Tensions between the Blockheads have never been higher, three weeks out from Scotty Cam declaring ‘tools down’ for the final time.
While the teams should be occupying themselves with the many tasks still left to complete, all anyone seems to care about is the mud being slung across the fence by neighbouring teams, Houses 2 and 3.
WATCH NOW: Kristy and Steph feud on The Block. Article continues after video.
Once thick as thieves, relations between the two couples are now strained, especially between former best friends Leah and Kristy.
“Things are dicier,” confirms Kristy, adding there is a “tense” feeling in the air.
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The pair was labelled a clique very early on. House 4’s Steph was on the receiving end of their perceived ‘meal girl’ behaviour, while House 5’s sisters Eliza and Liberty were at the centre of a conspiracy theory about how they got on the show.
Leah has since expressed regret for her involvement, although Kristy believes the apology was calculated. She claims it was crafted by Leah to repair her reputation for post-show fame – and to throw Kristy and Brett under the bus!
“I think it was a case of ‘Hey, this is coming to an end. I can’t play anymore. I’ve got to make something after this [The Block],” tells Kristy.
“Leah wanted to clear her name. A few other contestants were being critical of her, but by trying to clear her name, Leah was trying to deflect on to us. And we were like ‘No, no, no, all of this drama didn’t include us.”
Brett agrees with his wife’s assessment that Leah might be trying to save face.
Aside from House 1’s Kyle and Leslie and themselves, Brett says that “every other team has changed personalities. They are getting nervous about how they are being seen,” – before Kristy interjects with a sly dig: “Apart from Ash. He could never change, even if he tried,” she jokes.
Leah says she’s attempted to extend an olive branch to Kristy and Brett, but the couple admits they are taking it with a grain of salt. In fact, Brett recently called Leah out “straight to her face”, having grown tired of her behaviour.
“I said, ‘You and I go out to the pub, off mic. We go out to a normal space. If you have a genuine concern, there are spots like that to bring it up. But you bringing a whole camera crew in here shows me you are [just] trying to clear your name.”
“She is playing it for the camera, looking the part. It’s like, there goes the character she wants to portray.”
Our source says that, behind the scenes, production is secretly pleased that Leah brings the cameras wherever she goes, as she “gets” that they are filming a reality show and things need to be recorded.
The source also adds that the crew is “more annoyed with Kristy” as she always tries to sneak away and do things off-camera. She once even tried to stop them filming her going shopping!
For now, the couples are at an impasse, with Brett saying he and Kristy are choosing to be “civil.”
However, Kristy seemingly can’t resist taking a pot shot when she says she wouldn’t want to trade with Leah and Ash if Scotty were to suddenly spring a house swap on them in one final plot twist.
“It’s not in our aesthetic,” she says of the next-door property.
“It’s very small…quite tight.”
