CHARLOTTE & MADDIE - THE BLOCK - CHANNEL NINE

It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload, the podcast Last Deep Their Life. Hey guys, welcome back to TV Reload. I want to thank you for clicking and downloading on today's episode with Charlotte and Maddie, who have swooped in to save the day on Channel nine's The Block. After Jesse and Page exited the show due to some mental health issues, the New South Wales Sisters were called in to replace House one with only

How are you here?

I'm good. I just feel excited for the two of you, the youngest contestants to have ever been picked to do the show. Do you think that maybe you've paved the way for more young people to get picked to be on the block.

Gosh, I guess I haven't really thought of it like that before, but I hope so.

And like maybe it's changed people's perception of, you know, what age you should be to go on this show, because so far, you guys have arrived late and you're still doing very well. So anyone who's ages to whatever that word is, they probably need to shut them mouth.

I think it just proves that, like you can't judge the book by its cover, And of course there's young people that maybe might not be as hard working or haven't had, you know, life experience and stuff. But at the same time, there are a lot of young people that work really hard and would be amazing candidates.

I think that a lot of people were watching it now thinking well, I want to be eligible for that kind of cash. Yeah, for sure, you were late to the party, and if you guys know when to thing about reality TV, you would know that it's a bad idea. It's a bad idea to arrive late because of an established clique. How do you feel about arriving six weeks into it?

I think we were a little bit naive coming in.

We just kind of assumed that people would take us under their wing, would be kind, would you know, show us the ropes embrace.

Yeah.

I think we just thought, you know, we're young, and they know what it's like to be in this position. For surely they'll support us.

But yeah, that obviously wasn't really our experience, which was really sad but a bit disappointing. But I guess we just had to stick together and do our best despite it.

You know, being late is really hard on reality shows. It's like turning up to high school midyear with the wrong school uniform.

Julie yeah.

We literally felt like we were the new kids at school for sure.

When you're even a day late. I think in reality TV this is my it's like if you if you arrive at day late, it's like a week late. If you arrive a month late, it's basically like a whole year. So that sort of equation means that you guys sort of turned up a year into filming? Does that mean five years? It turns out I can't speak and I'm bad at maths.

Not an ideal situation.

How did you get the call to do this show? Like as in who made that phone call to you? When you were asked to come in and replace Jesse and Page.

We got the call from the creator of the show, Julian and a producer actually, and we were it was Easter Monday and we're just doing our thing. I think I was cooking a hot cross fun and Charlotte was cleaning and yeah, they were like, a couple has dropped out and we'd love you to be here tomorrow.

If you can, and we were like okay, and next minute we were down in Melbourne the next day and.

How do you get sort of put your life on pause like that? Did you just ghost everyone, including your family and your jobs, like what happens.

Oh, it was extremely chaotic.

Okay, there was definitely people that probably got ghosted because we didn't have time to tell everyone about it.

It was like a like a process of elimination.

It was like, Okay, we'll deal with the people that need to know right away, like work commitments, all that kind of stuff, and then everyone else will slowly get to And so even when we were down in the block, oh no, I forgot to tell this person I can't babysit for their kids on this day.

I'm so sorry.

It's kind of a long story, but I'm actually in philp Island.

So yeah, like it was a bit chaotic.

Could you tell people you're on the block? Did you say sorry, I can't babysit your kids for pocket money anymore?

Some of them we said it was a work trip, and then later on they find out we're on the block, and I was like.

Yeah, that was a work trip.

Thing.

Yeah, well, we didn't know what we could.

And couldn't say, and so for the people that didn't really need to know, it wasn't life or death. It was kind of like, I'm sorry, we've actually had an unexpected opportunity. We're not here, but I guess for the people that need to know, like our parents and immediate family and close close friends, it was like, so sorry, guys, to ditch you all for ten weeks, but we're off.

I just want to know about the hourly rate of babysitting. Is is it more all lucrative to go on the block? Is there hourly rate better than the babysitting daily rate.

Well, we're not guaranteed any money on the block, so yeah, maybe very well, babysitting amazing.

So keep the babysitting club going. You know, how far had you gone in the initial stages of the audition process with Lucky before you found out your word selected for this season?

Like?

Had had you had phone calls? Like was there a zoom call or something? Did you make it through the process and get quite close and then get cut off? Like what happened?

Yeah, we made it through the final round as far as we're aware. That was the final round just before they started.

