After weeks of graft and renovation, the four teams competing in The Block NZ: Firehouse are having their homes sold in a live auction.
Sophia & Mikaere, Stacy & Adam, Ethan & Sam, and Lisa & Ribz are competing for real estate glory with their properties at the historic Firehouse in Kingsland, Auckland.
- The Block NZ 2019: Take a final glimpse inside the finished apartments
- The Block NZ's Sophia and Mikaere get schooled by a 10yo Blockaholic
The live updates below come from Mon Barton who is at the auction in downtown Auckland with her 10-year-old Blockaholic nephew Sam.
8:50pm: The winners are celebrating, but there's not a lot of joy in the room. Lisa said it's hard to be happy when the other teams have walked away empty handed. Mark Richardson is convinced Mikaere & Sophia's penthouse and Stacy & Adam's apartment one will sell behind the scenes... fingers crossed!
8:47pm: Lisa & Ribz have been announced the winners of The Block NZ 2019!
The couple won by an absolute landslide, the only team to make a profit, set to walk away with $50,000 plus an extra $100,000 prize money.
8:46pm: $1,455,000 is where the bidding stops for Sophia & Mikaere. The property will be passed in for negotiation, having not met the reserve.
8:43pm: The bidding is up to $1,435,000, but already appears to be slowing down. Surely too low a price for the penthouse!
"There's a reason why Mikaere's always wearing a hat, there's an abundance of natural light from all four sides," the auctioneer says, attempting to coax some higher bids out of the crowd.
8:39pm: Sophia & Mikaere's house is being auctioned now. "We're reaching not only the crescendo of the evening, but the top of The Block," says the auctioneer of the penthouse apartment.
Yeesh, it's getting hot in here - the auctioneer reckons the master bedroom "will do more for you than any blue pill ever could". My nephew Sam wants to know what that means. I'm unsure how to explain this.
8:36pm: Ahead of the final auction, everyone looks quite dark. Everyone, that is, except Sophia & Mikaere, who have held on to their relentless optimism despite a couple of disappointing results before them.
8:30pm: The apartment has not reached its reserve, which means it'll be put aside. Stacy and Adam look devastated, but they're not entirely out of the running yet. The real estate team will continue to work behind the scenes with the bidders to see if they can get past the reserve, but it doesn't look great for Team Purple.
Lisa and Ribz continue to lead the competition with a $50,000 profit, while neither of the other teams have walked away with a cent at this stage. Next up though, the coveted penthouse.
8:24pm: $1,440,000 is where we're sitting now. Stacy looks gutted.
"No one is listening to me, it's like being at home," cries the auctioneer.
A hushed silence falls over the auction room. It's eerily quiet.
We nudge up to $1,460,000 - which the auctioneer says will mean it's put aside.
"Time's the only thing you can't buy," advises the auctioneer. "You can buy these apartments."
8:22pm: Whoa! Straight to $1,420,000! Excuse me! Pardon?
8:21pm: Stacy and Adam are up next, with the biggest house on The Block! They're pretty freaked out after watching Ethan and Sam walk away with nothing.
"A location that will make you feel like you're on vacation all the time," the auctioneer says of Stacy and Adam's pad. He also asserts that The Dixie Chicks wrote 'Wide Open Spaces' about apartment one, so that's a fun tidbit none of us ever knew until now.
The auctioneer also reckons the love and care put into the apartment is, as Tina Turner says, 'Simply The Best'. My nephew Sam wants to know who Tina Turner is.
8:11pm: The boys' house has sold for $1,390,000 - which is right on reserve, which means a profit of absolutely zero. Heartbreaking result for Team Orange.
8:10pm: Ethan looks like he's about to pass out. Ethan, please remember to breathe, mate. My nephew Sam is quietly groaning next to me - "Arrrrgh I've got butterflies," he cries.
8:06pm: Now we're sitting at $1,372,000, after the bids came thick and fast! Can we get to $1,380,000? No - after a tortuously long wait, a couple of bidders are back in the game. The price sits at $1,377,000.
8:03pm: We're already up to $1,350,000 and beating Lisa and Ribz' selling price - bloody hell that was quick!
There's a strangled-sounding cry from the crowd, is it a bid? No, someone's just really excited. I don't blame them.
8pm: Now it's Team Orange's turn! Ethan and Sam's apartment is up for sale. They've never won a room reveal, but they've certainly won a lot of hearts - especially my nephew Sam's.
Sam would like to point out the boys also won a lot of weekly challenges and of course, The People's Choice Award!
"The kitchen was always going to be good when one of the contestant's was nick-named 'Eats!'" the auctioneer says of apartment three.
7:56pm: 10-year-old Blockaholic Sam says "that was so nerve-wracking!"
He could barely watch - much like Lisa. He had his head buried in my shoulder for the last bit!
