Foreman Dan’s first appearance on The Block starts all the way back in 2012 when he and partner Dani Wales were contestants on the show’s fifth season.
Back then, the pair had pretty much zero building experience and yet still managed to come in second place.
After that, Dan competed on The Block: All Stars, became a Certified Master Builder, started running successful constriction business, Red Door Project AND earned a permanent role on the show as a site foreman.
He is unquestionably one experienced insider, so who better to dish the dirt on what’s happening behind the scenes of The Block 2018?
2018 is Dan’s fourth year as foreman.
“This year’s project was something special,” Dan told Now to Love.
“Everyone knows or has heard of the Gatwick in St Kilda. It’s an iconic old building, and there are just so many stories that came with it. To get in there and fix it up was a pleasure.”
Dan agreed with an earlier statement The Block host Scott Cam made to Woman’s Day, that this year’s contestants were, “pretty high strung from the start.”
“I got my head blasted off by a contestant on day two, which I was pretty shocked about, to be honest,” he reveals.
“I hadn’t had a contestant yell at me that early in the competition before. I didn’t think that was called for,” Dan continues.
“I feel like their game faces were on straight away. They’re quite a competitive bunch.”
“I feel like their game faces were on straight away. They’re quite a competitive bunch,” Dan reveals.
Having been a Block contestant not once but twice, Dan is in an exceptional position when it comes to helping out the couples on the show- when they let LET him help them, that is.
“When there are big conflicts and arguments on site, it’s hard because people feel like they’re being ganged up on. They won’t take the help Keith and I offer because they think we’re out to get them.”
“I’ve been on the other side now for so many years, I feel like they don’t trust me enough,” Foreman Dan continues.
“We’re not only trying to give them advice on how to get along, but we’re giving them information on building, and if they haven’t got the right building team, we try and hint at that as well.”
“When Dani and I were contestants, we felt a little bit like the outsiders on and we know it’s tough to deal with.”
“When I was getting hinted at, especially from Keith, when I was on The Block: All Stars, I thought he was trying to set me up. But guess what? He was right, he was 100 per cent right.”
“That’s the draining thing about it, Keith and I are actually on the contestant’s side.”
“We’ll even do their dirty walk for them and tell their tradies off.”
“We’ll even do their dirty walk for them and tell their tradies off. Even if they think we’re mean or nasty, we’re doing them a favour because we’re helping their product be a better product than what it was.”
“People don’t realise how tough it is to compete on The Block“, Dan explains.
“The contestants have to project manage their builds or their room for that week on top of the actual physical labour and you can’t even start painting until night time. The hours that the contestants put in is exhausting.”
“It’s also important to remember that the contestants could not get these rooms done without having good tradies who are prepared to stay long hours to get a couple over the line.”
“It’s a big thing to get the right team behind you and keep in mind there is little or no reward for these tradies.”
“Every year, by week three or four, the contestants always say to us, ‘I didn’t think it would be this hard’.”
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