Season 21 Full Recap
“The reality is, despite The Block houses being incredible, they are in a third-grade location. On the highway and opposite a pet shop. It wouldn’t have mattered if The Block houses were gilded with gold, that location was always going to hold them back.”
Kim McQueen, selling agent for Han and Can’s House 2, speaking to realestate.com.au after the 2025 auction
The Block 2025: Season Overview
The Block returned for its 21st season in 2025, with five teams building brand-new homes on Cedar Lane in the historic spa town of Daylesford, about 80 minutes north-west of Melbourne. The season aired from Sunday 27 July 2025 on Channel Nine and 9Now.
It was a season of several firsts. For the first time ever, all five teams built identical homes from the same floor plan, designed by longtime Block architect Julian Brenchley. Every team had the same layout and the same total build budget of $250,000. Also new for 2025: all-nighters were banned. The building site was locked each night, meaning time management became even more critical than usual.
The season also celebrated a milestone: the 1,000th episode of The Block aired during the 2025 run.
Scott Cam and Shelley Craft returned as hosts. Judges Darren Palmer, Shaynna Blaze and Marty Fox assessed each weekly room reveal. Dan Reilly was foreman. And this was the first season Block fans watched a contestant give birth mid-competition: Emma Cox delivered her son Bailey Colter Cox on 25 September 2025, just weeks before the auction.
The Five Teams
Cedar Lane, Daylesford: The 2025 Teams
- House 1 (5 Cedar Lane): Emma and Ben Cox
- Melbourne, VIC. Married couple: dance teacher and engineer. Emma was pregnant for the majority of filming and gave birth to son Bailey just weeks before the auction. One of the most-supported teams of the season.
- House 2 (4 Cedar Lane): Han and Can (Hannah Thetford and Candice Wood)
- Perth, WA. Couple: geologist and social media and marketing analyst. Known for their bold design choices, including dramatic Torii gate elements. Their home drew no registered bidders on auction day.
- House 3: Britt and Taz Etto
- Newman, WA. Married couple, both 30, both police officers. Widely regarded as fan favourites throughout the season. Went on to win the competition.
- House 4 (2 Cedar Lane): Sonny and Alicia Aplin
- Gold Coast, QLD. Married couple: plumber and dental practice manager. Had a $50,000 advantage heading into auction after winning Front Yard Week, giving them a reduced reserve of $2.94 million.
- House 5 (1 Cedar Lane): Robby Lippett and Mat Johnson
- Adelaide, SA. Best mates: barber and hairdresser. The strongest performers during the competition, winning five room reveals including their standout living and dining room. Their secret weapon was a hidden underground wine cellar. Widely considered pre-auction favourites to win.
The Reserve Price Controversy
Nothing defined the 2025 season more than the reserve prices, and almost nothing has generated more discussion about The Block in years.
Channel Nine, using valuations conducted by CBRE, set all five reserves at $2.99 million. The exception was Sonny and Alicia’s House 4, which received a $50,000 reduction from their Front Yard Week win, bringing their reserve to $2.94 million.
The problem: Daylesford’s median house price at the time of the auction was $820,000, according to PropTrack data from July 2025, and that figure was already down 7.1 per cent from the previous year. The reserves were set at more than three and a half times the local median. Selling agent Kim McQueen told realestate.com.au that, to the best of her knowledge, only one home in the entire history of Daylesford had ever sold for $3 million or above before The Block arrived.
Multiple agents involved in the season say they raised concerns before the auction. McQueen said CBRE contacted her during the valuation process and she spoke with them in depth on two separate occasions. She was subsequently told the valuers intended to value the properties at around $3 million each.
Agents for Han and Can’s House 2 said they gave their feedback to Channel Nine when the reserves were being set and felt the figures did not reflect the current market. They believed a reserve closer to $2.8 million would have produced a different result on the day.
The contestants found out their reserves on auction morning. The mood, by all accounts, shifted immediately. What had been a celebration became a strategy session.
Adding to the difficulty: Adrian Portelli, the billionaire buyer who single-handedly rescued the 2024 Phillip Island auction by purchasing all five houses for a combined $15.05 million, did not attend the 2025 auction. He later told Domain his decision was based on “a balanced consideration of cost and location, coupled with a shift in overall business direction.” His buyer’s agent was present on the day but placed no bids.
Auction Day: All Five Results
Auction day, 26 October 2025, was held in heavy rain in Daylesford. All five teams had unanimously agreed on the auction order in the lead-up, a rare show of unity that quickly gave way to anxiety once the reserves were revealed.
The auction order was: Britt and Taz (House 3), Robby and Mat (House 5), Emma and Ben (House 1), Sonny and Alicia (House 4), and Han and Can (House 2).
Only three of the five homes sold under the hammer. Total prize money distributed across all five teams: $749,999. That is the smallest figure since the 2011 season in Richmond, when just one couple took home $115,000.
