The 12th series of Australia’s longest running reality-realty program, The Block, is returning soon to the Nine Network, and this season will feature its first female gay couple.

Julia and Sasha have been announced as one of the five couples in this years series, the pair have been in a relationship for four years, and live in Melbourne.

The Block has a strong history of including gay couples in its lineups. The original series in 2003 generated plenty of controversy when it included Warren Sonin and Gavin Atkins in the cast.

The Block 2016, which is currently shooting, is set in an imposing art deco building constructed in the 1920s in the inner-city bayside suburb of Port Melbourne.

The new season will follow the trials and tribulations of five new couples in their challenge to interpret the building’s heritage significance and transform the derelict interior into the biggest luxury apartments ever seen on The Block.

It will be interesting to see how The Block performs in 2016. Once a ratings powerhouse, The Block struggled in 2015 with viewers complaining of 'Reno Fatigue'. This year Nine has only produced one season of The Block. Its spin-off program Reno-Rumble was a ratings disaster for the network, however House Rules on Seven performed much better.

The Block 2016 is likely to premiere immediately after the Olympics and will need to compete against The X Factor on Seven, and the highly anticipated premiere of Australian Survivor on Ten.

Host Scott Cam says:

“This series has gotten off to a cracking start – one of our best yet. It is going to give Aussie viewers great pleasure watching these Blockheads restore this building to its former glory.

“It’s a magnificent building rich in history, and will hopefully make a few more couples rich too.”

 

The five new ultra-competitive couples taking on the huge renovation challenge are:

·        Julia (31) and Sasha (42), partners of four years, from Melbourne

·        Andy (25) and Ben (24), best mates, from Geelong

·        Kim (32) and Chris (34), married four years, from Newcastle

·        Dan (55) and Carleen (52), married 30 years, from Perth

·        Karlie (25) and Will (25), engaged, together nine years, from Brisbane

 

Scott Cam will again be joined by co-host Shelley Craft, judges Neale Whitaker, Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer, “The Blockinator”, foreman Keith Schleiger, and his right-hand man, Dan Reilly.

In May, The Block won its fourth TV Week Logie Award for Most Popular Reality program. The show has distributed an astronomical cash total of $14,640,501 to contestants since premiering on Channel Nine in 2003.