I hate these 'reality ' bullshit TV shows and definitely don't watch the block, but it could have something to do with no-one being able to buy anything but run down old shacks that need renovations?

Is The Block a renovation story or an advertising story? Reportedly it's one of Nine's most valued programs because of its ability to fit so product placement and marketing into the show without losing viewers.

We are doing some renovations soon.. I just can't see prices going back down to pre-covid prices and neither can builders... the only thing that has improved is the lead time on materials. We are renovating to improve our house for us, it is old and tired and it would make things a lot more comfortable. I can't see a problem with it.

This is the best summary I could come up with:

This year, contestants renovate five "authentic '50s dream homes" in "the perfectly named Charming Street, in Melbourne's Hampton East".

Home ownership is becoming less accessible and more people than ever are renting, but stories about renovation on TV, in film and in literature continue to have a powerful effect on us.

This is especially important in programs like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (2003–20) and Backyard Blitz (2000–), which often focus on people presented as hard-done-by whose lives are changed by renovations that solve their day-to-day problems.

In the Nancy Meyers rom-com It's Complicated (2009), Meryl Streep plays a divorcee looking for a fresh start, who renovates her home and falls in love with her architect, Adam.

In The Notebook (2004), Ryan Gosling's Noah transforms an old plantation estate into his lover Allie's dream home, a gesture that reveals his enduring love.

Many renovation stories can be seen as escapist media that trade on the image of the dream home to sell ideas about wealth, taste and style to audiences unable to afford such things.

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