Episode 38 Recap | Drama overshadowed design as The Block contestants clashed over judging, budgets, and a controversial rule breach.

The walls are painted, the kitchens are stocked and the last of the interiors are done. But while the dust has settled inside the five homes on The Block 2025, Monday night’s episode proved the real drama is only just beginning as the teams stepped outside for Alfresco and Shed Week.

The Block’s backyard battles began with fiery showdowns, fractured alliances and fierce accusations flying across the site. (image – Channel 9)

With three weeks of outdoor building ahead, the episode had everything: bruised egos, budget bombs, a controversial rule breach, and the collapse of what was once billed as the show’s strongest friendship.

A win that sparked a revolt

The aftershocks from last week’s reveals dominated the start of the episode. House 3’s Britt and Taz had edged out House 2’s Han and Can by just half a point thanks to a perfect 10 from judge Shaynna Blaze, but their victory has not gone down well.

At the Domain Open For Inspections, fellow Blockheads were quick to air their grievances. Most agreed that Han and Can’s garage and laundry deserved top honours.

Even the softly spoken Emma took aim, calling Britt and Taz’s work “bad painting” and adding: “This is worth a 10 compared to Britt and Taz’s. I reckon the girls were robbed.”

Han didn’t hold back either, labelling the judging “a complete joke. A f**king joke.”

Alicia was equally scathing, arguing: “They were robbed because Shaynna had an emotional reaction in a room that wasn’t finished.”

From best friends to bitter rivals

The tension only escalated when Sonny and Alicia decided to broadcast their opinions — literally. As they walked past Britt and Taz, Sonny raised his voice so there was no mistaking his view.

“Sorry, but that is f–king amazing… and finished,” he said while pointing to Han and Can’s work.

Alicia added insult to injury, telling Can:

“You know what your mistake was. You painted too nice.”

To which Sonny chimed in with, “Just slapped it on.”

For Britt, the delivery stung more than the criticism itself. “You can be honest about your opinions but deliver it in the right way. Be kind about it,” she reflected afterwards.

Just weeks ago, House 3 and House 1 had been thick as thieves. Now the so-called “best friends of the build” appear to be firmly off each other.

Rule-breaking scandal ignites

If bruised feelings weren’t enough, a fresh controversy soon engulfed Britt and Taz.

Last week, they had quietly pressed ahead on their back deck subfloor, claiming it counted as part of landscaping rather than alfresco. When Sonny dobbed them in, Foreman Dan shut it down and ordered them to down tools for a day as punishment.

But the penalty quickly looked hollow. On Monday, no team could build anyway because Stratco was installing roof systems across all the decks. The result? Britt and Taz kept their head start while their rivals stewed.

That discovery left the other contestants seething. Around the dinner table at the Blackwood Hotel — dubbed “the chumps’ dinner” — calls for harsher punishment rang out.

“We want it to be a level playing field,” Robby argued.

“They’re cops. You break the rules, you get penalised,” Han said.

The suggestions became increasingly extreme: docking points, slapping on fines, banning them from winning, or even ordering the deck to be ripped up.

“I reckon we burn it,” Ben quipped, while Han escalated the joke: “I’ll throw petrol on it and you can light the match.”

Even the usually conciliatory Can was fired up, proposing heavy sanctions. Alicia, who has often been the one leading the charge, was almost impressed. “It was actually quite nice. Wasn’t me for once,” she admitted.

Meanwhile, across town, Britt and Taz were dining peacefully with Scotty Cam at Japanese restaurant Kadota as part of their prize getaway. Unbeknownst to them, their rivals were plotting a body corporate meeting for the following morning.

Cash shock for Han and Can

Away from the politics, money troubles continued to dog Han and Can. Deep in the red to the tune of $15,000, the pair were openly questioning if they could even finish the competition.

Can, in particular, was in a fighting mood, warning: “Bring it, who the f–k wants to fight House 2? Let’s go!”

But salvation arrived in the form of Scotty Cam, who gathered the contestants to announce that it was CommBank Yello Week. Each team would receive a $50,000 top-up to their budgets.

Rather than jumping for joy, Han and Can were stunned into near silence, struggling to process their sudden financial lifeline.

Elsewhere, Sonny and Alicia enjoyed their own boost, picking up $5,000 from McCafé thanks to their choice of Grafico wallpaper in the garage.

What’s next?

By the end of the episode, the divide between House 3 and the rest of the site was glaring. While Britt and Taz enjoyed sashimi with Scotty, their rivals hardened their stance, determined to see them punished for bending the rules.

With a body corporate showdown on the horizon and three weeks of landscaping still to unfold — including wine bars, sheds and decks — the drama outside the houses is already proving more explosive than anything indoors.

Viewer reaction

The episode lit up social media, with fans just as divided as the contestants. Some thought the criticism of Britt and Taz had gone way too far, arguing that the pair were being unfairly targeted. Many pointed out that the real issue lay with the judging, not with the couple themselves, and that if fellow teams had a problem, it should have been raised with Scotty or Dan — not shouted across the site.

Others were more sympathetic to the frustrations of Han and Can, suggesting that a “perfect” 10 for a room with visible paint problems didn’t make sense when other contestants had been penalised for much smaller mistakes. Viewers argued that Britt and Taz shouldn’t have been personally attacked, but many felt the judges had been inconsistent.

Several fans were quick to turn their criticism on Sonny and Alicia, accusing them of stirring the pot and manipulating others into their line of thinking. Many felt the couple’s behaviour was toxic, with some saying they seemed to thrive on confrontation. A number of commenters noted that their children would be mortified watching it back one day.

The body corporate calls were another flashpoint for discussion. Some viewers felt the penalty handed down to Britt and Taz was toothless, as it happened on a day when nobody could build decks anyway, while others argued the punishment was out of the contestants’ control and therefore shouldn’t be up for debate at all.

There was also lighter commentary about the winners’ dinner at Kadota, with many viewers laughing at Britt and Taz’s hesitant reactions to Japanese food. Some wondered how sashimi could still be unfamiliar in Australia, while others enjoyed seeing Scotty play the role of patient teacher — or stern parent — at the restaurant.

Overall, fans agreed that while there may not have been much building on display, the episode delivered plenty of reality-TV drama. Whether viewers sided with Britt and Taz or with their rivals, there was one clear consensus: Tuesday night’s body corporate promises to be explosive.