The Block NZ: Living room week reveals a noticeable judges’ bias

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Judges Jason Bonham and Kristina Rapley seem to have pre-judged the teams and it looks like Amy and Stu have a distinct advantage.

REVIEW: Living Room week is always a good one to watch on The Block NZ.

After all this is the family space where everyone hangs out. In terms of decor you want it to be something you can live with, and preferably really like.

But who likes caramel walls? That’s the colour we get from serial winners Amy and Stu, and we think it’s a fail. And the carpet on the floor in the living room is, well, a big yawn. So NOT Auckland.

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Amy and Stu look like getting the highest scores from both judges – they already have an 8.5 from Kristina Rapley. We think the caramel walls and shaggy pink rug are nothing short of a disaster.

The shaggy pink cushions and rug look like they belong in a bedroom (not ours), rather than the living room, and what’s with all the ridiculous knick-knacks? Hello maximalism.

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This is Amy and Stu’s room that may stop Claire and Agni getting a win despite the fact that Bonham thought the brown curtains were ‘urgh’.

This week is especially interesting, coming immediately after Amy and Stu’s outrageous cheating scandal, which site foreman Peter Wolfkamp describes as “a deliberate attempt to trick your way through this process”.

That cost them a fine of $5k and a win, so $10k. It has also cost them in terms of their relationships with other teams, which wasn’t that great to start with. As Em cuttingly notes about Amy: “All she does is style for five days straight.”

‘PUDDING VIBES’

But it’s what the judges think of their efforts that matters. Kristina Rapley says Amy and Stu’s peachy living room gives her “pudding vibes”. She thinks it will be polarising. 

Jason Bonham thinks there is too much brown with the drapes (he actually says “urgh”). But having said all that, they get the top marks from Rapley, and it appears Bonham will follow suit tomorrow night. And this is where it gets really interesting. What the judges say and what marks they give are disparate. It seems as though they are favouring the team that has had the best room four weeks in a row (albeit disqualified last week).

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And this is the room we think should take the win. Claire and Agni styled it well. But like Amy and Stu, there are too many knick-knacks.

We think Claire and Agni, who look like coming second, have every right to feel robbed if they don’t win. They gain a point for their floral arrangement, then halt proceedings with a query that looks likely to work in their favour.

This pair take the botanical theme to extremes, and throw in a fair bit of Bohemia as well. Throws and cushions everywhere, probably far too many. But the wallpaper works well with the dark green walls and the hardwood floor. And the large circular mirror is perfect.

The judges think it’s the best space they’ve seen from Claire and Agni. They love the colour, wallpaper, layered textures and luxe feel. They use words like “gorgeous” and “absolutely outstanding”.

So, after all those compliments, why does Rapley mark them below Team Gizzy?

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Dark green walls are balanced with a neutral accent wall that highlights the artworks in Claire and Agni’s living room.

The girls Chlo and Em throw up a whole lot of floating timber shelves and drape greenery all over them. The whole effect is bitsy. And they team a hanging basket chair with a masculine leather sofa. Again, weird.

Rapley thinks it’s a great space, but Bonham calls it a “disaster”. He hates the shelves, which are “cheap, tacky and junky”. Real clash of opinions, but Bonham gets it right. This room is a mess, and it’s interesting that Rapley (a judge after all) doesn’t see that.

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And look at this styling by Claire and Agni. It’s warm and welcoming and it doesn’t look like it belongs in a bedroom.

‘SPIDERS AND A PUSTULE’

The ultimate insult for the girls, however is this comment from Bonham: “That pomegranate fabric is so 1995 – it looks like spiders crawling out of a pustule.” Ouch.

Lads Ben and Tom opt for a huge, and dare we say it, rather ugly abstract oil painting. They then turn the sofa around so people can look at it, which means they have their back to the window. That just seems weird. Ben admits “furniture is not our strong point”. But the furniture is OK, just not the positioning of the sofa.

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Chlo and Em simply blow it on every count. The shelves are a visual intrusion, and the cane chair doesn’t work with the leather sofa.

The lads opt for timber flooring, so big plus there. And their more minimalist approach to dressing the room is to be commended.

The judges like the yellow wall, the warmth and softness. And they like the large sofa. Bonham even loves the painting. Rapley raves and then gives them the lowest score.

We just think everyone should play nicely, and that includes the judges. Their bias is showing.

The Block NZ screens Sunday-Wednesday nights on Three

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The judges were divided over Chlo and Em’s living room, with Bonham hating it and Rapley loving it.

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The lads Tom and Ben turn their sofa to stare at a particularly weird artwork. Not good.

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But the pared back look of the lads’ living room is refreshing after looking at all the others.

 – Homed