The Block 2020: Brighton Season Recap, Auction Results and the Buyer Who Never Paid

Season 16 was the COVID season: five period homes in Brighton, a mid-build shutdown, virtual open-for-inspections, and an auction held in the brief window when Melburnians were allowed to stand near each other again. It ended with a Queensland pub manager couple setting a then-record result, and a winning bid from a buyer who, in a twist nobody scripted, never actually paid.

The Season 16 Wrap, for People in a Hurry

Each team was assigned a decade, 1910s through 1950s, and asked to build a period family home on New Street, Brighton. Filming shut down for over a month in March 2020 when the pandemic hit, resumed in May behind masks and sanitiser stations, and the traditional open homes became a 9Now virtual tour. Despite all of it, auction day delivered the best overall results the show had seen in years.

The Five Teams

• Jimmy and Tam (House 5, 1950s): Brisbane pub managers who won the first room reveal, kept winning, and turned their mid-century charmer into a $4,256,000 auction result.
• Harry and Tash (House 1, 1920s): The father-daughter team. Steady builders whose art deco leanings kept them competitive all season.
• Sarah and George (House 2, 1940s): The western Sydney couple who fought through budget scares to a strong auction result.
• Daniel and Jade (House 3, 1930s): Farmers from South Australia and the season’s sentimental favourites.
• Luke and Jasmin (House 4, 1910s): Perth couple with a Hamptons habit the judges alternately loved and taxed.

Who Won The Block 2020?

Jimmy and Tam won The Block 2020. Their 1950s-themed Brighton home sold at auction for $4,256,000 against a $3.29 million reserve, a profit of $966,000 plus the $100,000 winner’s prize: $1,066,000 in total, the show’s biggest winning haul at the time. All five houses sold on the day and every single team walked away with over $400,000, which in a pandemic year felt faintly miraculous.

The Buyer Who Never Paid

The record came with an asterisk the size of Brighton. The winning bidder on Jimmy and Tam’s house failed to settle, voiding the contract and sending the property back to market. Nine honoured the result anyway: Jimmy and Tam kept the money over reserve and the $100,000 prize. The house eventually resold, the season kept its record, and The Block added “vet your bidders” to its list of production learnings.

Where Are They Now?

The 2020 season proved the show could survive a pandemic, a shutdown and a phantom buyer in a single year, which possibly explains the producers’ confidence in every ambitious swing since. We will update this page with contestant news as the archive rebuild continues.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won The Block 2020?

Jimmy and Tam won The Block 2020. Their house sold for $4,256,000, a profit of $966,000 plus the $100,000 prize, totalling $1,066,000, a Block record at the time.

Where was The Block 2020 filmed?

The Block 2020 was filmed on New Street, Brighton, in Melbourne’s bayside south-east. Five homes were each built to a different decade theme, from the 1910s to the 1950s.

What happened to the buyer of Jimmy and Tam’s house?

The winning bidder failed to pay for the $4,256,000 property, voiding the contract and returning the house to market. Jimmy and Tam kept their winnings and the $100,000 prize.

How did COVID-19 affect The Block 2020?

Filming was suspended for over a month from March 2020 and resumed in May with safety protocols. Open for inspections moved online as a virtual experience on 9Now.

What season number was The Block 2020?

The Block 2020 was Season 16.

Page update log: 10 July 2026: Season summary page created as part of the archive rebuild, consolidating the 2020 Brighton season into one reference page. Last verified: 10 July 2026.