The Block season 1

The Block
Season 1
No. of episodes	13
Release
Original network	Nine Network
Original release	1 June (2003-06-01) – 17 August 2003 (2003-08-17)
Season chronology
Next → Season 2

Jamie Durie host

The first season of Australian reality television series The Block , retroactively titled The Block 2003, aired on the Nine Network. Jamie Durie was announced as host and John McGrath was announced as Judge. The season premiered on 1 June 2003. ^[1]

The first season of The Block began airing on 1 June 2003 on the Nine Network, replacing Backyard Blitz and Location Location in the network's flagship timeslot ^[2] of Sunday at 6:30 to 7:30 pm (AEST). ^[3] The series was presented by Backyard Blitz host Jamie Durie and filmed in Bondi, with the majority of filming being completed prior to the series airing for editing purposes. ^[3]

Contestants

Selected from approximately 2,000 applicants, ^[3] the four couples in the series were:

• Adam Thorn (aged 30) and Fiona Mills (27), a married couple from Banksia. A data analyst and former sales representative, the couple had renovated three properties prior to competing on The Block. ^{[4] [5]} They renovated the first ground-floor apartment (flat number one) and were widely considered the "show favourites" throughout the course of the series. ^[4] Their apartment—which was the last to be auctioned—sold for $751,000 earning them the highest profit of $156,000 as well as the winning prize of $100,000. ^[4] Mills appeared on the cover of Ralph while the series was airing in July 2003. ^[6]
• Warren Sonin (37) and Gavin Atkins (35), a sales manager and public relations manager from Elizabeth Bay. ^{[4] [7] [8]}
• Paul (30) and Kylie Ingram (31), a plumber and travel agent married for two years
• Phil Rankine (33) and Amity Dry (24), marketing executive and singer married for a year from Kirribilli

The combined auction profits were $443,000.

Room Wins

Couple [9]	Room Wins
Adam & Fiona	2 / 5
Kylie & Paul	1.5 / 5
Gav & Waz	0.5 / 5
Phil & Amity	1 / 5

Auction

Auction results ^{[10] [11]}

Rank	Couple	Apartment	Reserve	Auction Result	Profit	Total Winnings	Auction order	Buyer
1	Adam and Fiona	Flat 1 (Ground floor)	$595,000	$751,000	$156,000	$256,000	4th	Unidentified Sydney woman
2	Paul and Kylie	Flat 4 (Upstairs)		$747,000	$152,000	$152,000	3rd	Sydney businessman, Wayne
3	Warren and Gavin	Flat 2 (Ground floor)		$670,000	$75,000	$75,000	2nd	Crazy John's
4	Phil and Amity	Flat 3 (Upstairs)		$655,000	$60,000	$60,000	1st	The Sun-Herald

Reception

The first season was a ratings success with an average nightly reviewership of 2.239 million. ^[12] The Grand Finale of the season had a viewership of 3.115 million viewers. ^[13]

References

1. Ellis, Scott (1 June 2003). "Doing their block". The Sun-Herald. Sydney. p. 8 (Television).
2. Melloy, Neil (24 May 2003). "Reality is a queer thing". The Courier Mail . Brisbane. p. 27.
3. Warneke, Ross (5 June 2003). "The Block's a winner or I'm out to pasture". The Age . Melbourne. p. 6 (Green Guide).
4. Wells, Rachel; Jenkins, Melissa (18 August 2003). "Everyone a winner as buyers vie for chip off the Block". The Age. Melbourne. p. 3.
5. "They've been around the Block – now they'll chase their dream". The Advertiser . Adelaide. 23 August 2003. p. 5.
6. Williams, Nadine; Hurt, Jessica, eds. (28 July 2003). "Fiona tries another type of stripping". The Advertiser. p. 20.
7. Sutton, Candace (8 June 2003). "Gay TV tut-tutting straight from past - Radio chip at new Block guarantees top ratings". The Sun-Herald . Sydney: Fairfax Media. p. 46.
8. Jinman, Richard (5 June 2003). "Doing their block down at Bondi". The Age . Melbourne: Fairfax Media. p. 19 (Green Guide).
9. "Does The Block judging affect final auction results? | finder.com.au". www.finder.com.au. Archived from the original on 24 November 2015.
10. "Watch The Block - Episode 12 | 9Jumpin". www.9jumpin.com.au. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015.
11. "More runs around Block". Sydney Morning Herald. 18 August 2003. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
12. Renovated Block A Major Success Herald Sun^{[ dead link ]}
13. "Top 20 programs 1998-2009 - Top programs - in the archive - Industry trends - Television - Fact Finders".