When Tom and Sarah-Jane made a $20,000 profit on The Block this year at auctions fans were collectively devastated – yet, many thought the couple were lucky since other contestants weren’t even able to sell their houses.
Watch Below: The Block’s Tom and Sarah – sold
$20,000 is still a profit, right? Well actually, it’s not according to the couple, who revealed on Instagram that going on the show had a lot of hidden costs.
The Melbourne-based couple revealed that they had to leave their one-year-old daughter Cleo in the care of family members for the three months of filming. With those relatives working full-time jobs, the pair had no other choice but to send Cleo to daycare during the week.
Although teams on The Block receive a daily $200 stipend from Channel Nine, it only just covered daycare costs, leaving a very small amount to cover the rest of their bills.
“Essentially you get paid $100 per day [per person],” Sarah-Jane explained to fans on Instagram.
“[After childcare], straight away we were left with $80 combined to cover all of our bills at home — our rates, mortgages, utilities, pay for food for ourselves the whole time, feed and clothe our daughter, just everything.”
Although it was tough, the couple insists they have “no regrets” joining the show, as the series was an “experience itself” and “so worth it.”
However, they’re open to sharing with fans that they didn’t think about the money they risked losing when joining the show.
The pair explained that they ended up relying on their savings during the show, spending an estimated $40,000. On top of that, Sarah-Jane explained that Tom lost approximately $40,000 by not working for three months, whilst she herself could have earned around $20,000.
Whilst it’s never a guarantee you will win on reality TV, The Block had a surprisingly good track record in previous seasons. However, this year it was an important reminder that any show is a risk!
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