Final standings: 1st Britt and Taz ($520,000), 2nd Sonny and Alicia ($120,000), 3rd Robby and Mat ($109,999), 4th and 5th Emma and Ben, and Han and Can ($0 each).
The Homes That Still Have Not Sold
The story of The Block 2025 did not end with the auction. For two of the five teams, it was only the beginning of a drawn-out wait.
Emma and Ben’s House 1 and Han and Can’s House 2 both passed in on the day and were subsequently listed for private sale. By the end of October 2025, one week after the auction, neither had sold. By late January 2026, three months later, neither had sold. Both homes remained on the market with no prospective buyers, despite agents reporting a broader surge of buyer interest in the Daylesford area to start the new year.
In April 2026, TV Tonight reported that Han and Can’s House 2 at 4 Cedar Lane had its asking price cut to $2.9 million, placing it $90,000 below the original reserve it could not reach at auction. Emma and Ben’s House 1 at 5 Cedar Lane remained listed at a $3 million to $3.3 million price guide, though agent Aaron Hill indicated he was seeking to have that figure reduced even more significantly.
As of the time of writing, both homes are believed to remain unsold. Agents remain publicly optimistic, citing ongoing enquiries from interstate buyers seeking a lifestyle property, but acknowledge that the prestige end of the Daylesford market is highly competitive and the supply of sub-$800,000 properties is drawing far more buyer activity than the $3 million tier.
Where the other homes ended up:
Britt and Taz’s winning home: Converted to an Airbnb following the season.
Emma and Ben: The couple, who welcomed baby Bailey during the filming period, subsequently listed their own Mornington home for sale with a price guide of $1.75 million to $1.925 million.
Robby and Mat’s House 5 (1 Cedar Lane): Purchased by Danny Wallis at auction for $3,099,999.10 and owned by him as part of his growing Block property portfolio.
Sonny and Alicia’s House 4 (2 Cedar Lane): Sold at auction for $3,060,000.
What the 2025 Season Means for The Block 2026
The reserve price controversy cast a long shadow over the show’s reputation and has directly shaped how Channel Nine is approaching 2026. The decision to move the 2026 season to Mount Eliza on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, one of the state’s most prestige coastal markets, is widely seen as a deliberate correction: a location where $3 million-plus property is not a novelty but a regular transaction.
Speaking to contestants on arrival at the Mount Eliza filming site, Scott Cam noted it was the first time in 22 seasons the show had a water view location. A production source described the 2026 season as “one of the most premium yet,” with reserve prices expected to exceed the 2025 figures.
Whether that means another Adrian Portelli-style auction or something more like the disaster of Daylesford will depend on the market and the timing. The Block 2026 is expected to premiere on Channel Nine in late July or August 2026.
For all current information on the 2026 season, see our The Block 2026: Mount Eliza, Mornington Peninsula guide.
The Block 2025: Frequently Asked Questions
Who won The Block 2025?
Britt and Taz Etto, both police officers from Newman in Western Australia, won The Block 2025. Their home sold at auction for $3,410,000 against a reserve of $2,990,000, delivering a profit of $420,000. They also received the $100,000 bonus for the highest margin above reserve, bringing their total prize to $520,000.
Where was The Block 2025 filmed?
The Block 2025 was filmed on Cedar Lane in Daylesford, Victoria, approximately 80 minutes north-west of Melbourne. Five brand-new homes were built from scratch on the same floor plan, designed by architect Julian Brenchley.
What were the reserves on The Block 2025?
All five reserves were set at $2,990,000. Sonny and Alicia received a $50,000 reduction after winning Front Yard Week, giving them a reserve of $2,940,000. The reserves attracted significant controversy given Daylesford’s median house price was $820,000 at the time of the auction, making the reserves more than three and a half times the local median. Multiple selling agents said publicly the reserves were too high for the market.
How many homes sold at The Block 2025 auction?
Three of the five homes sold under the hammer. Britt and Taz’s home, Robby and Mat’s home (to Danny Wallis), and Sonny and Alicia’s home all sold on the day. Emma and Ben’s home and Han and Can’s home were both passed in.
Have the unsold Block 2025 homes sold yet?
As of June 2026, both Emma and Ben’s House 1 and Han and Can’s House 2 remain unsold. Han and Can’s asking price was reduced to $2.9 million in April 2026, placing it below the original reserve price. Emma and Ben’s home remains listed at $3 million to $3.3 million, though the selling agent has indicated the guide needs to come down further.
What season was The Block 2025?
The Block 2025 was Season 21. It also marked the show’s 1,000th episode milestone.
Where was The Block 2025 before Daylesford?
The Block 2024 (Season 20) was set at Phillip Island, Victoria. That season was the most lucrative in Block history, with Adrian Portelli purchasing all five houses for a combined total of $15.05 million. Portelli did not return as a buyer in 2025.
Page update log: 10 June 2026: Page created. Includes full auction results and April 2026 update on unsold homes. Last verified: 10 June 2026.
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