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Courier-Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Courier-Mail
Scott Cam announces brutal new rule for this season's Block contestants
Don't miss out on the headlines from Reality. Followed categories will be added to My News. Scott Cam has implemented a strict new rule change for this year's season of The Block – and it might make for a slightly less comfortable experience for contestants. Usually, contestants would 'rough it' for the first few days of a season, living out of the tent as they built the first room of the house, typically a bedroom. It meant that from the end of week one, they could pack up the tent and have a roof over their heads – and have the rest of the house to live in and use as it was built, week by week. Scott Cam delivers the news. But Cam told contestants this year that he was implementing a strict new rule: 'No overnighters.' The five teams would not be able to spend the night inside their houses at all during the season. Instead, they've been given luxury caravans to call home for the entire season. During Sunday's premiere, all seemed in good spirits at the news they'd be sleeping in them for the next three months, during the testing conditions of a rural Victorian winter (with all that caravan living entails – including emptying of toilet waste). The caravans are lush – but it's a bit of a downgrade from previous seasons, living in the giant house you're renovating. This year's contestants are a diverse bunch, among them two married Northern Territory police officers, a lesbian couple (who, in a slightly awkward first meeting, are initially mistaken for twins by their fellow contestants) a gay and straight best mate, and a champion pole dancer. There is another big change expected this season: The Block's mega-buyer, billionaire Adrian Portelli, should be nowhere to be seen come auction day. In an extravagant move, Portelli bought all five Block houses at last season's auctions – but later struggled to offload them. He insisted the mega-buyout was to be his Block swan song and, as Cam confessed in a recent interview, the feeling was mutual. 'To be honest we said to Adrian 'We'd love you not to come next year, if that's all right,'' Cam revealed on Nova 96.9's Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie last week. Couple (not twins sisters, as some contestants assumed) Han and Cam. Block megabuyer Adrian Portelli is expected to be absent come auction day. Picture: NewsWire/ David Crosling '[Portelli] said, 'Yeah, okay, he won't come', but he may come. We don't know, but we do want to give mums and dads the opportunity to have a crack at a block house … but if Adrian comes and wants to buy the lot of them, well, that rules them out.' Cam said he hoped to see 'families have a bit of a crack this year,' after recent years have seen the show's finales turn into bidding wars between Portelli and fellow mega-rich investor Danny Wallis. But it seems Portelli's not taking the soft-ban lying down: He's switched allegiances to The Block's competitor show on Seven, My Reno Rules. Portelli's rewards club company LMCT+ will be the major sponsor of the show's new season, and he's even donated two homes that will be flipped by contestants during the show. Originally published as Scott Cam announces brutal new rule for this season's Block contestants
Sky News AU
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
The Project star Chrissie Swan reveals she was publicly weighed at age ten as she shows off dramatic weight loss
Chrissie Swan has revealed the devastating truth about her struggles with weight throughout her childhood. The radio star, 51, spoke to Nova 96.9's Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie on Monday where the hosts discussed the introduction of randomised public weigh-ins in Turkey. The initiative involves health workers stopping people on the street to gather their health data, including weight and body mass index (BMI). People with a BMI of 25 or more are referred to state health centres for free nutritional advice and follow-up services in a bid to address the country's rising obesity rates. Chrissie said the latest legislation was "fresh hell" as she revealed her own public trauma. "This is coming from someone whose first public weighing was at ten years old at a Weight Watchers meeting," she said. "I had to get up in front of Joy and Pam, who had little badges, and say, 'Oh yeah, I've put on point four kilos'." Chrissie said she queued up to be weighed on scales in front of people weekly where a staff member would record her weight. The 51-year-old said the public experience came with pressure to lose weight while navigating the difficult teenage years. It comes after Chrissie showed off her remarkable weight loss transformation by sharing throwback photos of herself on Instagram last week. The Nova star could be seen with a much fuller face in 2005, two years after she placed runner-up on Network 10's reality TV series Big Brother. "I WAS A BABY!" she captioned the snaps shared with her 296,000 followers. "A cute little juicy baby with layers and foils. Happy to see the love of the giant hoop earrings started early." Chrissie also shared more photos with her "bestie" Rebecca Thompson and fellow Big Brother cast members, reflecting on how far she's come. The Masked Singer judge has radically transformed over the past few years, reportedly losing 90 kilograms. The star credits her slimmed-down physique to a new diet, daily walks, and sobriety. She spoke to the Herald Sun ahead of her milestone 50th birthday in 2023 and said she had "never been happier or more centred." "It is actually great, and I don't think you can feel that way until you have done the years. I wouldn't be 20 for quids."