7:52pm: Sold! $1,340,000 it's going, going gone! That's $50,000 above reserve, which means Lisa and Ribz are walking away with at least $50,000. Imagine the kind of gate they'll be able to buy now for Lisa to constantly be out of with that.
7:50pm: Woah Nelly, we're now talking $1,315,000. "I see head shaking vs. head nodding, and head nodding is always my preference sir!" yells the auctioneer
7:49pm: Now we're up to $1,225,000! The auctioneer is pushing for $1,250,000 but the bidders are creeping up in tiny increments at this stage
Now we're up to $1,250,000 and Lisa is sobbing.
7:46pm: The first auction is underway! Oh my God this is so intense - I don't even know what's happening, but I'm pretty sure we're at $1.2 million for Lisa and Ribz apartment.
7:43pm: Mark is throwing in some classic comedy in the form of some soothing wordplay to help calm Lisa and Ribz' nerves. "The heart and soul is protected by the Ribz," he croons, gesturing to his torso for reasons best known to himself.
"My Block experience was the most amazing thing ever, and the most horrible-est nightmare come true," Lisa says.
She keeps joking about divorcing Ribz, which my nephew Sam says is "random".
7:35pm: Lisa is so nervous she's crying! She's happy to go first, but is just having a minor freak out. She's clearly employed some waterproof mascara because her make-up remains on fleek.
7:30pm: Stacy and Adam have decided the order of the auctions. First up, Lisa and Ribz, followed by Ethan and Sam.
Stacy and Adam have placed themselves third, in a controversial move, meaning Sophie and Mikaere's penthouse will be last under the hammer. Stacy and Adam are hoping that placing the two very desirable apartments before theirs will loosen people people's wallets ahead of their auction.
7:26pm: Ethan and Sam are officially the winners of the People's Choice Award for The Block NZ 2019! They'll drive away in a new Suzuki. Ten-year-old Blockaholic Sam reckons Ethan will get to keep it though, because he's about to have a baby in six weeks.
7:24pm: Ethan and Sam say it's not always about winning, it's about bonding as a team, which is freaking adorable. They say it's hard work, even though they're tradies because the design aspect can be challenging.
Lisa continues to be "out the gate". She and Ribz reckon their really big rooms along with their aesthetic being "a bit different" is what makes them the best.
7:17pm: Sophia and Mikaere are still defending their decision to turn their three bedroom apartment into a two bedroom apartment - really more like a one-and-a-half bedroom apartment, some people reckon! They say the size of the ensuite and extra wardrobe space will be worth it. We'll see.
7:15pm: Stacy and Adam got SIX room reveal wins over the season! What overachievers. They reckon they've been underestimated throughout the competition.
7:13pm: That meet and greet looks like it was absolutely lit. Who knew a DIY show would produce so many legions of crazed fans? Sam thinks so many people love the show because there's lots of suspense - which Mark Richardson loves to add to with his long pauses - it's exciting, and fun to watch because you never know what's going to happen.
7:05pm: And we're off! The teams are looking very suave in their black ouftfits. Sam is not sure about Mikaere's hat, but loved Stacy's dress.
Mark Richardson is fizzing! "IT ALL ENDS HERE!"
7pm: Mon here, coming to you live from the media room at The Block NZ: Firehouse auction! I'm joined by my nephew Sam, AKA your favourite 10 year old Blockaholic.
If you're unsure whether Sam is properly qualified to report live from this prestigious event, you can see him in action judging the houses from last year's season of The Block NZ.
I could also ask him to rattle off the full list of The Block NZ sponsors, which he knows inside out, but I suspect we can use his talents in a more useful way ahead of this evening's finale.
With the apartments about to go under the hammer, which team will walk away triumphant? While we wait for the auctions to get underway, Sam already has some reckons.
Sam the 10yo Blockaholic's power rankings:
Ethan & Sam
Personally, the boys are my favourite team. They may not be good at designing, but they are good at designing jokes. Wow, that was cheesy.
They're great builders, and they always work really hard. The timber feature wall they put in their guest bedroom was super cool! And they even had a fireman's pole in their kids room.
Lisa & Ribz
These guys are my second favourite team because they are fun and a bit sassy - especially Lisa. No offense Lisa. Ribz is chill. I LOVED their pink guest room, it was cool and different.
Stacy & Adam
Team purple are third for me because even though they are very nice, they can be gossipy. The wallpaper in their kid's bedroom was awesome, and there was some really cool artwork made of lego that Adam made. I wanted to steal it for my room!
Sophia & Mikaere
In fourth place, Sophia and Mikaere don't always play fair but they are amazing designers. I didn't like it when they picked on Lisa and Ribz. I did like their kid's room - I loved how Sophia made an octopus out of fabrics, it was super creative.
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