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TV host calls for The Block cancellation: 'It's a joke'
Grand Designs Australia host Peter Maddison 'hates' the reality renovation show.
Grand Designs Australia host Peter Maddison has come out swinging at reality renovation show The Block. The architect and TV personality “hates” the show and believes the Channel Nine show “should be banned from television”.
The Block is well known for being full of drama, with amateur contestants attempting to renovate houses at an extremely fast pace. Many Block stars have walked away with a huge profit after their quick renovations, with Omar and Oz hitting a record high of $1,586,666.66 last year.
Peter warns that the glossy reality show gives viewers false hope for what they can achieve with their own renovation projects.
“I hate The Block, it’s absolute bloody nonsense,” he told The Binge Guide. “It should be banned from television because it leaves people with the false aspirations that they can become — in inverted commas — a project manager or a builder or a designer.
“It’s a joke. It’s a very bad example of the reality of building, the responsibilities around that and the difficulty of it all. They make it look very easy,” he said.
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Peter is gearing up for the final season of Grand Designs Australia, a show he says has “integrity”, showing what building a house is really like.
While he claims there is no manufactured drama, such as last year’s Block cheating scandal or nail-biting challenges, there are “ups and downs” during the renovations which can take years to complete.
“It’s very rewarding [to see]. Once these homeowners finish the houses, and then we finish filming, they are just elated because they’ve made the journey and made the commitment, and they are sad to see us go.
"It is all reality and there’s no product placement in our show,” he told the publication.
Peter’s comments were met with overwhelming support on social media, with Aussies saying they were tired of reality TV.
“It’s sometimes hard to tell the difference between The Block and Married At First Sight with all the drama they invent. It used to be a good show,” one person pointed out.
“Have been in the industry for some 40 years now and have seen what reality [TV] has created with clients' input — mostly unrealistic. What these shows don’t show is what happens when there is a hiccup and resolution, and still maintain schedule and budget,” another added.
“The whole show should be BANNED. It’s bloody awful,” a third declared.
“Tradies have been saying this for years. And tilers cop some of the most hate as now everyone thinks they can just throw a tile on the wall and it will be all good. So why pay tilers good cash? Lmao nothing is ever smooth with Renos, it's always way more involved than people think and then they want it for the price of chips,” remarked another.
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However, some people fiercely defended The Block, saying that viewers are aware it’s ‘reality TV’.
“All you people complaining about The Block, it’s entertaining for many people. No one is forcing you to watch it, change channels and watch what you enjoy,” one fan fired back.
“It’s a great show, with some great ideas,” another chimed in.
“The Block is just reality TV. I’m sure most viewers know that. Sour grapes because Grand Designs has been axed? False aspirations in that show for sure,” a third hit back.
“Coming from a tradesman, they are very true comments, but saying it shouldn’t be aired is a bit harsh,” another wrote.
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