It’s actually unbelievable how much drama can come from a seemingly-innocent renovation show. The Block is nearing the pointy end of the competition, with the grand finale airing on November 6.
However, in the lead-up to auction day, contestants Ankur Dogra and Sharon Johal have managed to ruffle a few feathers.
Ankur, who is an accountant outside of the show, has been questioned over his professionalism by foremen Keith and Dan after he and Sharon went $26,000 over the allocated budget — again.
Keith and Dan confronted the couple and their lead landscaper, Tim, before they had the chance to look at the figures.
“What are you going to do? Ankur, you’re an accountant. Have you been all over this?” asked Keith.
“We’ve been under budgetary restriction for a long time. Whenever Keith and Dan come up, or even Scotty [Cam] addresses it, I suppose we’re defensive about it,” said Ankur, who believes his “livelihood” shouldn’t have been brought up.
He added: “They come full force. It’s pretty confronting. I think we have PTSD from the previous occurrences also.”
Ankur using the term PTSD to describe his feelings struck a nerve with viewers, with people saying the serious mental health condition shouldn’t be thrown around so lightly.
Post-traumatic stress disorder can occur after someone witnesses and experiences something traumatic.
The backlash comes after Sharon said she had PTSD earlier in the month. During the show, the pair were chatting to Scott Cam about their build, unsure of how he would respond.
“Whenever we hear Scotty’s coming for a visit, we get really anxious,” she said: “We’ve got PTSD from the last couple of visits that we’ve had”.
The comment was not received well, and people took to Twitter to express their frustrations.
This season, a number of contestants have been called out for making light of mental health issues such as Bipolar Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Just last month, social worker and Blockhead Sarah-Jane Wilson was criticised for describing her competitors room as “bipolar”.
“This house has bipolar. You never know what you’re going to get depending on their mood,” she said after seeing Sharon and Ankur’s build.
The Block: Tree Change airs from Sunday – Wednesday on Channel 9 and 9Now.
