“Be better.”

Mat and Robby have been working on their underground wine cellar since day one of The Block — and now, midway through the season, Emma and Ben are planning one of their own, a move the boys think feels a little like copying.

While Mat and Robby kept their wine cellar under wraps early on, they’ve now fully dug out the space and started laying the foundations — and the other contestants have now caught onto their plan.

During Week 7, The Block 2023 winners Steph and Gian visited the contestants’ houses, and, after seeing Mat and Robby’s wine cellar, suggested to Emma and Ben that they have room to build something below their house, which is on a suspended slab.

In a producer-led interview, Emma and Ben admitted that they were looking to build a “wine storage room,” with Ben saying, “If we put a wine cellar in the bottom of our backyard, it would be considered cheating.”

But with Emma and Ben’s wine storage room looking a lot like their own cellar, Mat and Robby weren’t shy about sharing how they really feel.

“Ben’s words on TV were: ‘If we put in a wine cellar, it would be considered cheating’. They were his exact words,” Mat told Chattr.

=

“So, the thing is, he hasn’t put in a ‘wine cellar’, but he’s putting in a cubby house at the back of his house, where you could sit and drink wine. So…” He added.

Robby pointed out the likeness between Emma and Ben’s potential room and their own.

“It’s not quite a cellar. I guess it’s a wine room. But what does he do for a job, Mat?” Robby asked.

When Mat replied that Ben’s an engineer, Robby jokingly responded, “You’re a pretty bad engineer if you’re on a suspended slab and you don’t come up with an idea [for it].”

Mat took the high road, saying he views imitation as a compliment. Still, he argued that on The Block, if you’re going to draw inspiration from someone else’s idea, you should elevate it.

“I think copying is the biggest form of flattery. I don’t believe in copying. If you see someone is doing something exceptional, be better, be faster, be more creative. Do something to one-up that. Don’t just try and do an inferior version of it.”
Ben making plans for his wine room with The Block architect Julian Brenchley. Image: Nine.

Mat and Robby and Emma and Ben’s floorboard drama

The wine cellar versus wine room isn’t the only crossover between the two Block teams. In week six, Robby and Mat found themselves in a tight spot after they were informed that Emma and Ben had taken some of their herringbone floorboards.

“They ran out of floorboards, and were taking floorboards from us, but we were promised that we will have enough floorboards to finish the house,” Robby told Chattr.

However, the pair believe it was the flooring company’s fault rather than Emma and Ben, but hinted at the upcoming wine storage room drama.

“They might take something in the future, but I’ll tell you what. What they’re taking this week might not be that big a deal,” Matt chimed in, referring to the lack of floorboards.