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The Block 2019 episode 55 recap: Mitch’s moment of clarity

Siobhan Duck

Siobhan Duck

The Advertiser

In the end, front garden week became a turf war between old school grandeur and razzmatazz.

Deb and Andy’s glitzy steps that lit up like Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean video clip and El’ise and Matt’s eye for heritage details made their front gardens stand head and shoulders above their neighbours’ more budget offerings.

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Ultimately, tradition triumphed over tinsel, and it was El’ise and Matt who ended up driving off in their prize — a new VW Tigaun.

“We never win anything,” El’ise and Matt exclaimed as they accepted the keys to their new vehicle. Clearly forgetting that they had actually won the previous week’s challenge.

Andy wisely pointed out that everybody deserved to win cars after putting in the hard yards to get their front yards ready for judging.

Grandads Mitch and Mark not only worked hard in the final week, they partied hard too.

Deb and Andy’s front garden with Billie Jean style lighting steps.


As the final judgment day loomed, Mitch didn’t need to style the place to look like the morning after a wild party, it looked like it of its own accord after the boys let their place live up to its party pad reputation by inviting all their tradespeople around for a wild night.

As the boys partied, everyone else got busy painting into the wee hours. Tess, who has understandably worried that potential buyers for their property could be put off by the prospect of living next to a party house, was quick to reassure viewers that she couldn’t hear a single sound from Mitch and Mark’s knees-up.

After spending the night on the tiles, it was back to laying actual tiles for Mitch and Mark. But not before Mitch gave us all an eyeful with a nudie run, or should that be a sprint into action when he discovered it was time to get cracking with the last day of work?

It was the same for Jesse, not on baring his bottom to a prime-time audience, thankfully, but on getting down and dirty to get his tiles down.

Tess and Luke’s entrance.


Never one to shy away from hard work (with a sideline of big noting) Jesse pushed himself to his absolute limit to get all his tiling done in time. Unlike Mitch and Mark, he has single-handedly tiled and laid all the floors at his house. One hundred days later and he was but a shadow of his former confident self.

“I feel like I am 50 years older than I am,” he moaned.

“My back is sore. My knees are sore. I am slow when I walk places. I used to create a draft, like Mel, when I moved but now I waddle.”

The last hurdle also nearly broke Andy.

With their lift out of operation, Andy spent most of the day running up and down three flights of stairs moving furniture in and out of their master bedroom, which Deb had decided to upgrade using some of their surplus funds (nice for some).

Jesse is a broken man.


Unfortunately, Andy took a tumble while ferrying a chair and fell down a flight injuring his leg in the process.

As he fell backwards, the chair still held aloft above his head, Andy said just one thing went through his mind.

“As I was falling, I was trying to keep away from the already painted wall because I didn’t want to paint the f***er again!” he confided. Now that is dedication. Or the ultimate sign of laziness to put one’s body on the line to avoid some extra work.

Of course, as with any ending (especially the reality TV kind) there was plenty of time for reflection (and some video packages to remind viewers of what we have loved and hated about this year’s contestants).

Andy, also a broken man.


Mitch had a moment of clarity during this period remarking:

“All through the filming of the program I have been wondering who the evil person is and now I have reflected back on some of my comments.” Cue video packages of him mocking El’ise’s make-up, ranting about Jesse’s lack of brains and his plans to destroy Tess and Luke in revenge for spa-gate.

“We had a vision of how we wanted to represent ourselves and that all went out the window on day two. And then the real, the good, bad and the ugly came through.”

Mitch, to his credit, doesn’t shirk away from what he has said and done during the immense pressure of renovating a house under the glare of the reality TV spotlight.

Sorry readers, if we had to see it, you have to see it.


“When you can’t find the evil one, you soon realise that it must be you,” he laughed.

“I am not going to deny anything or say that I was set up because I wasn’t set up. It was me. And if you don’t like it, well I am sorry, but I can’t rewrite it.”

And thank goodness for that because, good, bad and ugly, Mitch and all his fellow competitors have been jolly entertaining to watch. Bring on auction day!

MISSED AN EPISODE?


EP 54 recap: Has the fight ruined the teams?

EP 53 recap: The big mistake the other teams made with Deb and Andy


EP 52 recap: Mark fires up over Dan’s slur about Mitch


EP 51 recap: Scott Cam blows up at Tess and Luke


EP 50 recap: Block budgeting goodie goodies go bankrupt


EP 49 recap: Block room ‘looks like a public toilet’

EP 47/48 recap: Tess and Luke’s marriage fears


EP 46: Mitch and Jesse go head to head


EP 45 recap: Judges slam pathetic balcony



EP 43/44 recap: Has Mel had enough of her ‘worst boyfriend’

EP 42 recap: Scott Cam blows his stack at contestant


EP 41 recap: Room brings Shaynna Blaze to tears


EP 39/40 recap: Tess and Luke finally run out of cash


EP 38 recap: Mark and Mitch blow their stacks

EP 37 recap: Will Tess and Luke walk out?


EP 35 and 36 recap: Reason for Tess and Luke’s devastation

EP 34 recap: Mitch puts his foot through the ceiling

EP 32 recap: producer dragged into cheating scandal


EP 30 recap: ‘Dog’s breakfast’: kitchen savagely mocked

EP 29 recap: Scott Cam gives contestants a serve

EP 27/28 recap: Gloves are off as teams threaten to quit

EP 26 recap: Tess and Luke flush another tradie

EP 25 recap: Is this the best bathroom on the Block ever?

EP 24 recap: Is this the best Block bathroom ever?

EP 23 recap: ‘I’m so sorry” – Mark and Mitch patch things up with Scott


EP 22 recap: What made Scott Cam storm off?

EP 21 recap: Homophobia row rocks The Block


EP 19/ 20 recap: ‘you just told me my baby is ugly’

EP 18 recap: Tess’ expletive-filled tirade after tradie sacking

EP 17 recap: Loo controversy sinks two teams

EP 15/16 recap: What made Mitch snap?

EP 14 recap: Jesse and Keith’s blow up

EP 13 recap: Judges slam Mark and Mitch

EP 11/12: Big move may blow up friendship

EP 10 recap: Why Scott Cam locked a contestant in car

EP 9 recap: How Jesse insulted Shaynna

EP 7/8: ‘Don’t be nice to them’. Luke’s plaster disaster

EP 6: Cheating allegations raised

EP 5: ‘Like a tomb’: Block’s bathroom disaster

EP 3 & 4: What’s got Scotty Cam so mad?

EP 2 recap: Tears and fights start early

EP 1 recap: Most shocking thing about this year’s Block

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