Shaynna Blaze: COUNTRY HOME RESCUE - PRESENTER

It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload the podcast last week their light.

Welcome back guys to TV Reload. My name is Benjamin Norris and on this podcast I go behind the scenes with the biggest players in television. Each episode you will get a front row seat with content makers like executive producers, writers, editors and casting agents, plus the talent that we see on our screens. TV Reload reloads the shows that we are currently watching and gives you a better insight into our television industry and our streaming services.

Today.

On the podcast, I have one of Australia's most celebrated interior designers. It is Channel nine's Darling Shana Blaze. Shana is a television personality, writer and former singer and for the first time, we're going to see her like never before as she takes on a reality show that puts

I had to go into celebrity printice, going boots and all just being me.

Shana Blaze has created more magic in more homes than any Aussie alive.

If we did Country Home Rescue before that, we may not have been as raw.

As a judge in The Bloc has inspired countless renovators across our great Southern land.

The Block doesn't have manufactured drama. It just happens to be people against each other.

Competition does that for the first time ever, Shane is doing something she's never done before.

But I sort of felt like a lot of my private life was taken out of my control.

And the family band together and create Shanea's Forever Country Home.

There was a lot of nervous laugh moments in there too, where things were just going a little bit too pear shape.

Hi Bear, how are you?

I am fabulous.

I've been waiting for this show to go to air forever and I'm really excited.

Well, I'm excited to have you on the podcast. I have so much admiration for you, and I have been delighted to preview the whole series and now have this chat with you.

Wow. How lucky are you? I hope, I hope.

I hope people come with you on this journey because, like for me, I have to be honest. I was a little bit skeptical about it myself. I wasn't sure, you know, how it would all come together. But it is a beautiful show and you can't see this, but this is my study area and I've I've actually cleaned it all up because you've inspired me to be Shane A.

Blaze and if it does that, I'm very happy.

Yeah, my part is also happy if I'm going to be a much cleaner person. I was saying to Channel nine before watching Country Home Rescue, how much I love your laugh And it felt like my prayers for answer because we get you laughing a lot in this.

I think there's a lot of nervous laughter too.

Look, I'm in my happy space, I'm with my family, I know a lot of the trays. It was really comfortable, and I think when you're doing something that's coming from your heart and your soul, it's so easy to laugh. But there was a lot of nervous laugh moments in there too, where things were just going a little bit two pear shape.

Well, if it doesn't go pair shaped, then there's a lot of the enjoyment that that's taken out of it. Because in real world, like we all have things that come across our table, and I think it's important to try and laugh that kind of stuff off.

You know, you should have a sense of humor about these things.

I literally have built my life on that. Like, you know, the problems will always come you and the only way you can grow, the only way you can get the good out of it, is to really embrace it and then work out, well what am I going to do? Because if you shy away from things going wrong, you're never going to grow or move forward.

Well, how did this show come about? You know, did you pitch this show? To the creators or did the creators come to you?

No, I pitched it, So I pitched it actually before COVID, so it actually was accepted before COVID in early twenty nineteen, and then twenty twenty we were about to sort of go yep, let's do this, and it just went bang. And so once I was lucky enough to win Celebrity of Printers, Channel nine went maybe we should revisit that show, and then that's how that came about. So the following year we started in early twenty twenty one, which is eighten.

Like nearly two years ago. So yeah, it was it's been a long.

Time coming, am I right by saying that we got to see a little bit of a sneak peek at the start of the season of the Block this year, did we when they mentioned the tree change and they said that all the judges would have had a tree change, we got to see a glimpse of it, right, you did?

Yeah, And I wassued in the land room.

Yeah, don't give away to show too much of this house, and hopefully everyone forgets you know.

Everyone loves it before and after, but it's the middle bit that makes the after so good. And this is part of I'm sure you've got a million questions because you've seen the whole show, is that this is personal and this is not a competition and it's not for sale.

Yeah.

Absolutely, I mean I wanted to ask because I've seen it all. I'm desperate to know how much the house would now be worth, you know, not to spoil it for anyone to say that the house is amazing or it's terrible or whatever. I don't want to spoil that, but I will have to get back to you and asking that question because I'm.

Dying to know.

I'm like a lot went into it.

I mean, there's plenty to digest here, and there's a lot for viewers to invest in. Was it difficult or was it a difficult decision for you to let us in like we haven't seen you before.

Absolute lutely.

