The Block 2023: Tom back on-set after last years defeat

Much-loved 2022 The Block contestants Tom and Sarah-Jane Calleja suffered a crushing defeat during last year’s auctions, earning just $20,000 in profit over their reserve for a property that had been a judge’s favourite all season.

Now, newly-leaked photos from the set of the new season of The Block, currently filming in the Melbourne suburb of Hampton East, show one-half of the couple is back on site in hi-vis.

Tom, who is a plumber by trade, was spotted on site at Charming Street, Hampton East over the weekend. It’s unclear as yet exactly what his role will be on the new season, but it appears unlikely he’d be returning as a contestant so soon.

After the photos surfaced on 2023 Charming St ‘The Block’, a Facebook page dedicated to sharing behind-the-scenes snippets from the new season’s filming, fans of the show speculated that Tom must likely be enlisted as a tradie for the new season, which will air in the coming months.

“I knew Scotty would look after him & SJ. He’ll make a good hi pages guy,” wrote one fan, referring to host Scott Cam and the show’s preferred tradie provider.

Others pointed out that Tom’s day job as a tradie would make him an easy fit to slot into the show for this and future seasons.

It’s certainly happened before: The Block’s longtime foreman, Dan Reilly, started out as a contestant on the 2012 season of the show.

News.com.au has reached out to Nine to ask what Tom’s role is on the new season.

Tom and Sarah-Jane were two of last season’s most popular contestants with both audiences and judges, leading to jaw-dropping scenes during the finale when they walked away with a tiny profit of just $20,000 for months of hard work.

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It was a season of extremes, with winning team Omar and Oz taking home an extraordinary $1.68m profit for their house – by far the largest windfall in Block history.

Life stayed busy for the couple after their surprise defeat, with Sarah-Jane undergoing a preventive double mastectomy just weeks after the auctions, which she documented on her social media channels.

The couple also had to contend with false media reports they’d been reduced to “living out of a caravan” after their time on the show – reports that emerged after they gave their followers a tour of their holiday home, a humble but well-loved caravan and cabin at a holiday park north of Melbourne.

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