The Block 2021 winners Mitch and Mark have issued a lengthy statement on Instagram about the backlash received by their competitor Tanya Guccione who was involved in the show’s “biggest ever cheating scandal.”
The pair, who pocketed over $744,000 on auction day, asked their followers to “give Tanya a chance” following a season-long cheating scandal on The Block.
Early on in the show, the Melbourne mum was found to have a pic of The Block‘s embargoed production schedule. For weeks, she maintained it was sent to her by an anonymous tradie before it all came to a head when twins Luke and Josh revealed the truth.
Tanya and Vito. Source: Nine. 
Luke and Josh. Source: Nine.
The twins told producers Tanya had taken the illicit snap while the cast was filming promos ahead of the season.
“We had the production office being used as a toilet and I went in there,” Josh confessed. He added that he looked at the schedule but under no circumstances did he take a photo.
45 minutes later, Tanya told him she had also seen the schedule. It was then that she asked Josh to stand guard while she took a photo of it. The image was later sent to Luke.
“Obviously we know the truth and we haven’t been saying the truth, so we feel now is the time to say it,” Josh expressed during Sunday night’s finale.
Mitch and Mark’s Plea for Forgiveness
Nobody clashed more with Tanya and Vito than winners Mitch and Mark. Yet it seems that stashing a large sum of prize money has them feeling generous!
In an Instagram post on Monday, the Sydney-based granddads emplored people to forgive “the purple headed girl”.
“She made a mistake. Have you ever made a mistake and tried to cover it up,” the couple penned. “It gained momentum and before you knew, there was no way out, you’d dug such a big hole you couldn’t see any way out – [imagine] doing this on the biggest show on Australian television…
“This is what happened to Tanya, we know her, she’s good, but she stuffed up, we have too made mistakes, you all saw me (Mitch) with my inside head thoughts that I blurted out,” the post read.
Fans of the show will remember the many times the couple dubbed House 3 “liars” during heated confrontations.
The post concluded with Mitch and Mark asking their followers to “consider what Tanya has gone thru [sic]”.
“We know this is difficult and we’ve had time to talk with Tanya and support her to move forward,” the winners wrote. “Please join us and give Tanya a chance, we all deserve it.
The Block regular Shelley Craft also showed support on the post.
“No truer words spoken boys. If the ones… affected most are happy to forward….then that should be good enough for everyone!”
Former Winners of The Block Have Defended Tanya Over The Cheating Scandal
2018 winners Hayden and Sara Vale previously went to bat for Tanya and Vito over the cheating scandal.
Chatting to host Megan Pustetto on the So Dramatic! podcast, the Vales admitted they don’t think House 3 got a “heads up” advantage from having the photo.
“It’s not really [a cheating scandal], because you know that you’re going to have to renovate the whole house,” Hayden said in episode 110. “Yeah, she might’ve found out what order they were thinking about filming it in, but at the end of the day, all of the rooms have got to get done.”
The father-of-two also confessed he “feel[s] sorry” for the Gucciones amidst their unfair portrayal as cheaters.
“They seem like a pretty easy-going couple and they’ve been hammered a lot. When The Block drums up these storylines they can really portray you in a negative light.”
You can listen to more of Hayden and Sara‘s chat on So Dramatic! With Megan Pustetto here.
Got the goss on one of The Block 2021: 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.
