After being heavily criticised by fans of The Block for his behaviour on the show, former contestant Paige Beechey has come to the defence of controversial builder Zak.
In week five, Paige and her fiancee Jesse opted to leave the reality show, citing mental health concerns.
Shortly after, Sydney-based sisters Maddy and Charlotte arrived at Phillip Island to take over renovations on House 1, subsequently inheriting the build team that their predecessors had been working with for over a month.
Very quickly things turned sour, with a series of disagreements over the project and their differing communication styles seeing Zak quit the project – taking his team with him.
While fans were quick to jump to the defence of the girls, who are the youngest team to ever compete on The Block at 22 and 25, they were even quicker to slam Zak for his apparent treatment of them.
So intense was the onslaught, that Paige joined a fan forum on Facebook and shared a lengthy statement where she spoke of her experience with the embattled builder.
Describing him as “respectful, hardworking” and “very approachable and easy to talk to, even as a woman,” the claims specialist said in her experience working with the tradesman, he was “amazing.”
“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,” she emphatically penned.
“As a ‘client’ I never batted an eye at the way he spoke or interacted with anyone. He was there when I needed to vent and he was there to pull my head back in the game when I needed it.”
The 27-year-old added that the builder was also a “fan favourite” on the site and “very well respected.”
Paige went on to add that while she didn’t want to undermine the experience of Maddy and Charlotte, she did want to encourage viewers to “remember there are more sides to what you watch [on TV|.”
“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,” she added.
“Both Zak and the girls deserve big kudos for everything they did, regardless of how it turned out.”
