The Block’s swift action after contestants quit three days in

The team at The Block have been forced to swing into action after two of this season’s contestants dramatically quit the show just three days in.

Producers at Nine’s reality reno series The Block have been forced to take swift action after two of this season’s competitors quit the show just days into filming.

As reported by The Daily Telegraph, influencer Elle Ferguson and her fiance, former AFL player Joel Patfull, have had to quit the season after Patfull’s mother suffered a nasty fall.

Contestants Joel Patfull and Elle Ferguson have rushed to be by Patfull’s mother’s side. PICTURE: AMPR

Patfull, formerly of the GWS Giants, and fashion and beauty blogger Ferguson have reportedly travelled to Adelaide, where Patfull’s mum Trish is receiving treatment for possible bleeding of the brain, a broken coccyx and a fractured wrist.

“Wherever you are in the world. Whatever you are doing. Family always comes first,” Ferguson wrote on her Instagram Stories yesterday, sharing photos of the couple travelling back to Adelaide with all their Block luggage.

Their departure just days into filming leaves The Block one couple down for this season – but in a statement to news.com.au today, a Nine spokesperson confirmed that a replacement couple had already been cast.

“Over the weekend, we were surprised to have one of our new contestant teams depart The Block a few days into filming for the upcoming season. We wish them all the best for the future and we’re excited to have cast two new Aussies for the opportunity of a lifetime on The Block. The Block Tree Change will air as scheduled later this year,” the statement read.

Two new contestants were waiting in the wings to replace the couple, Nine has confirmed.

The couple’s departure – the first time in the history of The Block a team has quit the show – came after filming on the season was stopped before it even got started earlier this month.

The Daily Telegraph reported on April 6 that filming had to be pushed back when one contestant returned a positive Covid result the day before the shoot was due to begin.

It’s a bumpy start for what will be a very different season of The Block: after 17 seasons largely spent transforming inner-city Melbourne properties, for the first time the show will be heading to a regional location, in Gisborne South near the Macedon Ranges, where the contestants will be tasked with transforming country houses.

Host Scott Cam is also expected to renovate his own Block property on the show for the first time.

The Block’s ‘biggest cheating scandal’

This year’s early hiccup comes after a tumultuous Fans vs Faves season of The Block in 2021, which was marred by a cheating saga that resulted in a string of ugly confrontations between teams.

It all kicked off when controversial Melbourne couple Tanya and Vito took and distributed a photo of the top-secret production schedule with the help of Love Island twins Josh and Luke.

Host Scott Cam was forced to scrap the original schedule and reshuffle the entire plan, telling Nova’s Fitzy and Wippa it left him “scrambling to save this series” and blasting the cheating contestants as “un-Australian”.

Viewers similarly slammed the season — particularly Tanya and Vito for their apparent lack of remorse — with the couple ultimately coming in third overall.

Meanwhile, Block winners Mitch and Mark, who took home almost $650,000 profit on the $4,044,444.44 sale of their house, called for the judges to be sacked after receiving consistently low scores each week.