It was a chaotic week on The Block for house one, with Maddy and Charlotte’s builder Zak deciding to leave the show after they had a heated disagreement.
Now, former contestant Paige Beechey has spoken out to defend Zak, who she and partner Jesse worked with for the first four weeks of the 2024 season.
Since coming in late, pink team Maddy and Charlotte struggled to form a relationship with their builder Zak, with the latter labelling him as “intimidating.” They tried to talk things through and clear the air, but Zak didn’t see a way forward and decided to depart the show, taking his team with him.
After the episode aired, Paige took to social media to share her support for Zak and urge viewers to be kind and not attack his small business based solely on what was shown on television. Read her full statement below.
“From my personal experience, Zak was nothing but a passionate, respectful, hardworking member of our team. I found him very approachable and easy to talk to, even as a woman,” Paige shared in the The Block 2024 Phillip Island Facebook group.
“Zak didn’t have a single issue, when I spoke to him, asked for his help or even told him how I wanted things to go on site. He was always there with open ears, a logical approach and an amazing attitude.
“Amongst all the chaos and the most busiest of times, I could not believe how patient Zak was with teaching me – teaching me how to cut ties so carefully, how to use a corrugated gun to sheet and building up my confidence with any new tool I was using. God knows he didn’t have the time and he didn’t have to, but he was someone who uplifted me to have a go at anything, especially as a woman.”
Paige continued, “Zak and I forged a fantastic relationship where we were able to not only work under immense pressure together, but we could do it having a laugh, ripping into each other, and having tough conversations if we needed it. As a ‘client’, I never batted an eye at the way he spoke or interacted with anyone. He was there when I needed a shoulder to cry on, he was there when I needed to vent and he was there to pull my head back in the game when I needed it. Zak was also a fan favourite amongst every single person on that site and very well respected.
“Zak was all in with The Block, but one of the most admirable qualities about Zak that I remember, was how he put his daughter and his family first no matter what. The way he always spoke about his family with such pride and care, speaks to the person he is at the core, and it was something I really admired.
“I haven’t stepped foot in one of these [Facebook] groups for 6 weeks and my Facebook is going straight back to being deleted once I hit post, but I wanted to post in defence of Zak to share this side of the experience you don’t get to see. It’s not to undermine any experience that Maddy and Charlotte felt by any means because what’s real for them is real and I sympathise with their position; but it’s to bring humanity back to all of this and implore you to remember that there are more sides to what you watch every night.”
Paige concluded, “Be more perceptive and don’t attack a business on a small island based on one experience a tv show put in front of you. If there was anything that was of importance to Jesse and I throughout this whole experience, it was working with all local trades, and respecting the island and the people who came with it. You don’t go around bashing any local tradesperson who is giving up their life, leisure, family and sanity to help out.
“Show some restraint towards his local business because you really don’t even know the half of it. Both Zak and the girls deserve big kudos for everything they did regardless of how it turned out.”
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