TV3 is on the hunt for contestants for the first local version of renovation-reality series The Block.
The Block NZ will see four New Zealand couples compete to renovate four dilapidated houses in a very upmarket suburb – room by room, week by week, challenge by challenge – and sell them at auction for the highest price.
All four couples will receive profits from the sale of their house at the live TV auction, and the winners will take home an additional cash prize of $80,000.
The casting call is now open, and couples who are married or not, siblings or friends are all invited to sign up online at tv3.co.nz.
There will also be an in-person casting call on Saturday 3 March held at The TV3 Carnival (Ellerslie Auckland Race Club) as part of Auckland Cup Week. The ‘couple’ need to have had a close relationship for at least three years.
MediaWorks Director of Programming Kelly Martin says The Block NZ taps perfectly into the New Zealand psyche, and she is expecting a high calibre of contestants.
“We are a nation of No. 8 wire-using, DIY-ers, who love turning houses into dream homes,” says Martin.
“In this country renovation is a national sport, second only to rugby, and I’m looking forward to seeing who puts their hand up for what will be the biggest show of the year.”
The producers are looking for energetic contestants from around New Zealand. The teams can be couples, family members, or friends, but all contestants must be over 18 years old. They do not need any DIY experience – the hopeful contestants can be homeowners, or not, and can have renovated in the past, or not. However, specialists in residential building and project management, painters and professional interior designers are excluded.
Once selected, the contestants will literally live and breathe their DIY project for the nine week shoot, living on site in The Block NZ houses. Once the four finalist couples have been selected, there are no further eliminations. The winning couple is simply decided by the toughest judge of all, the real estate market. All four renovated houses will go to a live TV auction, with The Block NZ crown going to the couple whose renovated house fetches the highest price on the night.
The New Zealand series is produced by Eyeworks Television for TV3. Foundation partners are Bunnings Warehouse, Kiwibank, Mazda and Wild Bean Cafe.
3 News
source: newshub archive
