Scott Cam has explained why he was largely missing frk*, revealing that he spent almost two weeks receiving hospital treatment following major knee surgery.

The 63-year-old appeared in high spirits when the renovation series launched its 22nd season on Channel Nine. Away from the cameras, however, he had been dealing with a painful recovery that left him relying on a walking stick.

Scott Cam shares an update from hospital

Cam addressed his absence in an Instagram post published as the new season premiered on Sunday night.

“You may have noticed I’ve been a little MIA before The Block kicking off tonight,” he wrote.

“I’ve been getting a new knee for the last two weeks to keep up with the grandkids.”

The accompanying photographs showed the longtime host giving a thumbs-up from his hospital bed. Another image revealed the dressing around his knee, while a separate photograph showed him using a cane as he gradually returned to his feet.

Despite spending much of the pre-launch period receiving treatment, Cam was still able to appear throughout the season’s opening episode, which had been filmed earlier this year.

An unexpected moment involving a contestant

Cam had already undergone an arthroscopy shortly before filming began and said his knee remained extremely sore when the new contestants arrived at the Mount Eliza site.

During the premiere, Victorian personal trainer Tayla gave the host an enthusiastic welcome by running towards him and jumping into his arms.

Speaking during a site inspection on July 16, Cam connected that moment with the worsening problems he later experienced.

“Just before the show started, I had an arthroscope on my knee, and it was very sore,” he said.

“[Tayla] ran from 10 feet away and launched onto me – I stumbled, I held on, and now on Monday, I’m getting a new knee.”

Cam delivered the account with humour, but the procedure that followed required an extended period of hospital treatment and temporarily kept him away from the usual promotional schedule.

A difficult start to his recovery

The television host later acknowledged that the first stage of his recovery had been particularly uncomfortable.

“The first five days were not good. Let me tell you. I’m at the back end now, I’m sweet,” he told Stav, Abby & Matt.

“I was on the heavy-duty [painkillers] in the early days because knee replacements are pretty big.

“Yeah, there’s a lot of pain involved. But now I’m at the back end. I’m going home on Sunday, and I’m still incapacitated a little bit with a walking stick.”

Although he had not yet regained full mobility, Cam reassured viewers that his condition was improving and indicated that the most difficult part of the recovery was behind him.

The Block begins a new chapter in Mount Eliza

Cam’s update came as The Block 2026 introduced five new teams tasked with transforming luxury homes in Mount Eliza on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.

The properties are located on a 1.35-hectare site reportedly purchased by Nine for approximately $11 million. Their Port Phillip Bay views and premium designs are expected to place them at the upper end of the local market.

This year’s contestants include South Australians Jolene and Adam Wagner, Western Australians Rosco Wilson and Lisa Dunbar, Brisbane renovators Courtney Kain and Sevilay Keser, Gold Coast couple Chantel Green and Wyatt Randall, and Victorian father-and-daughter team Tayla and Rick Peroomal.

The network will be hoping the Mount Eliza season attracts stronger buyer interest after two properties from the previous Daylesford series remained unsold months after its finale.

For Cam, however, the launch carried an additional personal significance. While viewers saw him confidently welcoming a new group of renovators, his hospital photographs revealed the difficult experience unfolding behind the scenes.