How much more high-stakes drama over kitchen benches, backyard pizza ovens, slow builders, endless product placements and dirty laundry can viewers take on Nine’s flagship reality renovation show, The Block?

Not much, according to Australia’s official source of television audience measurement OzTAM, which released ratings figures on September 15, revealing a drop in audience numbers for The Block‘s 19th season, compared to when the show was the No.1 program on national television in the early 2000s.

Seven’s home-cooking experiment, My Kitchen Rules – hosted by French chef Manu Feildel and Irish counterpart Colin Fassnidge – and The Block‘s direct competitor, grabbed the No.1 spot in the five-city metro viewership.

But that was oh so last week.

When kitchen benches, conspiracy theories and a question from the sisters (Eliza and Liberty in case you’re not across it) is “Ummm … Scotty” in this week’s promos, you know you’ve just got to tune in.

The Block pulled in the prime-time win with 634,000 viewers on Monday night while MKR bounced back into second place with 534,000.

“The tussle between Seven and Nine only continues to get more interesting,” writes TV expert Steve Molk.

The show isn’t on the chopping block – in fact it was showcased as a major part of Nine’s recent upfronts for its 20th anniversary in 2024 – but questions are being asked about how much longer the show can go on.

In a dramatic twist on September 9, news broke that the show’s 2024 location – the pretty town of Daylesford, north-west of Melbourne – was no longer the preferred site due to planning issues.

Viewers were also complaining.

“No wonder it’s had a drop in ratings, two of the couples on there this year are just horrid, narcissistic, and [sic] doesn’t paint a good picture of The Block with Channel 9 they are bullies, cruel and condescending,” wrote one irate fan on an unofficial Facebook page with 15,000 subscribers.

Contestants working on their guest bathrooms. Photo: Nine

The Block ‘dominates’

On September 18, Sydney’s Daily Telegraph asked: “Is the sun setting on The Block?” This was in response to falling ratings and apparent viewer discontent.

It pointed out the show had long been a favourite, but “ratings are down 20 per cent year on year”.

On one day last week, The Block had 526,000 metro viewers, and it reported: “A decent result – enough to be the second most-watched show on Australian TV for the evening – but a far cry from the million-plus audiences of the show’s heyday.”

Just 24 hours later, on September 19, Nine issued a statement headlined “The Block dominates”, that stated two in five Aussies tuned in to the series at the halfway point of the 19th season.

After the first 26 episodes, more than 10.7 million Australians watched the show, according to Nine, representing 41 per cent of the total population.

In its target demographic of 25- to 54-year-olds, The Block reached more than 4.3 million viewers.

Sisters Eliza Paschke, 37, and Liberty Paschke, 34, from Victoria. Photo: Nine

Across the series, Nine said the show was averaging 1.280 million total viewers per episode, 31 per cent more than MKR, which was “only averaging 977,000 total TV viewers per episode”.

Sunday broadcasts of The Block averaged 1.512 million viewers per episode – 13 per cent more than its nearest competitor, The Voice, which is averaging 1.328 million viewers for its Sunday episodes.

“These numbers speak for themselves,” Nine’s director of television Michael Healy said.

“The Block is an unrivalled powerhouse on Australian television. The fact that more than 40 per cent of the country has tuned into this series is a phenomenal achievement.

“We never take the loyalty of our viewers for granted and look forward to delivering a cracking crescendo to the current season, before an unprecedented 20th series in 2024,” he said.

Daylesford drama

As the show is increasingly being compared to Married at First Sight (MAFS), which attracted 1.2 million viewers on opening night in January, the shock decision to pull out of Daylesford has created a short-term headache for the show’s producers.

On September 9, The Age newspaper in Melbourne reported there was a planning dispute “involving the state Planning Minister and the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal” .

“Producers had planned to start filming contestants building five luxury homes on former farmland on the outskirts of Daylesford in February.

“But after locals voiced objections and sought to take the proposal to VCAT, producers and the Nine network, owner of this masthead, decided to abandon the location,” it wrote.

An Instagram page titled theblockinatorblog, which reports on all things Block-related, said producers were “reportedly scrambling to find a CBD location – which they have now whittled down to three potential sites”.

The ‘bullying’ drama

Viewers have vented their concerns on the online fan pages about alleged bullying by some of the contestants, leading a couple to post a link to the media watchdog, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

The New Daily contacted ACMA to confirm whether any viewers lodged a formal complaint.

On September 21, an ACMA spokesperson said in a statement they had received 28 “contacts” regarding this season.

“Under the broadcasting co-regulatory system, complainants are directed to the broadcaster in the first instance.

“If a complainant does not receive a response from the broadcaster within 60 days, or is not satisfied with the response they do receive, they may refer their complaint to the ACMA for consideration.”

Meanwhile, fans of reality TV will only have a short reprieve after The Block auctions are concluded and MKR announces its best home-cooking couple over the coming weeks.

Nine began filming the 2024 season of MAFS in July and, by all accounts, it’s going to be a ratings bonanza.