The Block 2022: Joel and Elle

Two contestants walk out – and The Block is stunned

When Sydney influencers Joel Patfull and Elle Ferguson quit The Block, everyone was caught off guard.

The couple had presented their challenge room, were getting ready for the week ahead and seemed to be fitting in to Block life when without warning they packed their bags and left.

Joel and Elle were criticised by the judges for smashing the life out of the room, and not showing respect for the original part of the house, creating a very cool 'Bondi Style' room but not in line with the Tree Change Brief for the Macedon Ranges.

The departure shocked Block host Scotty Cam, who only the night before at the House Decider challenge judging had joked with the contestants that if they were having any second thoughts about what was coming, “now’s the time to pull the pin.”

Joel and Elle had laughed at the tongue-in-cheek suggestion, with Elle replying: “We’re in it now!”, but after receiving their first feedback from the judges, which included judge Neal Whittaker saying the room the pair had presented was “really inappropriate” for the area, and Darren Palmer adding their paintwork was “diabolical”, the cracks started to show.

“Just smile,” Elle can be heard saying to Joel as the pair are clearly upset by the comments, but even then, they seemed set to push on.

“Just smile,” Elle can be heard saying to Joel as the pair are clearly upset by the comments.

“We knew that we took a few risks,” Joel said after judging, “we were willing to do that and learn from this experience.”

The next day however, they were gone.

“They didn’t say goodbye, they didn’t say thanks for having us!” Scott told the remaining contestants, “They just left!”

“Apparently The Block is not ‘on brand for them,” he added, “They also said the toilet paper was to scratchy for them… I am in total shock!”

Scott Cam delivers the news to the rest of the couples that Joel and Elle had left, “Apparently The Block is not ‘on brand for them,” he added.

Since their departure, the pair has not spoken about what happened, with a single Instagram post showing Joel sitting on a pile of luggage at Melbourne airport and the caption: “Wherever you are in the world. Whatever you are doing. Family always comes first” hinting that they had left to be with his mother, who had been injured in a fall weeks before the production began.

Whatever the reason, their exit was obviously a quick one, with food scraps, tools and clothes left throughout House 3 where their challenge room had been built.

It was as if, said Blockhead Ankur who chose the house with his wife Sharon: “a robbery had taken place”.

But while most were stunned by the sudden departure, House 1’s Sarah-Jane said she had seen the exit coming.

“It was radiating from them that they weren't impressed with their experience,” Sarah-Jane said.

“I could just see this coming. As we were walking to meet Scotty, Dylan (one of the two Gold Coast tradies who claimed House 4 for their Block build) asked what I thought was happening and I said: ‘I reckon they’ve left’.

“He said don’t be ridiculous, but I just said: ‘You mark my words’ and then two minutes later that’s exactly what came out of Scott his mouth and I was like: “Told you so!”

Meet the Contestants: Joel and Elle

JOEL AND ELLE

Engaged from Bondi, NSW

Joel and Elle are hardly new to the spotlight, both having high-profile public careers. Joel played over 200 AFL games for the Brisbane Lions and Greater Western Sydney Giants, while Elle was one of Australia’s original influencers and currently has nearly 700,000 followers on Instagram.

Meet Joel and Elle, The Bondi Babes, Ex footy  player and Influencer.

EXPERIENCE

Despite making his name in the AFL, Joel has a background in building, coming from a family of tradies in Adelaide. He has renovated two houses in Brisbane.

“One of the houses was a traditional Queenslander and the other was a rebuild of a 1920s cottage,” he said. “I also have three brothers who are tradies and my parents were renovators.”

Elle has a diploma in interior design, and for six years built General Pants stores around the world, so she has that all-important eye for design which is invaluable on The Block.

Joel, 37, ex-AFL player

The winner of two best and fairest awards for Brisbane, Joel is competitive and wants to bring that streak to The Block. He retired from football in 2017 at the age of 32 – something he does not regret.

“I just didn’t want to be that guy who was pushed out the door, or who had a season-ending injury. I wanted to control and leave on my terms, and that’s exactly what I did.”

Since leaving the AFL, Joel has traveled the world with Elle and launched his own vintage T-shirt import business. He also has his own fashion label called Lost Athletes.

Elle, 38, influencer and entrepreneur

While working at General Pants, Elle started a popular fashion blog. But things really took off when she set up her Instagram page.

“I started taking photos of what I was wearing and posting back in 2010,” she said. “I think I was an early adopter, and that’s part of my career success.”

As well as numerous brand ambassadorships, Elle, with the help of Joel, runs her own beauty company called the Elle Effect.

“Lockdown was hard, and in all honesty The Block got us through it,” Elle said. “It was on four nights a week and I think we really did say, ‘We could do it and it would be fun’.”

TOGETHER

Joel and Elle have been engaged for five years and hope to marry soon.

“We were engaged while working overseas,” she said. “When we came back and met with our wedding planner we decided to do it. But literally the next week it was lockdown, and we didn’t secure anything.”

It was lockdown that inspired Joel and Elle to audition for The Block.

“Lockdown was hard, and in all honesty The Block got us through it,” Elle said. “It was on four nights a week and I think we really did say, ‘We could do it and it would be fun’.”

Stay tuned as Joel and Elle's style unfolds early this season on The Block Tree Change.

FAST FACTS ABOUT JOEL AND ELLE

Joel initially played in the AFL for Port Adelaide for two years.

Elle and her family are huge fans of The Block.

Do you like Elle and Joel's "Coastal Cool" shop the look here.