Hughesy, Ed & Erin last week.