It’s a tie! The judges loved Britt and Taz’s neutral toned kitchen with its whizbang appliances just as much as Robby and Mat’s country homestyle space with a Bond villain entryway.

Rather than having the two teams split the $10,000 prize, host Scott Cam decided to award them each the full amount.

As usual, the frugal Alicia and Sonny took home the prize for being the most budget savvy (no mean feat given they had also spent the week making-over their much-criticised loungeroom).

It was small compensation for the Queensland couple after yet another roasting from judge Marty Fox. Although Marty, Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer agreed that the lounge-room re-do had “saved the house” they were divided in their response to the blue kitchen.

Sonny and Alicia “saved their house” with their living room do-over and had the best kitchen layout of all but Marty Fox was underwhelmed.

On the plus side, Shyanna felt it worked beautifully with the surrounding landscape. Darren added that Sonny and Alicia had the “Goldilocks of kitchen layouts” as he noted that people could exit the bedroom without traversing the kitchen and easily access the fridges and ovens for cooking prep.

Marty however was decidedly underwhelmed, complaining it all felt like a “very basic space” that didn’t stir any feelings.

“It doesn’t really feel very Daylesford,” Marty added as Shaynna and Darren heartily disagreed.

“If you brought 10 buyers through here, after what we have seen previously today, it’s last on the list.”

Marty said simply putting everything in the right place wasn’t a winning recipe.

“Correct doesn’t win rooms,” he argued. “Correct doesn’t win The Block.”

To drive home his disgust, he decreed: “There’s no elegance. There’s no sophistication. It doesn’t feel luxurious. It doesn’t feel expensive. And I am totally disengaged. I really don’t like this room. I find this kitchen as bland as that cut up plain bread.”

Ben and Emma was declared nice but unmemorable.

Marty was far less savage in his appraisals of this week’s woodenspooners Ben and Emma. Their chief crime appears to have been creating a kitchen that was nice but unmemorable.

In contrast, Han and Can got a better score but copped far more criticism for their handiwork. After crediting the girls’ risk taking, Darren zeroed in on that rangehood. He said it was too low and wide for the space (no shocks there after all the foreshadowing).

Shaynna, meanwhile, was left cold by everything in the room except the drawers with internal LED lighting and the fridge position.

“The kitchen is the heart of the home and this kitchen has no heart,” she sighed. “The more I stand here the more I think that I can’t wait to get out.”

Shaynna was disappointed to see the girls turning away from bold colours (a mixed message given Han and Can were hauled over the coals for that bright blue bed head a few weeks back) and feared the white kitchen would date quickly.

Han and Can’s white kitchen with concussion risk rangehood.

“I come to Daylesford to be nurtured,” she said. “I come to Daylesford to be hugged and I feel like I have to be careful where I stand here.”

Disagreeing, Marty felt it was bold yet marketable.

“It’s just the colour palette that is neutral, everything else is risky,” he argued.

Britt and Taz’s space was also neutral in tone but the opinions were anything but that. All three were wowed by the vast expense of timber on the ceiling with Marty swooning “this is 70s cool.”

For Darren, bigger was better as he marvelled at the plus-sized island bench (unaware how much time and effort had gone into downsizing that bench so that it would be the same height as the surrounding benches).

The only flaw found (by Marty, of course) was the fridge placement. Moved at the last minute to separate it from the ovens because the ventilation grates didn’t line up, Marty felt it was now in “no man’s land”.

Joint winner’s Britt and Taz’s only error was fridge placement, according to the judges.

But a swooning Shaynna sighed “be still my beating heart” as she took it all in, declaring the West Australian cops this year’s front runners.

The trio were equally enamoured by Robby and Mat’s efforts. Even though the boys didn’t have the same booty of lavish appliances as Britt and Taz, their styling choices won them votes.

Darren purred: “wow, this kitchen is great” as Marty enthused over how cosy it all felt.

The judges weren’t sold on the secret bookshelf doorway to the main bedroom, fearing it didn’t offer enough privacy. Plus, there was a risk of knick-knacks going flying when opening and shutting it.

Mat and Robby came equal first for their kitchen.

Shaynna thought the boys’ quirky styling was on point until she noticed they’d left a plastic tub of tzatziki out on their platter.

“Put it in a dish,” she chided.

Even still, she said the room gave her all the feels. And that’s what she’s looking for in a kitchen.

“Does it have heart? Does it make you want to be here?” Shaynna said. “And it does.”

Britt and Taz: 28.5

Robby and Mat: 28.5

Sonny and Alicia: 27

Han and Can: 26.5

Ben and Emma: 26