So we did like the home visit, and we also did like a in person video, I mean an interview that was videos and then do.

We have other calls?

I think we had a phone call or something like that and had at least police checks and all that kind of stuff.

So like we had gone got like relatively in the.

Process and it was yeah, we got to know that literally just before they were going.

Down to film, So yeah, we were very far into the process.

Did you guys wait to see what Jesse and Paige had done to make up your minds on what was going to happen with the theme? Because I got imagine through the casting process that ask you it's in Philip Island, you know, are you going to do Seaside, You're going to do Colonial? Are you going to do Grandma's House? Or whatever it was that they kept saying about Jesse

Well, we had no idea. We didn't know who had left. We were just told a couple had left, any be here tomorrow and we just said yeah.

So we walked in, never seen the house, some sid pictures, didn't know their style, didn't know the couple.

So yeah, we had no idea about Jess page himself or knew was that. Yeah, the couple had left it with the mental health and that was it.

What did you think of what had been done? Like? Is that like turning up at someone who's baking a cake for you and you're like, turns out, I'm like toasta tolerant, I only want ice cream cake? Like what happens with walking in and seeing what someone's done before you.

Yeah, it's an interesting experience because, like, obviously, all the other couples had, you know, a couple of weeks to prepare before coming to the block, to have mood boards and visions, and they could create a style that they wanted to, you know, adopt for the house.

But obviously, coming in late, we really didn't get that opportunity.

We're literally seeing it for the first time mid like a week.

So yeah, we just had.

To run with it and try and make it our own, but at the same time not too much our own, because then the house would look really disjointed.

So, well, you're doing well, I mean, which is always good, But I was curious to know have you had chance to I just want to have them on speed up. Were you able to talk to them? Why you continued building.

No, we actually had no contact. Well we didn't have the jumpers their socials or anything. So no, we had no contact wow to start with. But we have we have met them.

Now, what do they have to say about what you've what you've done?

Now?

Are they like you've followed ours and you've done a good job. If they've given you any feedback on what you managed to do once they left.

Yeah, they've been really positive, reportive, which has been lovely and so I mean, I don't think anyone's going to come to your face and be like, oh, I hate what you did at the house, but to our face, they've been really lovely and supportive, and so that's yeah, we appreciate that.

That's amazing. I think that's always really good. Did you ask if you could do over any of their rooms? I feel like that's what I would want to know, Like, did you see one of their rooms and be like, oh, dear, they've put up that painting that's really grading on me. Are you able to ask if you could do over any of that stuff? Or do they just tell you they had to leave those rooms that had already been squared off.

Well, it's kind of against block rules to like just go and change your room unless be presented, unless there's a readier room. And so we couldn't just come in and just rip off the wallpaper and do things like that.

And plus we did not have the time or the budget. Unfortunately.

I would have loved to have made some of the rooms my own, but like didn't even have a second I was already running behind schedule for the rooms that we were doing, let alone redoing others.

And so that's a negative. That's a negative, goes right up. Yeah, could not go back and do any of those rooms. Just close the door, you know, you know, when you've got a room in the house you don't like, or you put your junk in, that's what you do. Just close that door and pretend it doesn't exist.

We're just embracing it. Yeah, are beautiful.

You would have needed to make some sort of quick decision making. So how did you decide who was going to build and who was going to shop? And like, maybe we haven't seen it flipping around a few times before those show because we're, you know, only up to what we've seen. But I can imagine being sisters that you know, you would have had some sibling rivalry you know, maybe you'd be like, I'm better at this and you're better at that. How did you make that decision?

We kind of just know where our strengths and weaknesses lie. And it just kind of made sense that Charlotte would stay on site. She's like really practical, really yeah, she just has a gift when it comes to understanding the building world. And and then it just made more sense that I would go shopping because we can't have two people on site.

So yeah, we kind of been unspoken. There wasn't really any right, Yeah, no rivalry at all.

It was kind of like, Okay, we know where our strength is lie, and let's just put each other in where our weaknesses are. But let's just split and do our thing and then come back together and figure it out to you know, the bit that we don't understand and or not very good at.

I wonder whether I'd be the page of the group though, where it's like she went shopping to Chadstone and instead of coming back with paining to or whatever she should have come back with, she came back with shoes. Did that ever that cross your minds?

I would have killed her. She did not.

