Auckland friends Chloe Hes and Ben Speedy have been revealed as the winners of the 2022 series of The Block: Redemption.
The duo beat fellow competitors Maree and James Steele whose house was the only other one to have sold on the night at the auction in Orewa, north of Auckland.
Hes and Speedy's home was on the market with a reserve price of $1,141,000. It sold for $1,145,000, netting them a $4000 profit.
The Steele's home was marketed with a reserve price of $1,152,000 but only sold for $100 more than that, at $1,152,100.
Quinn and Ben's home was marketed with a reserve of $1,199,000, but didn't sell on the night. It has since sold for an unknown amount.
Stacy and Adam's house was put on the market with a reserve of $1,148,000 but also failed to sell. It has also since sold.
Under The Block: Redemption rules, neither Quinn and Ben nor Stacy and Adam were entitled to any of the profits from the sale of their respective house, as they didn't sell on the night of the auction itself.
As the night's winners, Hes and Speedy walk away with the $100,000 grand prize as well as the $4000 profit.
"We feel really privileged that we got the opportunity to return and create a home we are truly proud of," the best friends said.
It's a turning point for Hes, who was a contestant in the 2018 season. She originally finished fourth and walked away with only a small amount of cash.
Speaking after her 2022 win, she said: "Missing home was hard, but being able to return and winning room reveals which I never got in my first season was the ultimate redemption. To experience this with the crew and other teams made it all worth it."
Auckland pair Maree and James Steele were named the winners of the People's Choice Award, decided by public vote and they took home the all-new Suzuki Vitara JLX.
The Block NZ host Mark Richardson said it was satisfying to see the former contestants benefitting in various ways this time around.
"Despite the change in the market, the teams did what they set out to do, each team having their own redemption moment throughout the season, and with Chloe and Ben receiving the ultimate redemption," said Richardson.
The entire season of The Block: Redemption is now available to stream on ThreeNow.
