So what did you think about Scott Cam fining Dan and Dani $1,000 for breaking the rules and using power tools after the noise curfew was in place? Do you think it was harsh? Not harsh enough? Do you think they were cheating or breaking the rules? I got in quite a discussion about this …
So what did you think about Scott Cam fining Dan and Dani $1,000 for breaking the rules and using power tools after the noise curfew was in place?
Do you think it was harsh? Not harsh enough?
Do you think they were cheating or breaking the rules? I got in quite a discussion about this on twitter last night. Are we branding them as cheaters or rule breakers?
If you were in the same situation what would YOU have done (regardless if there was a camera on you or not)?
I asked Dan and Dani what they thought about it last night. They were travelling whilst the show was airing (which was probably a good thing as social media was very unkind), but they wrote to me late last night saying they felt pretty awful about the whole thing. I’ll ask them to come over here on my blog today and comment if they can.
I’ll weigh in on this subject later today, but would love to hear your thoughts first before I do…
…
Dani emailed me and this is what she said (I have her permission to publish this):
Dan and I watched the episode in full this morning so we could bring ourselves up to speed with what everyone watched last night. We are both strong characters and had no problems admitting that we had done the wrong thing, although I think the difference with cheating and breaking the rules is that cheating tends to be done in secret or hidden from people and we made no attempt to hide what we were doing and freely admitted to it. I think at the time we were mostly disappointed that our neighbours had kept their feelings to themselves rather than come and express their concerns as I know that both Dan and I would have if it was another team struggling, but that is beside the point.
The Block is such an extraordinary situation that you often find yourself saying and doing things that you would never normally say or do, but I am not using that as an excuse for our behavior in this scenario as we knew that what we were doing was a violation of council noise restrictions and The Block rules. At the time however, we only considered the fine side of things and not the possibility of losing work on a Saturday, which as Lara stated was “selfish”….and it definitely was.
A lot of people are commenting that Dan and I think we have our own set of rules. I don’t believe this is an accurate take on things as we were not the only ones to go over noise cut off times that week whether it be at The Block or not, and whether its 5 minutes or 5 hours (which admittedly is much worse) it’s still a rule breaker and therefore we broke the rules on a number of occasions that week.
We discussed for a long time what we would do if we had won; would we donate the money to charity, split it evenly between the other teams, give the whole prize to the team that got second place or keep it for ourselves, however lucky we didn’t have to make that decision. The best team won fair and square, well done Brad and Lara!!
It’s difficult reading the more personal comments regarding mine and Dan’s personalities because as you well know people are basing their opinions on a small amount of footage from each day that is often the most dramatic. People that have met us have had only nice things to say and have encouraged us for the rest of the competition. As the old saying goes “You should never judge a book by it’s cover”. Now this doesn’t mean that I am an angel but we both take pride in our honesty and willingness to help others, however I am also guilty of judging characters on reality TV programs without thinking or realising that what I am watching is a snippet of someones day and life who is currently in the most unusual of circumstances.
Anyway I could go on forever about this, but it doesn’t change the fact that what Dan and I did was wrong and if we had our time over would definitely go about things differently.
…
 UPDATED 3PM:
Here is what I think:
To say that I felt sorry for Dan and Dani last night was an understatement. I really did. I’ve walked the walk so I know exactly how they are feeling.
I can guarantee you that at the time (remember the show is not live) they were feeling a bit yucky about it, copped the fine and then moved on. I bet the rest of the contestants moved on too.
But as they wake up today, it’s like reliving a bad dream. They’d be shaking their heads and wondering why people are so serious about it. To them, the event was probably minor in the whole scheme of things. There is a lot of drama on The Block and this was probably just another day for them.
When Amie and I had our main bathroom dramas (with a tradie we sacked) and we thought we weren’t going to finish, it was a 24 hour drama. Stressful at the time, but over in the blink of an eye.
But parts of this drama have me wondering… Dan and Dani MUST have known they would have been fined/punished. They knew they would NOT be disqualified. They had to have known that.
Why do I say that?
