Is this the end of The Block? Viewers all make the same complaint about reno TV show

The Block 2024 has been a tumultuous journey so far as one team quit, builders have been fired, signatures have been forged, one of the contestants had to leave in a helicopter to get to the birth of his first child, and much, much more. Yep, if the Blockheads were hoping they were in for a chill tropical vacation on Phillip Island, they must be sorely disappointed.

Of course, the drama is all part of the experience and a tactic that any reality TV show worth its salt knows to employ to keep viewers engaged. However, 2024 contestant Ricky Recard told Yahoo Lifestyle that he feels the drama is an inevitable part of the "pressure cooker situation" of the environment and less a result of the machinations of the producers.

"Unfortunately that situation is always going to get drama," he said. "I think that's what people don't really understand, that the situations that you're in with the limited sleep that you get with what you're trying to achieve and the pressure that you're under to try and make budgets and all the rest of it, unfortunately, the dramas are always going to happen."

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He continued, "I think it's easy to sit on your couch with a tub of ice cream and go, 'Oh, that's a heap of drama’, but if you consider the big picture, people are under so much pressure."

Fans threaten to stop watching The Block

Despite this, some fans think that the reno series has gone too far this year - with one viewer going so far as to say the last few episodes of the 20th anniversary season have left them feeling "anxious and angry."

In a lengthy Reddit post, the viewer explained that this is "not really what you want from a bit of fluff building show."

"There is a certain kind of man who when dealing with young women, especially pretty young women, immediately try and get one over on them, try and exert dominance, no matter how low the stakes," the Redditor wrote. "They just try and thwart you at every turn for what? To punish you for being a young woman? Ever since Maddy & Charlotte have arrived I’ve felt this rising tension in my shoulders watching this show in recognition of the way they’re being treated."

The viewer went on to say that they felt disappointed in the lack of support or welcome the other Blockheads had shown toward Maddy and Charlotte and suggested that several of the male stars were guilty of toxic masculinity on the show.

"Anyway, I hope things start to change because it’s not fun to watch two young women being set up to fail through no fault of their own," they concluded the post.

Their thoughts were met with many comments from fellow viewers who agreed with the OP's concerns.

"I stopped watching," one person said. "I did consider just watching Sundays, but The Amazing Race started. Life’s too short to watch this bulls**t."

"How is this behaviour not only NOT called out on screen, but actually used as a dramatic storyline with no consequences for the appalling behaviour?" another asked.

"I used to watch every episode, now I record Sunday's episode so I can fast forward through the crap and just watch the judging," yet another weighed in.

Viewers make MAFS comparison

Other viewers lamented that The Block seems to be taking cues from the MAFS playbook by amping up the drama - ostensibly forgetting what the show is actually supposed to be about.

"The producers have looked to the success of toxic shows like MAFS and must think that is the golden ticket to ratings, but The Block is a building show, not a bogan wedding show. It’s not supposed to be a toxic concept at heart," one person wrote.

"This show used to be such a learning experience from the design, styling, renovation, and real estate point of view," another added. "But in the last couple of seasons, it has become a soap opera. And each new season is meaner than the previous one. It's no longer enjoyable to watch."

"It's no longer light entertainment, it's now a drama series. The next season should be an all-stars using couples who are decent people interested in renovating, get back to the formula that the public loved," a third said.

"Pretty sure the drama seasons sadly have had higher ratings than the normal building seasons so it would seem the public actually want the drama," yet another viewer wrote.

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Block star defends drama

Ricky, however, disagrees, telling Yahoo Lifestyle: "I think the actual drama is caused by your reaction to a situation, do you know what I mean? You can either go, 'Oh well, it is what it is, s**t happens, roll with the punches, have a laugh and just move on, tomorrow’s a new day’. You've sort of got to move on, you can't dwell on things.

"But if you dwell on something, or if you focus on a negative, or if you don't try and deal with a solution, that's unfortunately, where drama happens. It's sort of inevitable, you’re never going to really be able to avoid it."

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