It’s been a chaotic 20th season of The Block, and host Shelley Craft teases that we haven’t even seen half the drama, as that comes post-auction.
“I hold my judgement of the couples until after The Block,” Shelley, 48, tells TV WEEK. “That’s when everyone’s back with their families, watched the episodes and had a mirror held up to them. They’re either licking their wounds or celebrating their wins.
“That’s when you can really see who they are and how they reflect on their experience. That’s when I make the judgement that they’ll either be All Stars or we’ll never hear of them again.”
In 2011, when Shelley first joined co-host Scott Cam on the site of The Block in Richmond in Melbourne, she was 35 and was more of a “peer” of the contestants. But as time has gone on, not only has she evolved, but her relationship with them has too.
“They do lean on me,” the former presenter of The Great Outdoors and host of Australia’s Funniest Home Videos says. “I’m there as a mentor, an adult, a mum, a serial renovator who has put themselves under great stress, and someone who has exposed themself to the public for many years.
“I hope I can come in and be light, bring some happiness, and give them a break from the pressure.”
It’s something the contestants – who have been pushed to the limit this season – have needed. Paige and Jesse left in week six for mental health reasons, Maddy broke down in Shelley’s arms in week 10 after feeling excluded by the other contestants – and this week, Kylie and Brad quit the show when hurtful rumours all became too much.
“Brad and Kylie had a rollercoaster ride [on the show],” she says. “It’s been hard to watch. They’ve been through a lot in their relationship, and I was sad that, at that time, they didn’t seem strong enough to push through to the end. I don’t know if they’re coming back for auction day.”
For the woman who started out as the host of children’s show Saturday Disney in 1996, Shelley never dreamed that this is where her career would take her.
She says she wouldn’t have made it through nearly 14 years on the show without the support of her husband Christian and daughters Milla, 14, and Eadie, 12, at home in Byron Bay in northern NSW, and her “Block family”.
“Scott and I have each other’s backs,” Shelly says of her long-time co-host. “We have 20 years of history and a lot of respect for one another – we always go in as a team.
“As a mum, The Block has been a wonderful working environment, and I have a wonderful, supportive husband who certainly picks up the load back at home. I’ve had an amazing life in TV. I love every moment and never take it for granted.”
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