It was one of those things where I feel like, just the way my life's been the past couple of years that my private I hold my life very private, and a lot of people didn't even know I had adult kids.

A lot of people thought I had kids in high school.

So there's a lot of you know, you can sort of put your life out there in the public, you don't have to let them into your private life.

But I sort of felt like a lot of.

My private life was taken out of my control, and so I was getting chased by paparazzi. I had media at me and really invading me, trying to tell my story. So part of this was also to say, look, you think you might know who I am and through snippets of gossip whatever, but this.

Is who I am.

So it was a little bit of just saying, you know what, I need to take control of who I am as a person too, So that came into play as the beginning of the pitch.

What do you reckon percentage wise on the media getting it right when they talk about you? Because I've read stuff in the past only knowing you. I've got girlfriends that are friends with you, so like they off and say, oh, a lot of it's really untrue. What do you think the percentage is on what the media says about you compared to what's actually accurate?

Probably twenty percent. Wow, Yeah, it's not much. And the thing is also like there's a lot.

Of magazines and online ones that you want to write something about me, and I don't talk to them because they misconsidrue everything is say they printed anyway and just make up stuff and just say, you know, a source is snow source. It's just people sitting in a room gossiping, that's all it is. And you know they might take a thread of a truth and there have been and then expand on that, and some of them you just go, oh, how did you know that?

How?

You know?

Because I know my friends are a vault and so there was a couple of things.

That I just went, wow, okay, yeah, that's through me to six.

I think that I've started to believe that maybe they're psychic writers, you.

Know what I mean.

They kind of are looking at your image like you would if you went to a psychic medium, and they're trying to draw what they assume to be true just from the very small facts that they have in front of them, and some of them very good at it, and that's how they get it right, you know what I mean?

Yeah, absolutely, And it's also taking pictures that you're unaware of and following you and making stories out of what you did. Like I'm sure people couldn't give two hots about me coming back from pilates, but the amount of times I have been chased at eight in the morning going to pilates like it's caah.

Because I think, you know, you are someone who we do care about. I think we have an ownership over you. And I think as much as it could be very intrusive, I think that you have to be like, wow, I'm surprised that you know, people are that interested, But I want to tell you, I.

Think they really care that I go to pilarates.

It's not about you're going to pilates.

It's about us, you know, seeing that you're happy and you're well and you know, and I think that's inspiring for other women to see that you're an active woman, you know. I think that's what they're interested in. I mean, as I said, though, yeah, it is. It is incredibly intrusive, but I imagine that you winning Celebrity Apprentice gave you more common fidence in letting us be a little bit more a part of you because you have been in you know, the end to Tayable.

You've done what fourteen seasons of the block.

Fourteen seasons block thirteen of selling houses and I started over fifteen years ago.

So yeah, but we only got to sort of see the Better Homes and Gardens version of you to a certain point, you know, and then to go on a reality show where it's your name and it's your words. Was it Celebrity Apprentice that gave you the confidence to sort of go a little bit further with that?

Absolutely?

I sort of feel like if we did Country Home Rescue before that, we may not have been as raw. In this version of Country Home Rescue. The I had to go into celebrity printice going just boots and all just being me, which I can't be anything, but but there was a lot of machinations of people seeing me behind the scenes of how I deal with people, what I.

Do, and you know, getting my kids on there.

So we sort of, you know, made ourselves exposed by talking about who I am and what I do, but also you know, snippets into my past of why I was doing Celebrity Prentice, And you know, people didn't know at the time that when we were doing that, I had just come off the attack of being attacked in the street months earlier.

So I was so raw, so raw. So I felt like it was a.

Family decision that if I was going on that the kids had to know and accept. I wasn't going to go on without their permission because it's their life as well.

Not just mine, if you know what I mean.

So I went in there going well, boots and all, that's just what I can do. And I have to say it was an incredible experience. I have alleterally have my heart in my throat every single day. But everybody, every contestant on there was there for all the right reasons. I think if somebody was there just for you know, to level their status or you know, get something else, probably.

Would have been a little bit different.

But I found everybody to be so real and it was just it was amazing.

When I reflect on that part, I think.

We want our celebrities to be real though, do you know what I mean? Like, I think that's the currency.

I think it's the one who have a short term shelf life that aren't real.

You know what I mean.

