Can you believe they these moments actually happened?

Cheating scandals, flirting and shock departures – The Block has seen its share of dramas over 21 engrossing seasons. And many of them have had nothing to do with renovating.

In the 2025 season of The Block, viewers were gobsmacked when two of the homes failed to sell on Auction Day. But as eyebrow-curling moments in the show go, that pales by comparison to others.

Pull up a stool and take a look at the top 5 most dramatic moments in Block history…

The photo leak, 2021

Tanya and Vito became the villains of the season. (Image: The Block / Nine)
As Block scandals go, this one during the Fans Vs Faves season was certainly one of the most shocking.

4The drama kicked off when contestants Tanya and husband Vito and twins Josh and Luke were caught in the possession of a photograph of The Block’s production schedule. It showed the upcoming room reveals and challenges and gave them an unfair advantage over their competition.

Initially, it was claimed a tradie had sent Tanya the pic. But them, as the show neared Auction Day, Tanya admitted she took the photo.

At the time, host Scott called it the “biggest cheating scandal in Block history”.

Elle and Joel quit after two days, 2022

They were replaced by Rachel and Ryan Carr when they left the show. (Image: The Block / Nine)
Remember influencer Elle Ferguson and fiancé, ex-AFL star Joel Patfull? The couple made headlines when they quit the show just 48 hours after filming started on the Tree Change season.

The reason given on social media was Joel’s mother had suffered a serious fall and was taken to hospital. But host Scott later claimed the pair left suddenly in the middle of the night with no explanation.

Speaking to TV WEEK, he said Elle and Joel told production the high-vis clothing wasn’t to their liking and “the toilet paper was too scratchy”.

Flirtgate, 2024

It was a difficult time for Kylie and Brad. (Image: The Block / Nine)
Tensions were high on the Phillip Island set of The Block after married contestant Brad flirted up a storm with fellow married contestant, Mimi over a drink.

During Front yard Week, Brad admitted his remarks to Mimi were “inappropriate”, saying: “I was flirting with Mimi … Kylie (his wife) overheard them, and very understandably, she’s quite upset.”

Caught in the middle of the storm, it all became too much for Kylie, swearing at host Scott under her breath before eventually walking off the show.

Phone-y business, 2014

Shannon and Simon caused a stir with this stunt. (Image: The Block / Nine)
As sneaky moves on The Block go, this one by brothers Shannon and Simon was definitely up there.

Back in 2014, it was revealed they’d hidden a phone under a bed to record the judges’ feedback.
Darren seemed pretty jazzed to catch them in the act. (Image: The Block / Nine)
Viewers watched judge Darren Palmer to reach down to find power points but instead found the phone instead.

He called the pair “cheeky monkeys” for their brazen move, however this was overdubbed from what he’d originally called them: “cheeky f***ers.”

Not so grand piano, 2022

Omar and Oz caused quite the stir during their season. (Image: The Block / Nine)
Omar and Oz were skilled Block contestants, no question, but it was the inclusion of a baby grand piano during Living and Dining Week, which proved not to be music to the ears of judges.

The piano retailed for $36,000, but the boys paid just $7500 for it.

However, the riles of The Block say contestants can’t receive a discount greater than 50 per cent, which meant they should have paid no less than $18,000. They lost three points and were disqualified from winning that week.

Talk about drama!