The Block 2026: Courtney explodes at Dan as Tayla demands pool tiles be ripped up

Foreman Dan is officially in panic mode, with progress on The Block falling so far behind that he fears none of the five houses will be finished on time.

“We are in grave danger of five houses not finishing,” he declares.

It’s almost as though laying up to 206 square metres of decking, tiling and filling a swimming pool, and creating an outdoor entertaining area in a single week was always going to be a massive ask.

Courtney and Sev have the biggest outdoor space to tackle, with a whopping 206 square metres of decking on their to-do list. So when Dan and site manager Gmac tell Courtney she can’t run the decking right up to the edge of her pool, she is quick to accuse the team of a stitch-up.

The problem? The edge of the pool needs to be tiled to prevent stains and oils from the timber leaching into the water.

Dan explains that Courtney needs to tile around the lip of the pool, but she isn’t buying his explanation.

“How long have you had the design for now? And you’ve only just read it,” she protests.

“Nine in Six, who never miss a single beat and who have had our plans for over a month now have missed a detail, which is impossible because they never miss a detail.”

Dan, however, isn’t having a bar of it.

He points out that Nine in Six are responsible for checking structural issues, not catching every minor design detail across five enormous builds. Besides, he argues, the problem is relatively small and should be easy to fix.

“She should have looked at the specs of the Plungie pool and realised it wouldn’t have worked the way they designed it. She’s pointing the finger at everyone else but maybe she should be looking at herself,” he says.

Courtney remains unconvinced, preferring to believe the oversight was deliberate rather than an honest mistake.

“I do feel that they have known all along and have decided to let us know now,” she says.

As Courtney’s meltdown finally starts to settle, another contestant is about to have a major blow-up of her own.

Tayla demands Chantel rip up the pool tiles

The previous day, a delivery of pool tiles arrived at Chantel and Wyatt’s house. Chantel could see they weren’t the tiles she’d ordered and even agreed they were ugly, but decided it wasn’t worth organising another delivery.

Instead, she told her tilers to get on with the job.

Unfortunately, when Tayla opens her own tile delivery, she discovers a tile she never ordered. After contacting the supplier, she learns that her tiles have been delivered to the wrong house and, to make matters worse, they’ve already been laid.

Tayla storms into the cafe, where Chantel is enjoying a break with Lisa, Courtney and Sev, and demands that the tiles be ripped up and returned.

Chantel, meanwhile, couldn’t seem to care less.

“I just thought they were a bad batch,” she shrugs. “Just get more. I’m not taking them off. There’s no time to fix them and I don’t care that much.”

That response sends Tayla into a rage.

“Take them off before I actually smash someone,” she fumes, leaving the other contestants watching the confrontation with a mixture of amusement and horror.

Sev isn’t surprised by Chantel’s reaction, suggesting it reflects a familiar pattern throughout the competition.

“I think Chantel’s response was quite nonchalant because that’s been the theme throughout the competition,” she observes.

But while the argument threatens to turn into another full-blown Block feud, there’s a simple solution waiting in the wings.

It turns out there are enough of Tayla’s chosen tiles already on site for her to finish her own pool, meaning the entire drama may have been much ado about nothing.

A surprise addition lifts everyone’s spirits

Thankfully, the contestants finally get some good news to take the edge off the day’s drama.

Their landscapers have secretly selected a major feature item for each house’s outdoor area, giving the contestants something exciting to look forward to amid the mounting pressure.

Three teams have opted for enormous outdoor fireplaces, adding a dramatic centrepiece to their entertaining spaces.

Adam and Jolene’s landscaper has chosen a striking outdoor setting made from monolithic stone and timber, while Lisa and Rosco’s team has gone in a completely different direction with a spherical sculpture made from rusted iron by a local artist.

With outdoor week proving to be every bit as stressful as expected, these finishing touches could be exactly what the contestants need to pull their properties together.

But with deadlines looming, design disputes erupting and tempers wearing thin, the question remains whether all five teams can get their homes across the finish line in time.