Shelley: “Ronnie and Georgia need to learn to get along”

Last week they were left out of the communal painting. This week, Georgia and Ronnie have been pushed further to the fringes by the other contestants because of their decision to not allow Josh and Elyse to work ahead on their outdoor space.

But just how important is it to get along with your neighbours? As Georgia rightfully pointed out, neither her, nor husband Ronnie, are on the show to make friends - they’re here to win.

But host Shelley Craft says they may want to rethink their strategy.

“I don’t think it’s vital to make lifelong friends - and Ronnie and Georgia were quite clear about that from the first week,” she says. “But I do think you need your neighbours for those everyday ‘neighbourly questions.”

Shelley points out that like real life, at some point Ronnie and Georgia might have to call in a favour from their near neighbours. And getting them offside by playing tough isn’t going to serve them well.

“I think this series is a lot more relative to the general population of Australia,” she explains. “We all have a neighbour on each side, and we are all going to need to replace a fence, or do an extension, or put in a DA [Development Application].

“I think it’s important to get along - a friendly ‘hello’ with your neighbours is probably enough.”

Georgia says she is starting to feel frozen out by the surrounding houses - and it’s not a nice feeling. But while she did admit after Sunday’s judging that she felt “like an asshole” for continuing to win, urging Ronnie to be more accommodating, it doesn’t look like they’re set to reverse their stance any time soon.

“It doesn’t affect you so much [in real life], but when we are all in a group environment, you do feel like you’re on the outs,” she says. “But then at the end of the day, we reflect on the reasons why we are here, and why we are doing this - and we’re here to win.

“If I have to be away from my kids for weeks, then I want it to be for a good reason.”

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