The Block 2020 episode 12 recap: Jimmy and Tam’s winning streak comes to a screaming halt

Author:ahsan

Jimmy and Tam’s hopes of a fifth straight victory were flushed away by their exhibitionist ensuite.

After winning every single room reveal and challenge since the series began, the couple’s controversial decision to rejig their architect’s plans to position their walk-in-wardrobe behind the bathroom was poo-pooed by judges Shaynna Blaze, Neale Whitaker and Darren Palmer.

Why?

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Well, as put crassly by host Scott Cam: “If I was doing a Henry the Third and my wife wanted to get ready for work, she’d have to walk through the bathroom to get dressed.”

Now there’s an image that’ll be hard to shake.

Scott Cam doesn’t plan to do a Henry the Third anywhere near Jimmy and Tam’s walk in robe.

Shaynna said the poorly positioned and undersized wardrobe was a “disaster” and urged the couple to tear it out and start again.

It’s lucky for the other teams that Jimmy and Tash created such a woeful wardrobe because Darren had described their lemon-hued bedroom one of the most impressive he’d ever seen, even making him rethink his hatred for cream brickwork.

The judges inspect Jimmy and Tam’s disastrous wardrobe.

With the favourites out of the running it became a close-run race between three of the four remaining couples.

Only George and Sarah failed to keep pace with the other three teams, with the judges put off by their loud wallpaper and underwhelming wardrobe.

The only part of the Sydneysiders room that the judges liked was that salvaged ceiling rose which George lovingly nicknamed “Ceiling Dion” after the Canadian songbird known for hitting high notes.

Sarah and George's master bedroom and walk in robe

Sarah and George’s master bedroom had an underwhelming walk in robe, but a showstopping ceiling rose.

But the father and daughter duo Harry and Tash — after a week from hell — edged out the competition with their humungous master bedroom, winning the $10,000 prizemoney by half a point.

The judges loved their green feature wall and impressively high sky-lit ceilings. They reserved their only criticism for the walk-in-wardrobe which they said was “style over substance” because of the way the hanging space had been configured.

It would be hard to argue that Harry and Tash didn’t deserve this victory. They threw everything they had at the epic challenge of renovating a space almost double the size of their rivals.

Harry and Tash's master bedroom and walk in robe

Harry and Tash’s get their first win thanks to their super-sized master bedroom and walk in robe.

Making matters worse, a rundown Tash was forced to self-isolate in the guest bedroom for a day amid growing fears she may have contracted Covid – remembering that these episodes were shot before Melbourne was plunged into the first lockdown and it was still pretty much business as usual across the state.

It could not have come at a worse time as she and dad Harry were already well and truly behind everyone else and had pulled out all the stops (not to mention the Hipages lever) to get that bedroom finished by deadline.

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With hapless Harry facing the prospect of having to do hours and hours of painting to cover the metres and metres of bedroom, without Tash to help him, he got just what every man on the edge needs — a visit from foreman Dan to point out just how much he still had to do.

Only on this occasion Dan didn’t just stand around looking concerned while lecturing Harry about his shoddy workmanship and poor planning, he actually lent a hand, picking up some supplies (from one of the show’s many sponsors, Mitre 10).

Daniel and Jasmin's master bedroom and WIR

Daniel and Jade tied for second.

In the race against time, Harry put his foot in it — twice. Clambering over the wardrobes to finish painting patches of ceiling, he managed to put a leg through the top of one. That was just before he managed to tear the ligaments in his ankle racing to the car to get supplies as the final hour ticked away to reveal time.