The Block season 1

The Block
Season 1
No. of episodes13
Release
Original networkNine Network
Original release1 June (2003-06-01) –
17 August 2003 (2003-08-17)
Season chronology
Next →
Season 2
Jamie Durie host

The first season of Australian reality television series The Block, retroactively re-titled The Block 2003, aired on the Nine Network. Jamie Durie was announced as host and John McGrath was announced as Judge. The season premiered on 1 June 2003.[1]

The first season of The Block began airing on 1 June 2003 on the Nine Network, replacing Backyard Blitz and Location Location in the network's flagship timeslot[2] of Sunday at 6:30 to 7:30 pm (AEST).[3] The series was presented by Backyard Blitz host Jamie Durie and filmed in Bondi, with the majority of filming being completed prior to the series airing for editing purposes.[3]

Contestants

Selected from approximately 2,000 applicants,[3] the four couples in the series were:

  • Adam Thorn (aged 30) and Fiona Mills (27), a married couple from Banksia. A data analyst and former sales representative, the couple had renovated three properties prior to competing on The Block.[4][5] They renovated the first ground-floor apartment (flat number one) and were widely considered the "show favourites" throughout the course of the series.[4] Their apartment—which was the last to be auctioned—sold for $751,000 earning them the highest profit of $156,000 as well as the winning prize of $100,000.[4] Mills appeared on the cover of Ralph while the series was airing in July 2003.[6]
  • Warren Sonin (37) and Gavin Atkins (35), a sales manager and public relations manager from Elizabeth Bay.[4][7][8]
  • Paul (30) and Kylie Ingram (31), a plumber and travel agent married for two years
  • Phil Rankine (33) and Amity Dry (24), marketing executive and singer married for a year from Kirribilli

The combined auction profits were $443,000.

Room Wins

Couple[9] Room Wins
Adam & Fiona 2 / 5
Kylie & Paul 1.5 / 5
Gav & Waz 0.5 / 5
Phil & Amity 1 / 5

Auction

Auction results[10][11]
Rank Couple Apartment Reserve Auction Result Profit Total Winnings Auction order Buyer
1 Adam and Fiona Flat 1 (Ground floor) $595,000 $751,000 $156,000 $256,000 4th Unidentified Sydney woman
2 Paul and Kylie Flat 4 (Upstairs) $747,000 $152,000 $152,000 3rd Sydney businessman, Wayne
3 Warren and Gavin Flat 2 (Ground floor) $670,000 $75,000 $75,000 2nd Crazy John's
4 Phil and Amity Flat 3 (Upstairs) $655,000 $60,000 $60,000 1st The Sun-Herald

Reception

The first season was a ratings success with an average nightly reviewership of 2.239 million.[12] The Grand Finale of the season had a viewership of 3.115 million viewers.[13]

References

  1. ^ Ellis, Scott (1 June 2003). "Doing their block". The Sun-Herald. Sydney. p. 8 (Television).
  2. ^ Melloy, Neil (24 May 2003). "Reality is a queer thing". The Courier Mail. Brisbane. p. 27.
  3. ^ a b c Warneke, Ross (5 June 2003). "The Block's a winner or I'm out to pasture". The Age. Melbourne. p. 6 (Green Guide).
  4. ^ a b c d Wells, Rachel; Jenkins, Melissa (18 August 2003). "Everyone a winner as buyers vie for chip off the Block". The Age. Melbourne. p. 3.
  5. ^ "They've been around the Block – now they'll chase their dream". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 23 August 2003. p. 5.
  6. ^ Williams, Nadine; Hurt, Jessica, eds. (28 July 2003). "Fiona tries another type of stripping". The Advertiser. p. 20.
  7. ^ Sutton, Candace (8 June 2003). "Gay TV tut-tutting straight from past - Radio chip at new Block guarantees top ratings". The Sun-Herald. Sydney: Fairfax Media. p. 46.
  8. ^ Jinman, Richard (5 June 2003). "Doing their block down at Bondi". The Age. Melbourne: Fairfax Media. p. 19 (Green Guide).
  9. ^ "Does The Block judging affect final auction results? | finder.com.au". www.finder.com.au. Archived from the original on 24 November 2015.
  10. ^ "Watch The Block - Episode 12 | 9Jumpin". www.9jumpin.com.au. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015.
  11. ^ "More runs around Block". Sydney Morning Herald. 18 August 2003. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  12. ^ Renovated Block A Major Success Herald Sun [dead link‍]
  13. ^ "Top 20 programs 1998-2009 - Top programs - in the archive - Industry trends - Television - Fact Finders".