It’s a tv show. Camera’s followed their every move, they would have known camera’s were asking the other contestants to comment on the noise, and they obviously still ran with it.
IF they were going to be disqualified I know they wouldn’t have gone through with the noise.
I know exactly where they are in ‘the game’… about halfway through, they’ve settled in to a routine, they are becoming friends with the camera guys, soundo’s and producers. You start to forget you’re making tv and you just settle in. This is where you can come unstuck. This is probably WHY Dan thought it was ok to break the rules – a bit of a laugh was had at the time, who will really care, oh I forgot I’m making tv…. This is what makes AWESOME tv though.
So this is where I stand…
At the time of the drama, they would have known there was a fine, they would have made a decision to cop the fine no matter what and their priority was to give it everything they’ve got. This is a game. Not real life.
If there were going to be serious issues from real neighbours it would have been dealt with and they would have stopped. But obviously there wasn’t.
I’m not sticking up for what they did. I do think if I was up against them I would have been really ticked off too. It wasn’t fair or good sportsmanship. I thought Dan and Dani would have known from last years series the audience can be so unkind, so let’s not give them any reason to hate us…
But I know, in their mind, they wanted to give everything within their power to get that room done. I have no idea how they fell behind, maybe I missed that? But the reality is, they weren’t going to finish… and they knew they had a good bathroom and desperately wanted to win.
They have been dealt a harder punishment from the Australian public than any $1,000 fine from Scott Cam. They’ll be forever known as cheaters and will find that hard to get around.
I can’t wait to see how the rest of the show unfolds and whether the other contestants alienate Dan and Dani now. I really hope they don’t. If they do, that shows bad sportsmanship on their part too. Anyone who personally attacks Dan and Dani though needs to get a serious grip. It’s tv, it’s edited and it’s not REAL. I will defend them as ‘people’ right until the end. Their little hiccup may not have been the best decision, but they’re still human.
It’s a game. And no one knows what will happen at the end of this game.
Amie and I sold our house for ZERO profit. Would we do it again knowing there was no prize? Absolutely!
Run with it people, be kind and move on. It’s only a game!
How good is this show?
 …
So now, what do YOU think?Â
I’m so glad Dan and Dani ‘owned it’. Good on them. Onwards and upwards!
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Comments
Erin
To be honest I thought that everyone overreacted some what – especially on social media. I love Dan and Dani and think they did a great job. If in the rules it was stated that if they did something like this they would get a fine (not stated they would get a disqualification) then I think they were justified in making that call to take the fine. And I agree with Dani that it is entirely possible that the other teams would do the same if they had the budget to spare the fine. Brad and Lara did a similar thing (not as late of course) earlier in the show when they packed up all their stuff and their builder took it to a house off site to keep cutting it past council noise restrictions.
Katrina
Come back and read Dani and my response – I’ve updated the post.
Michelle Hayward
I actually feel bad for them now. I’m a bit of a softie! I don’t think I would have done what they did, but I can’t say categorically 100% because under that kind of pressure, on a tv show, who knows how I would react. I’m a really considerate person who wouldn’t want to disturb others and I am not a rule breaker (I wouldn’t want the fine!) BUT I think everyone goes a bit into overdrive over it. It would be easy to say ‘Well they have come out and said they were not there to make friends, just to win and they’ve been a bit cut throat’ (or competitive) which hasn’t gone over well but in saying all of that, they are only human and how can you not be effected when Australia is judging you! It’s a tough gig out there, I think everyone needs to cut them some slack and move on. Verdict: They did the wrong thing, they know it. It didn’t end well. Bigger problems in the world! Next!!!! I wish them well!
Rhi Johns
Rules are Rules. It’s simple. Put yourself in the neighbours shoes. You’re laying in bed at 1am and you wake up to the sound of a saw? You’d be furious. The whole show aside, just put it into normal everyday life context, and you’ll realise how inconsiderate they were being to the general public around them, and obviously the other contestants on the show.
