The Block 2024 episode 16 recap: Lying, gaslighting and abuse — the phone call that shocked The Block

One team makes a jaw-droppingly dumb decision to deliberately lose the week, but it’s another’s 1am phone call to a shop staff member that really blows everyone away.

Claire Sutherland

5 min read

September 8, 2024 - 8:35PM

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This episode is ostensibly about the judging of the contestants’ bedrooms, but in reality, it’s all about Jesse and Paige’s spiralling relationship, and their toxic treatment of Block Shop manager Nadia.

The couple skip a morning minigolf excursion to celebrate Grant’s birthday, telling the cameras it’s because they’re too busy, but Kristian tells Mimi it’s more likely because of the almighty fight he overheard them having in the wee hours of the night.

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“I think Paige’s emotions are just getting the best of her and she kept saying ‘I don’t want to f***ing be here, get me off this f***ing show’,” he tells Mimi.

Paige is a master at smiling sweetly for the camera then letting loose with some truly nasty invective at her partner when they’re off, but she seems to have forgotten the microphones rarely are and they capture this exchange between the pair.

Paige: “I’m at the end of my tether with you.”

Jesse: “How do you think I feel?”

Paige: “I don’t give a s**t how you feel, deal with it yourself.”

Jesse: “We deal with it as a team.”

Paige: “We don’t. You actually don’t. I try to, you don’t.”

Jesse: “I need you by my side helping me with this, please.”

Paige: “I’m done. I. Don’t. Want. To. Be. Here. Should I spell it out again?”

Jesse and Paige make a 1am phone call to complain to The Block Shop manager.

It’s unpleasant stuff and it only gets worse when it’s revealed the pair called Block Shop manager Nadia after 1am to berate her about the fact they’d discovered some of the items Paige thought she was getting had not arrived.

Given the pair hadn’t opened the boxes to check, had put their orders in late and had been told some items wouldn’t therefore arrive in time it’s even more outrageous that they thought calling someone at 1am to rail against them was reasonable behaviour.

In a producer interview the next day Jesse begins to say “We actually had a 1am phone call this morning with...”

Before Paige elbows him and says sharply “Can you not?” and he quickly says “with my mum”.

But it wasn’t with his mum, and it’s bizarre that Paige thought it would be possible to cover up what really happened given it appears she filmed it on her phone.

Jesse and Paige have been under fire for all the wrong reasons.

After a montage of other contestants singing Nadia’s praises, and footage of the various times Nadia told Paige she needed to get her orders in early to guarantee delivery, we see Jesse and Paige accusing Nadia of lying in the middle of the night phone call.

“Nadia, when have you had this made-up conversation?” Paige spits, telling Jesse “She’s full of s**t”.

Nadia has had enough.

“I won’t have you call me a liar. I said to you all your deliveries would be made on Saturday and then you hung up,” she says.

Queue footage of exactly that happening, with Paige hanging up on Nadia as she explains when the deliveries will arrive, and the fact a public holiday would prevent items from Queensland arriving as they hadn’t been ordered in time.

It’s an altogether revolting scene that thoroughly exposes Paige’s gaslighting behaviour.

But on to the judging.

Jesse and Paige's bedroom with scalloped desk and walk in robe.

Despite the apparent catastrophic lack of some Block Shop items, Paige and Jesse have spent $14,382 successfully delivering a kids’ bedroom with scalloped-edge pink built in desk, walk-in robe, gingham wallpaper and two single beds.

There is some raw plaster in the robes, and Shaynna points you can barely sit at the desk because it’s too low, but they nonetheless get high praise for what Darren Palmer calls a “perfectly reusable” room.

Courtney and Grant sacked their builders but still delivered a great room.

Courtney and Grant spent $8946 on a room with a curved wall and matching curved skirting boards, built-in study nook and striped linen.

“This is insane,” is Shaynna’s judgement. Only the ill-hung pendants and drawers that block the door let them down.

Ricky and Haydn have finally hit their straps.

Ricky and Haydn have spent $13,948 on a room with a curved feature wall with built-in LED lights and expertly styled queen bed. The concrete-look finish of their wardrobes is declared too industrial for the space but the judges agree they’re on the right track.

Mimi and Kristian are back in the good books, spending $18,135 and winning the week for their room with a bouclé cloud bedhead with built in lighting, rainbow wallpaper and single trundle beds.

Kristian and Mimi's children's bedroom.

They’re neck and neck with Kylie and Brad, whose $9504 room with hanging chair, single beds, timber feature wall and teepee has the judges thrilled that they’ve finally started listening to feedback.

But then Kylie makes a truly bizarre decision not to use their bonus point to secure the win.

Like a sulky teenager she’s angry that a room she seemed to think she was forced into creating by the judges is being praised and given high marks.