There's no way in the world, you catch me doing that. One, I didn't have the time. Two, I'm not about to go and spend my own money on fancy shoes when you know, I'm barely even having.

The time to shower. Looking stylish was not my priority.

But no, the fact that she found time to do that and present her room props to her but no, absolutely not, that would just stress me out even more.

We should also talk about the teams that are there. Kinlie seemed to give you a pretty frosty welcome. I mean, that's probably the best way to describe her response to your arriving was that the deal is that sort of how you came across. Because I was a little bit curious. I kept seeing sort of in the back of footage the two of you sort of standing next to Kylie at times, So I wondered whether or not that sort of frosty reception she gave you was accurate.

Yeah, what you stay on TV was our experience when we initially met her.

Yeah, she was not thrilled to see us.

But at the same time, while that obviously was a frosty encounter, we always you know, made an effort and tried, and we wanted to break down those walls.

And you know, get to know her. And I don't know how.

Much she enjoyed us trying to do that or if it was received well, But at the same time, we weren't going to get on that same level and treat her the same way she was treating us. So yeah, we yeah, we made our mission to like continue to be kind and make an effort.

Did she respond well to that some time?

Okay?

Yeah, I mean there was definitely a few moments where I felt like, you know, she was telling me about her kids and her life back at home and that kind of stuff, and that was nice to get a glimpse into her world.

But yeah, no, there was obviously the other time. So she was just not thrilled by our existence on the block.

I mean, their little wins, aren't they. When you're trying to relate to someone and they start telling you about their children, that's like, okay, we're getting somewhere.

Yeah.

No, And I genuinely cared about her and Brad and wanted them to do well, and you know, wanted to build a relationship with them. So it was really important to me to you know, find out a bit about her story and who she was, and you know who was.

The most welcoming, Like who do you think when you got there? Was like willing to get to know the two of you, Me and.

Courtney and Christian kind of took off a round on a little tour and they said hi first, and the rest of them we had we didn't really see apart from whether it was either very quick encounter, but we hadn't actually seen them until.

A bit later on a couple of days later.

And then were you able to be like are you crew or you contestants we're competing against? Like how did you know that they were? They were other people that were you're up against.

Honestly, a lot of people came into our house on that birthday and everyone was introducing themselves and I literally said to and I said what do you do?

And I think it was Christian who came up and he was like, I'm Christian. I was like, who are you. He's like, I'm a contestant.

I'm like, oh, okay, out of my house.

Plumbers and all these people coming. So they'd be like Hi, I'm Bob and you'd be like, oh okay, Bob, what do you do? And they're like, well, I'm the electrician, You're like great, nice to meet you. And so I guess it was the same thing with like Charlotte meeting like the contestants, but all she knows they could be plaster and so that was pretty fun me.

So the builders and the tradesman, right, they have been a huge storyline this year. You know a lot of them being flipped out. I mean, you go slip houses, but this season of block people of flipping builders like left, right and center. Why has that been more common this year more so than any other year?

I think actually every other I know, like last year there was a couple of builders that changed too. So I'm not really sure if it's just a new thing or like it's a lot being a block builder.

They work very hard, so it hops off to all the builders on the block. But yeah, I don't know if maybe Philip Island it was harder. Yeah, the travel was really hard for a lot of the builders, especially if they weren't a lot of trade.

Right, And so I think, like huge commitment to move away from your family or have these long days where you can't go home or you're driving long hours, And so I guess like maybe and look to be honest, Like, you really rely on your build team and if it's not a good fit, like, it's just not.

A good fit.

And it doesn't necessarily mean that you know they're bad people or anything like that. It just means that you need to find someone that you feel comfortable with, I feel safe with, and.

That you feel like you came together. Yeah, be a team because you so heavily rely on them.

Did you ever is it in new contract that you're not allowed to ask them to stay over? Because that's what I would do. I'd be like, you've done such a great job today. Can I make you some dinners? You know you want us some cookies and milk? Do you want to sleep on the couch? Are you allowed to do that?

That would probably be frowned upon, And I'm sure it is maybe in the contract. But they kick out all got a kick out trade. Well, she was one of the issues where they kicked out very early. No one of they would have treads on a Sunday.

She's here. They left for Saturday night and most weeks bet their like five today.

Yeah, otherwise I would have been like one hundred percent. We have so many bedrooms in this house, stay over.

