Explosive Feuds & Money Dramas — The Biggest Scandals On The Block: Tree Change

The Block: Tree Change has been different this year compared to other seasons, and not just because it's filmed regionally. As the contestants have continued renovating their properties ahead of auction day, the drama on set has also gone up a notch.

While there's a strict set of rules that teams must follow during the show, it wouldn't truly be reality TV without some incidents that raise eyebrows. Here's a round-up of the somewhat scandalous moments on The Block 2022 so far.

Each of the five teams of two are provided with a credit card that can be used to buy building supplies, furniture and other house-related items. However, Woman's Day magazine reported that Sarah-Jane used $50 provided by the show to purchase "cigarettes". It's said that the 30-year-old promises to pay the amount back to the network.

Channel 9 declined to comment when contacted by Refinery29 Australia.

Former Neighbours actor Sharon Johal and their husband Ankur have been very open about the fact that the show has been a challenge given their limited building and renovation experience.

In a recent episode of The Block, Sharon took a swipe at some of the builders who've been helping the pair on the show.

"Then we've got these builders who are fucking idiots," Sharon told a friend over the phone. "Basically, they're lazy, they don't want to work past 5 pm, one of them doesn't want to work on Saturdays, whatever," she continued.

"The [builders] expect us to paint an eight-metre high ceiling, and then when it's not painted correctly, they're disappointed in the results."

One of the tradies, carpenter Scott Clarkson, has since come out on Instagram to defend himself, saying Sharon and Ankur are making "crazy accusations" and "lying".

"Most of what's being said about me is behind my back where they know I don't get to have the same opportunity to voice what actually happened," wrote Clarkson.

He also addressed apparent claims that he had stolen from the building site, saying, "If I really stole why would they have not fired me? Do you really think the block wants to have people stealing from their sites? (sic)."

During a radio interview on Friday, September 30 with Bec, Cosi and Lehmo on 107.1 SAFM, Sharon said she believed she and her husband have received a "villain edit" on the reality show.

After the radio hosts played the audio of her speaking to her friend on the phone about the builders, Sharon joked, "That wasn’t me!"

"How many times a day do you vent to your friends or your partner? Anks and I had vented to each other in the middle of the night — that footage was shown to Scott Cam, who then yelled at us. It’s a similar thing that’s happening now."

Earlier this week, Omar and Osman (Oz) were served a penalty for breaking one of the The Block's key rules.

The best friends from western Sydney impressed the judges with their living room renovations. However, despite the luxe decor and finishings to transform the space in House 5, they landed in hot water due to a money issue.

When judge Shaynna Blaze noticed a baby grand piano which usually retails at $36,000, she questioned how the team managed to afford this because they hadn't won any prize money or allowances that would've enabled them to make the hefty purchase.

"Do you remember last week I was saying in the kitchen, I was a bit worried about where they’re getting the money from? And now we’ve got a baby grand… they’re not winning every week," she told judges Neale Whitaker and Darren Palmer.

When it came to announcing the scores, judge Scott Cam grilled Omar and Oz, saying, "I'm with her boys, how are you affording this piano? I know what they retail for".

Omar revealed the pair nabbed the piano for just $7,500 — which ultimately exposed them to breaking a big rule on The Block.

Cam reminded all of the contestants that they are only permitted to land a discount of no more than 50% on any trade goods. This meant that Omar and Oz were penalised with a three-point deduction from their total score.

Sharon Johal and husband Ankur Dogra were recently cut off from extra money after over-spending $53,000 and landing themselves in debt.

"You guys have an encyclopaedia of unpaid bills," host Scott Cam said to the couple on the show. "You're spending money as if you think Channel 9 is going to give you some more money."

When Ankur tried to shift the blame to the tradies, Cam asked, "What do you mean you know? How can you keep spending? I don't understand where you think you're going to pay for it, we've got three weeks to go."

Ultimately, Cam decided to cut off their accounts and cancel their credit cards, and it means that all their renovation decisions need to go through him and Jo from finance for approval.

This year's season of The Block features five pairs competing on the show's 18th season in Gisborne South in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges. The teams are Sarah-Jane and Tom, Dylan and Jenny, Sharon and Ankur, Omar and Oz, and Rachel and Ryan who replaced Elle Ferguson and Joel Patfull.