Sky News AU
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
‘Disgraceful': Lions great Jonathan Brown claims Sam Pang ‘bribed' daughter to become a Carlton supporter
Jonathan Brown has revealed his close pal Sam Pang 'bribed' his daughter to become a Carlton supporter. The retired Lions great appeared on Nova 96.9's Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie on Monday where talk soon turned to Sydney's 16-point win over Carlton on Friday. Fill-in host Chrissie Swan, who previously hosted Chrissie, Sam & Browny on Nova 100 with Brown and Pang, then interjected to ask Browny if his daughter Olivia was 'still' a Carlton supporter. 'Speaking of Carlton, is your daughter still unashamedly and unbelievably a Carlton fan, given that you are a Brisbane Lions legend?,' she asked. 'What!? How did that happen?,' Wippa interjected. 'It's disgraceful isn't it but a mate of hers was a Carlton supporter, and then Pang realised when were working together on the radio,' Brown said. 'Pang realised this, so quickly he got onto it and showered her with Carlton gifts. "(Pang) had Charlie Curnow give her a call at once stage, he had her run out for the first ever AFLW Game against Collingwood in front of 20,000 I lost her forever after that.' The update comes weeks after Channel 10 doubled down on Pang and confirmed his late night talk show Sam Pang Tonight will return to screens for a 'second' run of episodes later this year. 'Expect more laughs as Sam takes on the week's news and welcomes a bunch more guests, including local legends, engaging experts, and comedy mates playing the part of Special Guest Announcer,' the network said in a statement. The weekly late night show premiered in March to lukewarm critical reviews but managed to pull in Ten's biggest audience for a new show since 2022.
Sky News AU
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Shannon Noll shows off jaw-dropping biceps in ripped selfie after Australian Idol 2003 runner-up's remarkable body transformation
Shannon Noll has shown off his jaw-dropping biceps and muscular frame after the 49-year-old underwent a dramatic body transformation. Noll famously finished runner-up during the 2003 Australian Idol grand final, while Guy Sebastian won the first season of the singing competition. The lanky What About Me? hitmaker, then aged 27, quickly gained notoriety as "Australia's favourite runner-up". His fans widely perceived Noll as having been "robbed" of the win as they believed his vocals and performances were more powerful and emotional. More than twenty years later, the Australian singer looks markedly different from the aspiring young hopeful who first took to the Australian Idol stage. Recent Instagram photos of Noll show he has ditched his trademark soul patch and gained considerable muscle. The 49-year-old's golden tan and bulging biceps could be seen in a video where he promoted his run of shows at the Murray River Music & Gold Festival in the New South Wales town of Barooga last month. Noll sported a black singlet that emphasised his chest muscles and a black cap, and his ripped physique caught the attention of fans. "Looking good, my friend. Cheers," said one person, while another praised his muscles with the comment: "Shoulders!!" An earlier selfie of the five-time ARIA award winner showed his tattooed arms in all their glory. Noll rolled up the top of his singlet to reveal his golden and tatted biceps, which he proudly flexed with a triumphant expression. "Getting a bit back after an awesome festive season! #trainhardlivehard," he wrote in the caption of the shot taken during a workout. His 80,000 Instagram followers commended the early 2000s star for his hard work. "You looking amazing Shannon great work," one person said. "Jacked. I love it, mate. Arm Wrestle?" another quipped. More star-struck fans affectionally called Noll "Swolesy" and "Shannon Swole" in a nod to his muscular frame. The Lift singer recently revealed he decided to embark on a physical transformation at the gym as he admitted he was "getting fat-skinny". "I've been back in the gym for a good eighteen months now," Noll told Nova 96.9's Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie in April 2024. "I started getting I'm naturally skinny anyway. I've got skinny legs. If I don't train and drink then you end up looking like E.T. "So I thought I have to get back in the gym again. I train really hard and try to watch what I eat when I'm training." Noll boosted his early Australian Idol fame into a successful recording and touring career that has produced six studio albums. He is the only Australian male artist with ten consecutive top-ten singles in Australian chart history, including chart-toppers What About Me, Learn To Fly, and Shine.