All the other teams managed to finish their rooms, and it’s just bad luck for Dan and Danni. They knew they were breaking the rules, and they knew they were doing the wrong thing, so why do it? If I was in their shoes I’d go, you know what, we stuffed up, we didn’t manage our time properly, we just have to cop it on the chin.
I think they deserved to get a way larger fine or penalty. I feel sorry for all the other contestants. I hope karma comes back around at D&D.
Katrina
Come back and read Dani and my response -I’ve updated the post.
Deanne
On each series of The Block there has always been a pair who are super competitive and will do whatever it takes to win- they also seem to be the team that spends the most and wins the most and will push the rules as far as they can, in this series it just happens to be Dan and Dani. Not sure if that is how it really was on The Block or just how they come across due to the editing.
Katrina
Come back & read Dani and my response – I’ve updated the post.
Danielle
I think the thing that annoys me is that this has happened before so its not the first time and by doing what they did they ran the risk of all of the teams no being able to do any work on the weekend at all.
And I don’t think the other teams would have done the same thing. They just have the wrong attitude.
I don’t think there was any point fining them $1000 because they slender more money on toilet paper.
Belle
The thing that bugged me was they kept saying the others would do the same thing under the same circumstances – they are all under the same circumstances- they all had to complete a bathroom in a week. Brad and Lara lost a day over the cement not being right and having to redo it, but they weren’t breaking the rules. And they were justified in being concerned over the possibility of losing the weekend work.
Dan and Dani asked why didn’t someone say something to them- earlier in the week Dale did, and obviously they took that complaint with a grain of salt. ( sorry guys but that is how it appears).
I’m glad Brad and Lara won – the bathroom was beautiful. I’d really like to see Dale and Sophie win a room because I love their style.
All of that said- I have to admire anyone who puts themselves and their relationship up to that much pressure.
Katrina
Come back and read Dani and my response – I’ve updated the post
Amanda
I don’t think the personal attacks on social media about them are right. People are real tall behind that computer screen! But I feel that they very much knew the rules and knew they were breaking them, and not by few minutes or even an hour but by a mile! I think I can say with some certainty that I would not do the same thing because I have always stuck to the rules my whole life, but that being said I don’t know the pressure of being on a TV competition. I don’t think they are bad people but I can understand the neighbors being upset, and I thought that the punishment should have been a little harsher since they blatantly broke the rules.
Katrina
Come back and read Dani & my response – I’ve updated the post.
Amanda
I think it is good that Dani spoke out. And good on her. I may not agree with their choice but I would never attack them personally. I hate that a lot of people get like that on social media. I wouldn’t be able to handle it personally so I really admire gals like ya’ll who put yourselves out there for all of us to see! Good luck to Dan & Dani for the rest of the season!
Sarah B
I think the fine was ok but they probably should have been disqualified for breaking the rules. I’d have been pretty upset if I was a neighbour woken in the middle of the night by that noise. It’s just disrespectful. That’s it in a nutshell really.
I was glad Brad and Lara won, their bathroom was lovely. Dan and Dani’s was too, apart from the tiled cistern. Personal taste, but I’m not a fan of that look 🙂
Am loving the show!!
penny barns
I LOVE DANI & DAN,
i wouldve done the same thing but maybe driven away from the block. Like a few blocks away.
I really thought they wouldve won the room last night, but it was probably the cracked mirror that lost it for them.
GO DANI & DAN…..Loving your work
Pen x
Scandi Coast Home
This is not going to be a popular sentiment I can see……
It could have been any of the teams struggling to complete their bathroom. It only takes a few glitches to end up in that situation. I can only imagine what it must feel like to be contemplating presenting the next day and be stopped by a few tiles that needed cutting……I’m not very competitive but I would have done EXACTLY the same thing (I may have found a deserted field a little further away to do it though).
Just sayin’
Tania xx
Naomi
I absolutely agree with you, I would have bent the rules too to get the job finished as well. Yes, they should have gone a bit further away, but perhaps they were running out of time…The pressure that Dan & Dani under was enormous and it would have been GUTTING not to deliver their bathroom for the sake of a couple of tiles. Honestly, I think the other couples were just being petty whingers. YOu’d have to be pretty boring not to break a few rules in life every now and again! I’ve broken heaps but I’ve never hurt anyone by it. I like rebels and rule-breakers – they are the trailblazers in life who fight back against authoritarianism and conformity while rule-abiders sit back and watch.
