They may have cited a family health concern as their reason for quitting The Block 2023, however, there may be more to Elle Ferguson and Joel Patfull‘s departure than they let on.

The influencer and her ex-AFL playing fiancé made headlines in April after walking off the reality show just two days into production after Joel’s mother suffered a fall and fractured her neck, with potential damage to her coccyx and wrist.

Accordingly, the couple quickly returned to Adelaide to be with her.

elle ferguson joel patfull the block quit reason
There may be more to influencer Elle Ferguson and her fiancé Joel Patfull’s departure from The Block than let on. Source: Instagram @joelpatfull.

As such, fans were left shellshocked by host Scott Cam‘s comments at the Logies, where he called their withdrawal from the competition “p*ss-poor”.

“[Elle and Joel] got on and they just couldn’t handle the pace after 48 hours. Which to me is a bit unAustralian!” Scott confessed, adding: “Have a go!”

Pretty harsh words for two people who just wanted to put their family first, hey?!

However, as reported in episode 197 of the So Dramatic! podcast, a crew member from The Block doubled down on Scotty’s statements.

“I don’t think they got along with anyone and they didn’t seem like they knew what they had signed up for,” the insider dished. “Elle didn’t want to wear any of the sponsored tradie clothing, along with the selected outfits for promo filming.”

There were reportedly also whispers onsite that the influencer, who harbours over 680K followers on Instagram, didn’t believe the supplied ‘fits were “on-brand” for her.

elle ferguson on brand tradie gear the block
The influencer reportedly did not want to wear the sponsored tradesman outfits supplied to contestants. Source: Nine.

The source also said Elle and Joel “weren’t happy with the site conditions” at the Gisborne location.

“I.e. the toilet paper, food, or any of the support around them, so they walked off for those reasons, but used the family thing to cover it up,” they added.

“It was very much they thought they deserved better than the rest.”

What Happened After Elle Ferguson and Joel Patfull Left The Block?

While the couple hasn’t officially addressed their departure from the show, Elle did share a cryptic — albeit heartwarming — post from the airport after the news broke.

“Wherever you are in the world. Whatever you are doing. family always comes first,” the 36-year-old wrote on her Instagram story.

However, The Block source believes this was just a rouse for her followers.

After the couple left the series on the Sunday, the insider began following Elle “once [they] heard of the issues”.

“I believe she flew to Adelaide regarding the family health concern… and she was back in Sydney by the Thursday and life was back to influencing,” they noticed. “No further mention of the issues for the family.”

So Dramatic! Daily podcast

There Have Been Previous Claims That The Block‘s Living Conditions Were Poor

Elle and Joel’s complaints regarding the site conditions aren’t the first we’ve heard of The Block‘s lacklustre offerings.

In May, an unnamed source told The Daily Telegraph of the show’s “inhumane” conditions, citing a lack of food and water, cold AF temperatures and minimal toilet paper.

“They barely have any food,” one insider said. “Some days a muesli bar and apple is as good as it gets… There is a catering tent on site, but that is for the production staff only.

“Everyone is starving, exhausted and stressed. One female contestant has been crying for three days straight.”

Want even more goss? Listen to episode 197 of the So Dramatic! podcast with Megan Pustetto below!

Know something that we don’t? 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.