Brock fans were pleasantly surprised when former judge Neil Whittaker returned to the reality show to criticize the team’s hallways on Tuesday night’s episode. The interior designer, who was a resident on the show from 2010 to 2022, announced earlier this year that he and partner David were stepping away from the show to battle “serious health issues.”
Although he has appeared on two episodes this season as a judge on The Hallway Challenge and Surf Club Renovation Challenge, Neil told Yahoo Lifestyle that he has watched every episode of this year’s The Block. He said he was not there. In a rather awkward turn of events, he admitted that he has been watching this season of The Voice on Nine’s rival network Channel Seven.
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“I’ve seen a few (‘The Block’s). I don’t watch them all the time, but I watch them every once in a while, and I stay updated through social media,” he says. . “This year I’ve been splitting my allegiance between The Voice and The Block. I’m pretty obsessed with ‘The Voice’ and it’s another show I really love.
“I’ll admit that!” he added with a laugh. “I’m Switzerland now and it’s mutual territory, I admit that. But I’m also pretty passionate about it. On Sunday nights there’s a bit of competition between the two. A little bit of channel hopping , a little channel surfing.”
Neil says he divides his time between “The Voice” and “The Block.” Photo: Instagram/soniakruger/scottycamofficial
What does Neil think about this year’s season of The Block?
Despite not having watched every episode, Neil said he was “very impressed” with the standard of work produced by this year’s team.
“One of the things I noticed over the years on the show was that the bar gets incredibly high each season,” he says. “When I was first judging the show with John McGrath, we thought it was incredible, and it was, but what these contestants have now achieved is… It’s quite surprising when you compare it to the fact that there is.
“The standards, the build quality, the quality of the interior design, the quality of the construction, and I would say the vision that the young couple has and the understanding of the market is really amazing.”
Neil added that the biggest difference between contestants then and now is that they “took more risks” in the early seasons of The Block.
“Whereas these days, I think everyone is much more focused on the ultimate prize and market demands,” he elaborates. “We’re probably a lot more real estate savvy now than we were then. I wonder if some of the contestants these days try to go into the crime scene room (like Matt and Kim did in 2013). I don’t know.”
Will Neil Whittaker ever return to The Block as a full-time judge?
Neil, who recently co-created his first kitchen and dining collection with Gro Urban Oasis, admits it was “bittersweet” to return to The Block as a guest star this season.
“I really enjoyed being there. I was actually supposed to go three times, but one of them was overseas and they were trying to get me out, so I only got to go twice. ” he revealed.
“Even after being on the show for so long, I always feel like part of the big family on The Block. It obviously feels weird not to be a regular part, so it’s nice to still be able to be a part of it.” It’s been a part of my daily life for a long time, and I think it will stay with me forever.”
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When asked if he would like to return to the Renovation series as a full-time judge, he said he would be “open-minded.”
“No one knows what the future holds,” he says. “I’m at a really good stage in my career where projects keep coming up, like this beautiful project with Gro Urban Oasis. Something comes into my life and it’s nice.
“I’ve been quite philosophical lately. I know what my priorities are in life, I know what I like to do, and that’s kind of my attitude towards life. So it’s like, que sera, what happens, what happens. I’m open-minded about what happens in the future.”
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