Lyndy
They should have been disqualified from the round and fined.
Cate Pearce
In my opinion (and this refers to most things in our lives in general, not just on The Block), if you break a rule you were unaware of, or had overlooked, then you are just inadvertently breaking a rule.
If you are fully aware of a rule and break it anyway, and continually make comments like “I don’t care if we get fined, it has to be done”, then you are cheating.
I feel they should have been disqualified from winning the room this week, as they only finished the room by cheating.
And it also meant Brad & Lara had to use their one bonus point (unnecessarily as it turned out) and they should never have been placed in that position.
Kate
Good point about Brad/Lara using the point too. I forgot about that. They should have been disqualified. I must say also dont care at all for bonus point business.
Deanne
Yeah I agree the boys lost the week before because Dan and Dani used their bonus point!
Kate
I was infuriated by their behaviour. And the consequences being so light. I agree entirely with Bella.
In a sense if they won (and they have before) they can afford to take then fine and gain much more time which would continue to perpetuate this imbalance. If 3 folk ie Dan and 2 tilers, get an extra 6 hours after curfew, then effectively a 18 hour day…then why should all others be judged on same time frame?
What appalled me most was that they did not appear sincere in their apology but returned to a defensive style of response (you would have done the same/if we win they can all stick it ie it would have been worth it/no-one said anything) which continued for a long time. They apologised for the camera but in reality believe the rules don’t really apply to them.
They completely lack a moral compass and the narcissism evident in a comment which seemed to suggest they expected to win (now we cant do all the things for next week) was sadly familiar. They knew it was wrong from first furtive trip to park when they looked around. Lacked consideration to all neighbors… it was all for their gain.
What message does this incident send young people? To people of any age? That you should do whatever you can to outdo others? If you can get away with it. Drugs in sport? Cheat on relationship? Lie in parliament?
Please don’t confuse being competitive and cheating. All of those who do see themselves this way, it is called justification. True competitors don’t do this.
Karen@RestyledVintage
Very well said Kate, I completely agree. Plus I think Dan is a tosser!
Caroline Vollmann
I fully agree with your comments and Cate’s to.
Katrina
Come back and read Dani and my response- I’ve updated the post.
kate
i have read the replies and must add a couple of things. i cannot agree with the defense often raised by you and others here that it is only a game…. it is a competition which people including you put their life on hold for, leaving behind family and likely taking leave from work or in some cases resigning. the prize money could be great, while everyone was shocked that you all didnt make 100 to 150K for all your hard work last year, that potential still exists. so it is a competition with high stakes not monopoly at my house, which is indeed, only a game.
i also must disagree most vehemently with Dani’s defense that you “can’t judge a book by it’s cover”. we are not judging you by how you look or indeed how your rooms look, which i genuinely like, but we judge by your deeds, which is exactly how sane people judge. not by what you say you might do, or have thought about, or wish you would have done. indeed her post only added to my view that they do not understand nor feel very remorseful as they still cry “others did it too”.. same as equating 5 minutes to 6 hours.
i get that it is television and producers love this kind of friction, but we all look to our arts, be they low-brow or high-brow, to get a bearing on what is acceptable social behaviour. the general feeling that some have expressed here that it is ok to do whatever it takes to meet your short-term goals makes me sad indeed for the future.
Deb
I think the fact that they did it just across the road (so only 5-10meters away from the actual “block”) and it was 1AM!!!
Earlier in the afternoon Dan took the guys down to a local park via car – so much further away and therefore no-one was aware or bothered.
I can tell you for sure that I would have been peeved if I could hear the angle grinder at that time of morning and not just once off, but consistently for hours. That does border on “cheating” I feel and they surely had to expect a backlash for it.
