‘The Block’ is without a doubt one of the most successful series on Australian television. The way us Aussies eat up reality TV these days sees the big three media conglomerates raking their brains for new ideas. At least one of Masterchef, My Kitchen Rules, The Bachelor and the new Australian Survivor are staples in nearly every Aussies TV watching schedule, and the bookmakers are finally catching on to the phenomenon, now offering odds on all of them. Check out our Reality TV tips page for more on these programs.
The Block 2016 Betting Tips
As it is in every season of The Block, this year’s edition was an emotionally charged, drama filled home makeover battle. It seems that at points the renovation actually takes a back seat to the drama revolving around the contestants. This years finale will air on Sunday the 13th of November.
The Block is a unique reality series because any final of any season can go in a completely different direction to what the critics, and the bookmakers are predicting. The winners are based solely on the price their apartments go for, or specifically, the most money on top of their reserve prices.
For the fourth time in it’s 12 season long run, The Block started the season with 5 couples. Fan beloveds Andy & Ben, primary school teachers from Geelong, go into the finale as slight betting favourites at $2.75 with Sportsbet. The unit renovated by the boys provides the most rooms, with four, out of any of the apartments giving it the slight advantage come auction time. While the boys reserve price will be larger due to the added room and the huge garden terrace, the upside that comes with a four-bedroom unit could potentially see them take home the 100k prize (as well as their apartments profit).
Second in the betting odds is Melbourne couple Julia and Sasha at $3 at time of writing, their apartment, renovated in the Hollywood Regency style could be a stand out for a more contemporary style of buyer. It features 3 bedrooms, of which the master bedroom boasts an immaculate ensuite with free standing elliptical bath and double shower.
Bringing up the rear in the betting markets are Brisbane couple Will and Karlie at $4.00, renovation experts Dan and Carleen at $7.50 and married couple Chris and Kim at $7.50
While the reserve prices are yet to be set, it’s safe to say that the aforementioned two apartments will garner the highest benchmarks. One downfall of this season of The Block, however, it’s the sites location. The heritage listed former soap factory was purchased by Channel 9 in 2016 for $5 million, but unfortunately for the contestants, sits in the middle of Port Melbourne, amongst an array of factories and construction sites.
The success of former seasons of The Block has been largely based on the sites location. Season 9 of the series ended in disaster when 3 of the five contestants only managed to make $40k or less profit due to it’s poor location. While season 10 of the series, set in one of Melbourne prime locations along the Yarra River, allowed all contestants to sore well past the half a million-dollar mark.
Regardless of location and reserve prices, there will be a winner come Sunday night, and with the added benefit of the extra bedroom and bathroom, I really struggle to see a way the boys lose this one, even with their interesting choices of artwork littered throughout the house.
Outright winner of the series isn’t the only market we’re interested in, with some attractive looking novelty bets in play as well.
Since the launch of The Block 2016, week to week Sunday reveal shows have consistently drawn in the range of 1.1-1.2 million viewers, with viewership peaking at 1.27 million. However, last years finale of The Block spiked to 1.8 million viewers. Taking into account that 2015 was the last year which the series features two season in one year, I think the viewership for this finale could top that, with avid fans having had to wait all year for their winner’s announcement.
The Block Finale Viewers over 1.5m
$1.73
While the favoured margin of profit for the winners apartment is set in the $600-799k range, I think due to the poor location of this years block, we could see the winner earning slightly less than that. The boy’s apartment will have a higher reserve, which means all things being even, they should land a profit around that of the other contestants. While two of last years’ couples earned over $600k profit, I would be putting my money on the winners profit being in the $400-599k bracket.
Winner's Profit $400,000-599,999
$4.50
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Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