You see it more so with the reality space, because you know, their way into reality is applying for a show and the door opens and then they're a celebrity, you know what I mean, well, temporary celebrity lately, and so then they're trying to like manage that where for people like yourself I mean, your passion for what it is that you do is your reason. It's your origins to why you're on television, which gives you a lot more gravitas, you know what I mean?

Yeah, yeah, I totally agree.

If you're going in for like an experience of what you do, whether you're an actor, you are a singer and entertainer, an artist or something like that, it's not about celebrity status. It's about what you do. And then the celebrity because I still hate that word. I call it well known. That status is then that layer that sits on that. And you don't live and die by people have know you. You live and die by your craft. Do you live and die by the people around you?

I have to say I love you on Twitter. I've been following you on Twitter the day you started. But the reason why I love you on Twitter is because, like you're very open and you're very opinionated, and I was brought up by opinionated women in my family, so like it's just that's just how we all should be, you know, That's how all women should be, do you know what I mean? But I love how you make some people accountable in the news, and you feel so confident to be able to have that.

But I wonder do you have any rules? Because Rob Mills once told me.

That he writes out a tweet and then he waits an hour before he presses send. Do you, because you are so opinionated in that forum, do you have a process or do you just like I'm doing it?

Yeah? I wish I had that. No, No, don't.

I don't have rules. I just I have I literally have that thing. If my kids see this, would I be Okay? That's more where it comes from. It's that sort of thing. And there are so there's so many levels of great people on Twitter, and then the level of like people that are literally white noise. I call them the people that shout from across the street. And so the people that are shouting across the street that look like a little bit dodgy and look like they haven't had a great day, do you really go.

And talk to them? And your auntswers?

So why would you say that, Like, you know, I'm really upset that you don't like what I'm thinking. It's just like you're the strange person shouting across the seat street.

You have no room in my life.

So as long as I'm comfortable with what I'm doing, and you know my kids wouldn't turn around and just get done, then I'm okay.

Did you have to convince your kids, Carly and Jess to be on the show. Have they ever expressed any interest in having a media career like yours?

Well, my dad, my son is an actor, like he did a night of training a long time ago. He wrote the movie and acts in the movie that we initially bought the house for for the fort and my daughter, no, behind the scenes, she doesn't like it, but I think she's liking it now. She's very much enjoying being on the camera in a good way.

She's great, She's very good on camera, so.

And that's her.

She's so natural, she's just absolutely just hilarious. And my son took a lot more convincing because he loves being on this camera and the screen, but this is our personal life and he's like, oh, mom, I'm not sure about that. And he was coming from a protection mode of also like are you thinking this through? Is this something that you're sure about? And also exposing him personally, So it was more of my son. But once they both decided it was a case of like, well, if we're we're in.

COVID really sort of changed the course of you know, for a lot of Australians. Do you think that you would have taken this opportunity to make a tree change if it wasn't for these lockdowns. Although you were already pitching the show, you were saying, I've been looking.

To in Kineton and massive in Rangers, probably about three or four years.

Before I pitched the show before we bought.

It, always ahead of the trend, Shaer.

But I always wanted that country get away because I just knew that it wasn't just a in a city living that it was always just getting away and then you know, eventually it could be somewhere where you'd spend weeks at a time and having the access to the city because it's only an hour and fifteen from Melbourne, so it's not like that two three hour trip where you can only go every month or something like that.

But definitely lockdown.

Changes your perspective and changes, and you know, my whole career with selling houses was traveling the country for eight months of a year, and I don't think people realize that the amount of time that you are traveling and being able to be home lockdown was hard, but actually being based and calm and with my family just really just went.

You know what, I think. I think this is a good thing.

I really miss you on selling houses. If I'm honest, we have.

A time period and this is the next step for me.

I think that you've always been destined to have your own show, doing this kind of show, Like it just feels like this is the natural progression for you. I mean as soon as you won Celebrity Apprentice, I was like, yes, this is going to give us more of you, and I think that door has definitely opened. Although we everyone still loves you on the Block, so you have to keep doing that as well.

I'm not going until I get pushed out. I'm not going.

What's really interesting this show is a really interesting experiment because the show is quite similar to the Block, but yet all the drama that we've seen amongst the contestants is not there.

No, because the thing is one, I am in the industry, two it's my kids, and then it's just you know, a lot of people renovate with their family.

A lot of people renovate with their siblings.

A lot of people renovate with the partner without the stress of competition and without the stress of being judged, and without the stress of worrying about the market. So this is not for profit. This is not about you know, something that's going to date in twelve months. This is about me showing you design for your life, how to design for your family, how to design for something that for me.

