Two former contestants on The Block have criticised presenter Scott Cam after he made “unpleasant” comments about recent contestants on the show.
Cam said last month that those taking part in Channel Nine’s revamp have less staying power than they did 20 years ago when the programme started.
“They’re less resilient than they were 20 or 15 years ago,” Cam said. news.com.au at that time.
“There’s more expectation that it’s going to get easier, but it’s not. It’s going to get harder… And people aren’t ready for how hard it is.”
Paige and Jesse, who dramatically left the series midway through the current season, responded to Cam’s comments.
Speaking with Yahoo Lifestylethe Western Australian team were not impressed by Cam’s comments.
“A lot of people didn’t like what Scott said. A lot of people didn’t like that. I thought that was really tasteless,” Paige said.
Jesse indicated that the show is completely different these days and that the candidates don’t have time to build, because they are caught up in daily consultations.
Two former contestants on The Block have hit out at presenter Scott Cam after he made “nasty” comments about recent contestants on the show. Last month, Cam, 61, said that contestants in Channel Nine’s revamp are less gutsy than they were 20 years ago when the show started
Paige and Jesse, who dramatically left the show midway through the current season, responded to Cam’s comments. “A lot of people didn’t like what Scott said. A lot of people didn’t like that. I thought that was really tasteless,” Paige said.
“It’s 20 years later and the show has changed. We probably don’t build as much as we did 15, 20 years ago, because you can’t. You have meetings every day,” she said.
The couple then complained about the amount of miles they had to cover this season.
The Phillip Island build site is approximately a two-hour drive from Melbourne, from where participants are expected to set out daily for challenges and sponsorships.
“We’ve been driving a lot this year, we’re on the road eight to ten hours a day…a lot of people don’t realize that,” Jesse added.
This week, fans of the hit renovation show have threatened to turn off the TV channels en masse because of all the drama in the current series.
Viewers took to Reddit en masse this week to report scenes that left them “anxious and angry”, with concerns raised for newcomers Maddy and Charlotte.
Supporters of the Sydney sisters were furious that the couple were “set up for failure” after they were thrown in at the deep end in week five and faced their fiery builder.
The couple then complained about the amount of driving required this season. The Phillip Island construction site is about a two-hour drive from Melbourne, where competitors are expected to travel daily for challenges and sponsorships.
“The last few episodes have left me feeling anxious and angry. Not exactly what you want from a show that just brags,” one person wrote in a lengthy post.
‘There is a certain kind of man who, when he deals with young women, especially beautiful young women, immediately tries to outdo them, tries to dominate them, no matter how low the stakes.
‘They’re just trying to work against you in every way possible, why? To punish you for being a young woman?
“This year there was a lot of driving, you’re on the road eight to ten hours a day…a lot of people don’t realize that,” Jesse said
‘Since Maddy and Charlotte have been here, I can feel the tension building in my shoulders when I watch this show. I realise how they are being treated.’
The Redditor went on to say that it felt like Maddy, 24, and Charlotte, 22, were getting little support from the show. The sisters were recently left in tears when their builder Zak turned on them and left the show.
“Anyway, I hope something will change because it’s not nice to see two young women being trapped without any of their own control,” they added.
Many viewers agreed with the Reddit post, with some saying they either stopped watching the show altogether or only watch the room reveals on Sunday.
“I’ve stopped watching. I considered only watching on Sundays but The Amazing Race is on. Life is too short to watch this crap,” one person wrote.
Another added: ‘How is it that this behavior is not only NOT being addressed on screen, but is actually being used as a dramatic storyline with no consequences for this horrible behavior?’
“I used to watch every episode, now I record Sunday’s episode so I can fast forward the crap and just watch the review,” another fan noted.