A second "copycat" dispute is poised to air on the renovation reality series The Block after two teams on the Daylesford site unveiled nearly identical design concepts, Daily Mail Australia reported.
Adelaide duo Matt and Robby had been planning a show‑stopping wine cellar and bunker when Victorian husband‑and‑wife team Em and Ben revealed an almost identical feature at House One, according to the report. The new clash follows an earlier on‑screen feud in which Queensland pair Alicia and Sonny accused Perth contestants Han and Can of copying their Hepburn Springs bathroom heated seat design.
Production sources told Daily Mail the contrast between the two incidents has provided dramatic material for producers: while Alicia and Sonny confronted their rivals angrily, Matt and Robby reportedly kept their reaction quiet, privately saying the duplication would amount to cheating if they had done the same. "You’ve got Alicia and Sonny bringing fireworks, and Matt and Robby playing it cool," one insider said. "Two identical scandals, two totally different strategies. It’s perfect TV."
The earlier dispute, which has already aired, centred on matching heated seats included in the Hepburn Spa bathrooms by both teams. Alicia was shown on camera questioning why another house would repeat their idea and called the move "uncreative" and "unoriginal," while Sonny criticised what he saw as dishonesty. Han and Can denied deliberately copying the concept, saying tradespeople had suggested the feature; Can later apologised to Sonny and Alicia, describing the situation as a misunderstanding.
Han was visibly upset on camera after the accusation; Can said in a separate interview that "to be viewed as a person who would steal an idea absolutely disgusts me. I'm not that person. That hurts." A production insider described the confrontation as among the season's "most heated moments," and said emotions remained high on site.
Contestants involved in the emerging wine‑cellar dispute responded differently. Em is reported to have earlier said, "If we put a wine cellar in our backyard, it'd be considered cheating," only for House One to proceed with a similar design. Matt and Robby, by contrast, are said to have kept their displeasure private while raising concerns off camera.
The Block, which has aired for more than two decades, has a long history of on‑site disagreements and controversies. Producers typically weave interpersonal disputes and design clashes into episodes, and the show remains scheduled to reach auction day later this season, a milestone that can determine contestants' final financial outcomes.
Fans of the series are awaiting the upcoming episodes to see how the wine‑cellar controversy is edited and presented, and whether the contrasting approaches adopted by different teams will influence viewer perceptions or judges' assessments. Channel Nine was contacted for comment but had not responded to requests at the time of publication.
With the previously aired heated‑seat confrontation still fresh in public view and the wine‑cellar storyline yet to run, tensions across the Daylesford site appear unresolved as the season moves toward its climax.