I would like to pass on to my kids in the next generation. That's the key.

Did you ever think of having the element in this show of say the two boys from the bloc come in and do a score and a thing. Was there ever any discussion about each room being graded?

What with Darren and Neil?

Yeah?

Absolutely, I actually wanted them to be on one of the episodes to come through and do that, but because of lockdown we couldn't because we had four lockdowns in Melbourne last year.

And no, they were definitely both meant to be in the show.

I love them.

We are such great friends that I think that's why we can have such strong banter and have our times where we disagree or we can almost like get someone else over the line because we are such great friends and we don't have any buffer and any sort of like hang on a minute, we can just be ourselves with each other too.

There's this ongoing debate online that fans don't like the drama on the Block. Do you think that this show might prove a point here? Because you know, we have removed the drama and it is quite similar to the block. But is that going to give an answer to the fans? Because I wonder whether or not the fans they want the drama, Like, I'm like, you complain about it online, but if it wasn't there, would you be as invested Where this show is the Block without the drama?

So like, do you think this is going to this show might prove a point?

I totally agree with you because I sort of feel like, well, if people don't want to see Reno's people say they want to see Reno, they want to see the design without the drama, Well this actually is it, and if they don't watch it, they're telling porky pies because you know, we know drama gets ratings, and you know the the Block doesn't have manufactured drama. It just happens to be people against each other. Competition does that. So the drama is real life. The drama is the problems you come

I think this is great.

That's the reason why I think it's going to still rate and I think that'll make maybe even Jules his executive producer, been making the block since the start, maybe.

Look at that a little bit more.

But you know, as you said, you know, it's just human nature to have a bit of conflict, you know when you're in a competition style show like that, and the competition element is taken out of your show. So it's definitely going to be interesting.

I think in the end that like the jeopardy in mind is being able to finish it, and the jeopardy in what I want.

Can we get ahead and do it? I think genuinely.

People want people to get through to the end. But if it's all humming all the way through, it is a bit boring.

Well, I hope you continue with the show because I'm actually hoping that you could move on and then do this country home rescue on homes that maybe could be sold, like with Osenomer. If this show is a success and it continues, would you be interested in building homes that could go to charity or look at it a different way.

Yeah, there's a few different versions, and it does come down to money and sponsors to be able to do that.

That's the thing. And you know the amount of people put their hand up and say you want.

To risk you my home, no worries, but unless they're willing to put all that money in, you just can't. Like, you know, it's a lot of money to get the trades, to get the bill, to get the supplies, and you know, pushing with the camera and a production.

So it is.

You know, I've got a couple of ideas, so fingers cross will see how the concept goes and take it in a few different directions.

Well my fingers across for that. But you know, there had never been more commentary on a finale in the history of Australian TV, you know, with the block and I read the tweet, I think it was the next day, or maybe it was a couple of days later, because it took you a while to process that finale, and I felt like Australia you wrote, whateveryone in Australia was thinking, you know, it's taking some time to process this, but what do you think could be changed next year that

At the end?

Fortunately, that is the concept and it is who's going to pay the money on the day. That is real life, Like, you know, the amount of options that are being passed in at the moment. You know, if you've every day people buying the houses, that gives the actual action decision, that would be what we know in every day life. No, that's not what's happening because the houses are so expensive and so big. I sort of feel like the next series and I'm not doing a spoiler because it is

I don't know.

I think that's the jeputy as well. That is it fair?

No, But at the same time, you look at Tom and Sarah Jane. They are so talented, they have done such an incredible job and I know a lot of people want to see them again again, So I doubt Channel nine would let that go.

So in the end, they may not win the money. This is me just speculating.

They may not win the money in the auction, but they might win in another way in the future.

This is that whole woman's day thing, you know what I mean, like where they have to like try and guess with the pieces that they've got, and everyone's already like, well, I've read it so many times over.

Oh well, you know that Tom and Sarah Jane are back next year.

They're being brought back for a Fans Versus Favorites and nothing's been decided yet. I'm sure Jules is on a holiday somewhere, not wanting to think about the block, you know what I mean, Like, no contracts are gone out.

Yeah, I think Fan Versus fade the series before probably wasn't the right thing to happen straight away for a couple of those contestants.

There wasn't enough break.