But so was Yeah, I'd be making them spag bog. I'd be like, you know, here, have a glass of wine. I mean only if they did a good job.

I didn't have making bad While I was out, I didn't have time to eat that you're not going to have time to eat.

I often hear though, the people lose weight while being on the block, and I think that's wild because you know, people had to have drink. I mean, you can order your own food, you can bring your own booze. You know, there's a lot of chances for you to just be the total pigs.

We did not eat like them. We were so anxious all the time. So on edge that like to DNA, I was like, stuff you all are eating? Yeah, I didn't eat much at all in the first couple of weeks.

Didn't sleep, didn't e didn't drink like nothing, And yeah I did lose weight.

I love a good reality show because you would always lose weight, doesn't matter what it is. People like, did you lose weight on Survivor? You're like, no, I lost weight on Big Brother. Like they feed you never on any of these shows. They keep you high as a kite, basically on adrenaline. You're never allowed to sleep and you can never eat.

It doesn't sound very fun, does it.

Oh no, no, no, I'd still do it any other day.

You know.

One thing I did notice though, and I was going to ask you this question if it's not too personal, and that is that you keep talking about your dad and you know the advice that he's given you over the years. But what about your mom? Is she watching the show now and not? Why isn't she getting a mention?

No? No, we do.

I don't know how they're like editing it, but we definitely do mention it. It's like a joint thing of like broth our parents. I mean obviously our dad's you know, in finance, but both our parents have like set us up for a win in life and you know, taught us all these valuable script skills as kids.

So we're very grateful for our mom.

She's such a hard worker and you know has yet done very well for herself, taken many qualities from her to yet one hundred percent.

So no, are they loving watching the show? Like do they have favorites apart from you? Like do they tell you Grant and Courtney are not their favorites? Like do they tell you what they think of the show. Are they protective?

Loving it?

Our mom's absolutely evidence yeah, she well, because she's just you know ten people.

Mom, She's like, why are they being mean to you?

Why are they Why couldn't they help you? It was your first week or like she feels it. I'm like, Mom, it's okay. Like I'm okay, it's going to be okay. Whereas Dad's like, yes, I've raised strong girl. I was like, go into the world where m'm's like, oh my gosh, why.

Couldn't we protect my babies?

Literally? Do you know what?

I got crosslow with it? Like, you know, when Grant and Courtney don't turn up to like corporate body corporate meetings or they don't turn up to like challenges, you know, I'd be more annoyed about that than what people say about me and the confessionals. You know, I'd be like, that's annoying. What happens when it comes to being told that you must turn up to body corporates and that some people.

Don't, I mean, that stuff doesn't fade that. I mean, I mean, it's not fair unless I'm calling the body corporate. That's not my problem. We didn't really know what was going on without whole Body Corporate because we and they were like, what is going on?

But no, look, we kind of like stick to our own lane.

And like, if you're choosing not to come to the Body Corporate I was calling it, and have a problem with you.

Yeah, we obviously care about playing a.

Fair game and you know, sticking to the rules and stuff, and so that's what we strive to do. But if someone else is not going to do that, then that's not that's not my problem.

You know, there's also a secret. You know, they keep talking about a secret that you guys are keeping, and I don't want to give anything away because like, you know, maybe we're not up to that yet. But you know, it was the idea to keep this secret from everybody else a good or a bad idea in hindsight. Can you at least sort of delve into that point?

Well, it was never really personally, we didn't ever want it to really be a secret.

We had said to producers that we.

Were as then we were asked to be subtle about our experience, and I said, to produce this point blank, there's no way I'll ever lie, which is not who we are. But I'm happy to, you know, like I wait until they asked. I'm not going to walk in or hot and heavy be like, hey.

Guys, I knew here. Should I tell you how many investment properties I have? Because nobody else doing that when they all have. Yeah, and I would never do that in my personal.

Life, but you know, if they ask, I'm absolutely going to tell them because you.

Know, I don't really think it's that big of a deal.

But also Mimi, Christian and Courtney all knew and Memi especially in detail within the first like three days.

So yeah, it.

Wasn't a secret. I don't know how they're going to play it, but yet the contests were definitely aware that we had experience.

If they chose to ask. The boys and Kinlie and Brad never asked about really any house, so I were aware of it. So yeah, look, I don't I don't love the way that.

