A new face will join celebrity judges on Nine’s The Block, for the first time in more than a decade.

In its 19th season, the show goes back to script in the suburb of Hampton East after the disastrous sea change challenge in the Macedon Ranges, where contestants had to transform 4ha blocks in the depths of winter.

The majority of the five houses passed in on auction night, and sold months later with one couple left with $20,000 in prize money after a three-month marathon on the tools.

But, the network says its “mother of all reality programs continues to reinvent itself and this year’s series promises a number of exciting firsts”.

Marty Fox, who made guest appearances in 2020 and last year selling contestants’ homes, will join Shaynna Blaze, Darren Palmer and Neale Whitaker.

Fox was described by Nine’s Domain as a “real estate agent, serial property flipper and chief executive of real estate agency WhiteFox”.

Whitaker steps back

The founding editor of Food Illustrated and Delicious magazines and editorial director of Vogue Entertaining + Travel, interior design expert Whitaker says he’s partly stepping back this season.

“For the 2023 season, I’ve put family first and cut back on my judging weeks,” he said.

“My partner of 20 years, David, experienced some serious health issues earlier this year and my priority has been to spend more time at home.”

Any new tricks or treats this year? Photo: Nine

So what else has The Block team done to revitalise the show and bring back the audience?

Is the show on the road to redemption?

Maybe.

The five contestant couples in contention for Block “glory” this year are two sisters from Victoria, parents (a firefighter and teaching aide) from Western Australia and another set of parents (a builder and a first aid officer) from Queensland.

Rounding out the five are two married couples from South Australia with skills in project management and safety, and a NSW couple with skills in architecture.

And they’ll be pushed.

Double trouble

The teams will have to renovate the main house (all designed and built in the 1950s in Charming Street), and create a “secondary accommodation” … a granny flat.

We’ve heard host Scott Cam – back for his 17th series of The Block – promise a series like no other.

Last year, he took his dog, rode across empty paddocks on a horse and renovated a house himself, promising the biggest challenges in the history of the show.

“This series [his 17th season as host] is guaranteed to be a dead-set blockbuster,” he said, with renewed enthusiasm this week.

“Our five new teams from across the country are all fired up to make their home states proud.

“But wait until you see their shock when they find out they’re building not one, but two new abodes, as we throw in a granny flat for good measure.”

After a cheating scandal in 2021, where one pair of contestants photographed the production schedule – the teams will be given a total heads up at the beginning of the game.

“In a Block first, this year we give all teams their full building schedule ahead of time. Buckle up, Australia. The Block 2023 offers more twists, turns and curve-balls than ever before,” Cam said.

In 2022, the judges were critical of contestants’ inability to understand the heritage brief for their country houses (many of which were brought in from interstate including the quintessential Queenslanders).

Co-host Shelley Craft says this year’s time warp back to the 1950s will provide plenty of surprises along the journey.

“This series’ houses may seem charming on the surface, but our contestants will be in for a shock as they uncover a host of pitfalls not evident upon first inspection,” she said.

“While there are plenty of laughs to be had, viewers can expect an equal number of tears.”

Celebrating 20 years

This year, the ratings juggernaut The Block celebrates 20 years since that first series in Bondi went to air and changed the Australian reality TV landscape forever.

Executive producer Julian Cress, who created the show with David Barbour, says the 20-year birthday is a fantastic achievement.

“We thought we were pretty lucky to get the show on air in the first year we made it,” he says.

“Just getting The Block commissioned was a huge achievement and there is no way we thought we would still be here making the show 20 years later.

“But the great thing about it is we all still love making the show, and no two series of The Block are ever the same, as these five new teams will truly prove this year!”