So I think Tom Sarah Jane coming back for a fans in faves, we've already had one two years ago. That that's again me my own crystal ball. I couldn't imagine that being something. You know, they might come back as a guest, they might come back and do something special with them, or or do their own renovation themselves in film, And I don't know.

It is one of.

Those things of like fans and faves, you know you need you need that break from the couple because otherwise.

You go, oh god, I just saw them last year.

I feel like I could watch Tom and Sarah Jane every year. I don't know what it is about them, And you know, we went on a real journey with them. When they turned up, people were like, I hate these people. They're mean to each other, they swear a lot, and then by the endustry, it's like, I love these people because they're real.

Yeah, they're so real.

And I think the thing is, you know people say, oh, you've favored them again, It's just like there's no favoritism.

I don't know them from a bar of soap.

I've met them twice as they're coming out of the mund with two with one sentence, that's it.

You can't favor someone you don't know, and also you don't.

We don't get anything out of giving anybody a score.

We're scoring them because they work hard, the execution, they do this great finish, they do something. It's not just how it looks on the picture, and it's how it all works. And then people go, oh, you've got egg on your face because your favorites didn't win.

Do you see who bought the houses? Yeah, everyday person buying in other countries. So that's you know, people need to weigh everything up.

We all walk away from a show, though, you know, with a feeling about someone you know.

Is there a feeling that you want us to have?

I mean, I know what it is, and like, as soon as you turn up on my screen this morning to have this chat, I was like, oh, you know, I have the warm and fuzzies. Is there is there something you want from the audience once they watch this show to know about you a little bit more?

I think I'd like.

Them to know the thought processes. Even though it's not like a design documentary. It's just to do what I do as a judge to renovate all these other houses. That the processes that go in my mind. I tend to go on ten different tangents to come back to the reality of practicality. And it is a process that I live and breathe. It's not something that I just turn up one day and do. This is something I built from when I was, you know, eighteen years old. So it is one of those things that I want

I think everyone's going to say at the end of the show, wish my kids looked at me like Shana Blaze's kids look at that, and you look at that. It's beautiful to be able to see the working dynamics of your family and to see that sort of My.

Dog in the background, she's having a great time on the rug, rolling around.

It's almost like a bit of ecstasy in the background.

Even Shana Blaze's dog is having a good time. So just that's the message that we want to leave anyway, Before you go, I should just say everyone who joins the podcast gets asked this question, which is, what is something from behind the scenes that we won't see on the show, kind of like a behind the scenes secret of making this show.

Well, you don't see all the lockdowns. You don't see the fact we have to shut down for a lot. You don't see me almost falling apart because I just can't finance it. You see snippets of it, and you see snippets of it.

I think the reality of the mud, you just don't understand it. You see bits of it.

You just don't get it, like the mud and the rain it didn't stop, and the cold like if you actually had a temperature gauge, it's just not there. But look, I think there's essence of everything in there. And one thing that I hope people really understand is the teamwork with the trades, Like they are phenomenal. The conditions they did this under and they were there right to the end, and a lot of them have said this is the most enjoyable experience as a builder or as a trade because they got to.

Do things they don't normally do.

And that just gives me so much joy because it wasn't just me doing something completely hair brained and off the rails.

They got to be part of that process.

I'd like to know from you, and you don't want to give a spoiler, but was there one thing that you went, oh, I think she's going too far?

No, I think that you were just being honest, Like I didn't get my fear with this show from you, and you know I'm a buyer of your products. You know, I'm someone who's been in your market for a really long time. Was too much censorship and yet I felt like, you know, we did get to see some real moments, you know, between you and your children without it being salacious, do you.

Know what I mean? Yeah, you know, without drama.

For drama's sake, We got some moments. So no, I don't think that there was ever. I mean, at one point I was my partner sitting next to me, went oh, of course she needs a bell tower.

And don't worry. Both my kids said the same.

Yeah. Yeah, but that's what we all should be saying at home because we're watching.

You know, television is a currency.

It works when we can relate to who we're watching on TV, and that's what you've been able to pull off in a beautiful way. So thank you for coming on the podcast and talking about this and good like hopefully we'll be doing this next year the same time. About the series two, yeah, I.

Have to say I'm so proud of it, and it's something that's been sitting there for a long time where you just go, oh God, is it actually good enough?

But now I'm here, I just can't wait to share it.

Well, thank you so much. It was lovely to chat with you this morning.

Thanks Ben,