Don’t know the difference between a wrench and a screwdriver? The Block creator Julian Cress says that isn’t important when it comes to choosing contestants for the famed renovation show!

As casting for The Block’s 2022 Tree Change season in Byron Bay gets underway, Julian told TV Tonight that he’s more interested in contestants with passion than those with building experience.

The Block producer Julian Cress says he looks for contestants with passion rather than renovation experience. Source: Nine.
The Block producer Julian Cress says he looks for contestants with passion rather than renovation experience. Source: Nine.

“We love people that have the energy and enthusiasm to give it a shot,” he said. “We’ve had people who say they can’t build. You don’t necessarily need to know how to swing a hammer to do The Block.”

Still, Julian added that “it helps” to have some knowledge before stepping onsite.

After 17 seasons of the beloved show, a lack of renovation experience has yet to have any drastic repercussions for the producers or contestants.

Phil and Amity had no renovation experience before appearing on The Block, says Julian Cress. Source: Nine.

Julian said that Phil and Amity from the show’s inaugural season were perhaps the most inexperienced of Blockheads, claiming they had “no idea what they were doing”.

“Not only did they survive that first series, but when we brought them back, they won the All Star series,” he said of the couple’s win in 2013.

The Key To Success On The Block

Julian also told the publication that the key to success on The Block is having a “really strong” relationship with your teammate.

“It’s about… being willing to work extremely hard and have the ability to learn very quickly,” he added.

For the first time ever, the 18th season of The Block will see Blockheads renovate properties in regional Victoria, with production reported to have snapped up a chunk of land in Gisborne, Macedon Ranges.

If you’re keen on giving a derelict home a facelift, you must be in a pair and be aged between 18 and 65-years-old. The exact same casting requirements have been in place since the show’s original run in 2003!

Be quick, because applications close on October 18, 2021.

While you wait for your call-up to the show, you can catch the current Fans VS Faves season now on Channel Nine and 9Now.

Got the goss on one of The Block: Fan vs Favourite’s contestants? Spill the tea here!

Get the tea first! Follow So Dramatic! on Instagram and tune in on Mondays to get your reality tea fix with the So Dramatic! podcast with Megan Pustetto.