It you know, it looks like it could play out, and it did play out, because it's not a true representation of like, you know, how we wanted to happen.

But you know, in the TV.

Show, this happens through all the time. People tell me secrets and then I forget them, Like as in people tell me stories. They'll be like, by the way, Ben, did you know blah blah blah happened? And I'll be like shocking, and they'll be like, please, don't tell anyone, and I'll say, oh, no, I won't because I've already forgotten what you told me.

Yeah. Honestly, I forget things all the time too.

I'm like, oh, unless it's like vitally important, I'm like that you know who's that person?

Again?

Yeah, I've completely forgotten. Are you looking forward to the final auction? What are the nerves like? Have you been back to Philip Island? I need to know what's going on in your day to day brains.

I mean the auction is yeah, obviously fast approaching, but.

We were nervous, we're excited. We don't really know how to feel. It's all a bit it's all a bit new and a bit crazy.

But I feel like auctions just on a normal weekend when they're wrapping, let alone on national TV and when.

Five thousands of getting sold together, yeah, with potentially be money on the line. So yeah, we have been back to Philip Island.

We're actually we're just there, oh touch not paint, doing the last minute. Oh great, you know, making sure that the house is perfect before it hits the market.

Okay, well that's good. I would advice I'm going to give you before I wrap up this podcast is this is not for the block. This is what I do on the day to day. Write down the number of what you want and put that on the vision board and just say that every day. And I reckon. I don't know why, because I'm not religiously superstitious or any of these things, except that I sound like I incredibly am I always think that's I always think that's a good way to do it. So you don't need to

Okay, we'll write it.

We'll write it down, sirs, every day, the two of you don't even show the number toween each other. Just write the number down independently and see who gets it right.

Yeah, that'll be a fun experiment.

Hey, it would be good. So the last question I ask everyone who joins the pod, what is something for behind the scenes, Like something that we as an audience won't see, were you know, kind of like a behind the scenes secret about what it's like to be on the block.

Behind the scene.

I think there's a lot of people that have these assumptions that like they watch the Block and they think all the contestants don't work hard and they're not doing all nighters and everything will just be picked for them when they come back. And I'm like, no, we are doing all nighters, and yes, we are literally working every minute of the day. Well acshually, I could only speak to yourselves. We were working every minute of the day

But no there was, but I must say yeah, I was going to say too.

You will have all the camera crew, all the producers, all the assistance, everyone watching you struggling to try and carry things, and nobody will have help.

How do they make you look so good? And there's the confessionals though, you know, like those Real Housewives confessionals where you're sitting on a glamorous couch and you've got your makeup in your head done like you girls are great, Like have they got someone come around and give you the give you the Rachel from friends to try and make you look nice at that point only on.

A Sunday and the rest of the week we look like slogabol.

Sunday we did get hair and makes up done, so that is our saving great, that's only Bestfully.

I would be looking up with Jackson's through my head.

I don't reckon. That's when they should do the confessionals when you're completely out of your mind.

I think I do. I feel like I'm looking like a hot mess. Would be final authentic.

But imagine them asking you at that point. They'd be like, what do you think of Kylie? And you just be like so stressed out and you just be like, who that's Sea which with the green hair? Oh my god?

I hate it?

Like you know, you'd be out of your mind.

They do intervirals like every five seconds, so I guess they're targetting.

That throughout the week, not when we're looking eyes. We're looking like a train wreck during the week.

And no offense to Kyline because I've also now made my hair green and have to there you go. No, I'm only joking. I was just trying to say that to make it sound like good for Kyling in case she listens to the podcast.

I was gonna say, I was like, wow, I love that for you.

No, I've actually been buying the fashion that you guys have been sporting throughout the season because you're my favorite. I say that to everyone.

Oh yeah, of course I.

Have to let you both go. Can I just say good luck with the auction? Thank you so much for being so generous with your time and talking to me with my bizarre questions. You know, all the very best. I'm in your audience and I can't wait to see how this, how this turns out.

Thank you, Thanks so much, we appreciate it.

What's the number, guys, what's the number that's in your head? One point one point eight two million? Like, you know what, are you reckons?

Sticking? Don't even think that lot?

Okay, well, just raise the amount that you've got in your head. Then it sounds like it's too low. Six six million, six million, All right, guys, I'll let you go, have a safe trip back to Melbourne wherever you're driving, and I will talk to you soon.

Thank you, Bye bye.