So yes they should have been fined, but they also should have been disqualified for the week, just as Erin and Jake were when they used Jake’s brother to help paint in 2010!
Katrina
I beleive they need to suck it up as Dani said she would of reacted the same (prob worse she is very firey) and the other teams have a right – no sleep (even when they had a rare opportunity to get some on a reveal night another team took that away) and the chance of loosing valuable work time on a sat – what if the shoe was on the other foot pretty sure Dan and Dani wouldn’t have been happy. They need to take ownership of their wrong doing and cop the backlash – they surely didn’t expect not to cop alot of critisim fom Australia – come on be realistic. Very Happy Brad and Lara won and in the end with or without the one point – just on principal.
Katrina
Just a quick reminder that this is my personal blog and whilst I love your opinions, we need to be respectful and mindful that social media can do more harm than good in these circumstances. Be reminded that this is a tv show and a game. I’ll give you my opinions later today… thanks for coming over though! X
Karen@RestyledVintage
well you did ask, lol!
Megs
Definitely cheating. The rules have a cut off time for using noisy tools and they FAR exceeded that. What was worse to me was their total disregard and lack of remorse, they just did not seem to care at all.
Will be interesting to see how they go budget wise in the rest of their rooms. They start with $80k cash and vouchers, they’ve won $18k, fined $1k and the bathroom last night cost $30k, not to mention how much their other rooms have cost! There’s still the kitchen, yards, roof terrace etc etc to go yet and they’ve shown they’ve got very expensive taste. Played their hand too early perhaps?
Kira
I was a bit appalled by their behaviour to be honest; in the sense that they were blatantly disregarding the rules and not really caring. It was also very selfish when you consider the other contestants mentioning it could get weekend work banned altogether.
Okay, so the still daylight expedition was naughty (whilst it also held a bit of lightheartedness), but going so far away from The Block and hopefully houses was more thoughtful than carrying on until 1am right outside – that was unreasonable. Yes, I get they wanted to finish, but maybe they could have found a way to cut all their tiles first and then put them onto the walls? I don’t blame the others for being upset when they wanted to sleep.
Katrina
Come back and read the responses from Dani and I? KC.
Kira
I really agree with your point Katrina of this ” It wasn’t fair or good sportsmanship.” That has basically been my opinion from the outset. I’ve never made an attack on who Dan or Dani are as a person, just stated that I didn’t support their actions. I feel sorry for them both for all the comments that have come out as a personal attack on them – I really don’t think that sort of negativity is necessary.
Reading Dani’s response I can understand that in the “heat of the moment” they might not have thought of the other consequences regarding their actions. That sort of pressure would not be nice for anyone. The way the show was edited and what was possibly omitted maybe made things seem worse then they are? I was glad they admitted they did the wrong thing and accepted the fine.
Either way, it is a game as you said, but I’m a firm believer that you should play by the rules.
Roxanne
To me, if you defy a certain set of rules, especially when the consequences could affect/punish all others who obey said rules then you should be punished.
I would be so angry if it was my neighbours using an angle grinder in the middle of the night. Yes this is a competition so maybe being in the competitive spirit helps you forget and/or ignore common decency & respect for others, but if you have to break rules to be finished in time then to me you’re cheating.
The most ironic part of this was I looooved their bathroom. The tiles looked amazing & they used the space really well. Unfortunately I sat there thinking ‘damn, they’re going to win now after breaking the rules’ & was glad when they didn’t.
I don’t however think vilifying & attacking this couple is right or respectful. It’s just a television program & Dan & Dani are people not cartoon villains. Have some respect, they’ve been fined & the producers chose not to disqualify them, in reality this happened around 6-10 weeks ago & we can’t change a thing by stamping our feet & shaking our fists around now. It’s done, it’s over, let’s move on.
Katrina
Come back and read the responses from Dani and I?
Roxanne
Ps I’ll keep watching & can’t wait to see what they all come up with next 🙂 This is all making this season very exciting! And Dan & Dani if you’re reading this I love how strong your style is & remember this is all in the land of television for us & most of us will never truely understand what you’re going through….