Here come the judges!

Every minute of every day as The Block contestants work, there’s one thing on their minds – what will the judges think?

Neale Whitaker, Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer are the experts who pick over the contestants’ hard labour, critique their choices and judge (living up to their titles) how well they’ve done.

What are the judges looking for? The answer to that is very different for each of them...

If they throw out high marks, the Blockheads are quick to agree that these three truly know their stuff. When the scores are low, they’re convinced they haven’t got a clue.

But for The Block fans, no matter which way they vote, we all love the judges because what they bring – even when it’s not what the contestants want to hear – is always from the heart, from their heads and 100% about making the homes better.

So, just what are the judges looking for? Like the trio themselves, the answer to that is very different for each of them.

For Darren it’s often the simple question he asks of every space: does it work?

“I'm very pragmatic,” says the interior designer.

“I like to say I've got four criteria that I'm looking for and the first is whether or not the market is going to like it. Then I look at design, by which I mean floor plan, layout, skylights, that sort of thing. Then there's inclusions like furniture, décor, even tiles and fixtures and then there's finish, how well has it actually been put together, how well has it been carried out.”

Combined, he says, those elements will instantly tell him if a space has been well thought out a room will be a comfortable place to spend time in. And if not, well he’s quite prepared to tell you to start again.

One of the things we say on The Block is “change the plans to your own peril,” Darren Palmer tells Insider Style.

“I just think in 3D, even in my own house basically all day, every day I stare at the walls and the ceiling and think I want to pull that wall out, this should be a doorway, that needs to be moved.

“One of the things we say on The Block is “change the plans to your own peril” but that's because an architect has designed those plans. In real life, quite often a kitchen or bathroom may not be in the right spots so you need to think about whether your floor plan is right because it might just be that a change will make a world of difference.”

For Shaynna, it’s about how well the space adheres to the brief and stays true to the soul of the building.

“I’m a bit of a stickler to the brief,” says renowned interior designer Shaynna Blaze.

“I have a knowledge of period homes, the history of design and the history of old buildings and we know that in Melbourne particularly, that we know how to turn those period houses into a high-end modern version, but there are rules.

For Shaynna it's about how well the space adheres to the brief and stays true to the soul of the building.

“A room might be beautiful and Darren and Neil might say: “OK, yes well, it's alright” but I will say “No, no, no! These are the rules!”

“I suppose I am the mother with the tough love but tough love is in the end a good thing because it makes them stand up and take notice and not get off the rails.”  

And for Neale, it’s does the room have an instant connection.

“I respond immediately to a room when I walk in the door,” says the style guru and former editor of Belle and Vogue Australia magazines.

“Within a split second I can decide whether the room is working for me… and I kind of value that because I believe that that is how most people respond to real estate when they're viewing property, it's a very emotional connection.”

“I always try and leave my own tastes at the door and try and see it through impartial eyes," Neale Whitaker tells Insider Style.

Just what makes that connection can vary, he says, but it’s how the integrity of the finish, the quality of the renovation and the amount of detail a contestant has paid attention to all combines to make a united whole.

“I always try and leave my own tastes at the door and try and see it through impartial eyes but nine out of ten times my mind is made up as soon as I walk through the door.”

Everything you need to know about The Block 2020 HERE

Meet the 2020 Block contestants HERE

History of The Block including all the previous auction results HERE