Get to know Rick and Tayla – a father-daughter duo from Melbourne, Victoria, competing on The Block 2026.
We’ve gathered everything you need to know about the team so that you can follow their progress and auction day results.
Builder Rick, 63, is married to his wife, Michelle. Together they have twin daughters: Shannen and Tayla.
Superfan Rick originally applied for The Block with Shannen; however, later auditions were with Tayla.
It took six years of trying before Rick made it onto the show.
“It is a dream I have wanted for so long. I have watched every episode, I just love it,” he says.
Tayla, 32, is a personal trainer and business owner, and mum to six-year-old son, Hendrix.
The high-energy duo finish each other’s sentences and confess they thought they would win the competition with ease.
However, Rick admits he was “in for a surprise” when it came to handling the intensity of the show.
Check out House 5’s Block listing – updated weekly and only on Domain.
Every week, this page will be updated with Rick and Tayla’s room reveal results.
The Melbourne father-daughter duo began their first week on The Block working on the wrong room altogether. Once they got their bearings and were in the correct guest bedroom for the House Decider Challenge, they had much less time to construct than the other couples.
The rushed job and corner-cutting were obvious to all three of the judges, with each of them serving up some cold, harsh criticism.
Marty Fox said, “I think there are three great things about this room – the carpet, the wardrobe and the door – to leave.” Another judge added, “This is a horrible way to end today’s judging.”
Domain’s Alice Stolz went as far as to say, “I don’t think these guys are worthy of The Block from what I’m seeing here.”
The team ended up with a measly score of 17 points.
Check out the other contestants’ Block House Decider Challenge room reveal results for more.
Foreman Dan wasn’t pleased with the father-daughter team’s use of time this week, especially when they opted to get haircuts instead of finishing their Family Bathroom.
They failed to complete their room, resulting in the judges being immediately disappointed.
“It’s not done; there’s nothing to see,” said Marty upon entering the unfinished powder room.
He didn’t think they would have won the room reveal even if they had finished, noting that their choices were “too safe.”
The textured wall above the vanity garnered praise, but it came with a backhanded compliment from Darren, who noted that he “liked it as much as he didn’t.”
Shaynna critiqued their styling choices, stating they didn’t meet the quiet luxury brief: “Never have a bathmat in a presentation,” she said.
Their score of 18.5 landed them in fourth place – a result better than their first week.
Check out the other contestants’ Block Family Bathroom Week room reveal results for more.
The father-daughter team set out to stand out from the pack this week with “curves everywhere” and high-end choices.
Unfortunately, other teams had similar plans, so their attempt to stand out fell short.
Walking in, the judges liked the colour palette of their Venetian plaster, but Shaynna was concerned they wasted money on a space that few eyes will see.
They felt the space was larger than other teams’ and praised their skylight.
In the bedroom, the herringbone floors caught the judges’ eyes; the paintings were received positively, but Darren felt it was a waste to place one in a hallway.
Whilst the judges loved their coffered ceiling and curves, Shaynna said it was their styling that let them down this week. “They’re the wrong bedside lamps, and the wrong bedside tables, and the fact we have identical pendant lights hanging over almost identical lamps,” she said.
Rick and Tayla ended with their highest score yet of 22 and in fourth place.
Check out the other contestants’ Block Main Bedroom and Walk-In Wardrobe room reveal results for more.
Rick and Tayla won the Guide Dog Challenge this week, which gave them a leg up with an extra-point gnome – and didn’t these underdogs need it!
Their room features travertine tiles, a large vanity, and an oversized shower. “It feels very luxurious,” Shaynna said upon entering. Marty loved the storage and the stone choices in particular, saying, “It’s exactly what you need.”
The travertine tiles got an immediate tick of approval, even being tipped as the favourite of the day by Marty.
The huge double shower also got the judges excited. “Feels like there’s room for a party in here,” Shaynna said.
Criticisms were minimal; in general, the judges were really impressed with the father-daughter duo’s work this week for the first time this season.
The team won their first room reveal of the season – by half a point, thanks to their little gnome – with a score of 26.
Check out the other contestants’ Block Main En Suite room reveal results for more.
A visit to the hospital, along with strict orders from both the doctors and Scotty to stay off-site, left Rick unable to help deliver their living, dining and alfresco terrace spaces, leaving Tayla in need of extra support.
The Block brought in contractors to help with the painting, in what must be a first for the show.
Walking in, Shaynna immediately took issue with the choice of a six-seater dining table and chairs. In the living area, Marty said everything had been pushed together at one end of the room, leaving a vast empty space that he claimed was big enough for a “breakdancing area”.
He was also particularly critical of Tayla’s fireplace, which took five attempts to get right.
“It looks like a pizza oven!” he said.
Shaynna felt the thinking behind the room was, in theory, “perfection”.
“The green of the couch is stunning, the shelves and artwork are divine, but again, for me, it’s not hitting the mark.”
Like many of the other houses, Darren was frustrated by the layout.
Outside on the terrace, Darren and Marty praised the barbecue and bar area, complete with every amenity, including a slushie machine, as a point of difference. However, the layout once again came under scrutiny.
Rick and Tayla finished in fourth place with a score of 22 points.
Check out the other contestants’ Block Living, Dining and Terrace room reveal results for more.
An infected knee kept Rick off The Block for the second week in a row, leaving Tayla to fend for herself as she delivered the guest suite.
Luckily, former 2018 contestant Spence and Tayla’s twin sister were on hand to help.
Tayla took a big swing with bold green Grafico wallpaper, but it immediately fell flat with the judges.
Darren tried to be balanced, saying that “some of the separate things are good”, noting the lighting and overall layout.
However, Marty summed up the judges’ overall sentiment: “This is terrible.”
They disliked the barn door and Tayla’s styling, describing it as unsophisticated.
Things became so bad that the judges began to find it amusing, even having a giggle at Tayla’s expense. Marty said the room was “unsellable”. The bathroom started off on a positive note, with the judges loving the green marble vanity top. However, things quickly unravelled when they turned their attention to the styling.
“Oh wait, the whole thing is cooked,” Marty realised, as Shaynna discovered the lighting placement, which included a spotlight shining directly over the toilet.
Marty was genuinely concerned about how Tayla and Rick would sell the house with its current styling.
“We’re worried about their house, worried about their sale, and we’re worried that they’re not going to go in the right direction moving forward,” Shaynna said.
Unsurprisingly, the guest suite landed them at the bottom of the scoreboard once again, with just 17 points.
Check out the other contestants’ Block Guest Suite room reveal results for more.
With Rick back on deck for Kitchen Week, the team was still struggling for time.
They chose to focus on cleaning and finishing as much as possible, accepting that not all of the painting would be completed.
Walking in, the judges were shocked that a room of this quality had been delivered by the team.
“Rick and Tayla did this?” Darren asked.
Their backlit stone splashback – the only one of its kind this week – earned plenty of admiration from the judges, as did the kitchen layout and appliance placement.
The curved end of the island bench particularly caught Shaynna’s attention. Another ingenious feature Rick and Tayla added was lighting within the Velux skylight, allowing it to provide ambience and mood lighting at night.
The styling and stone selection in the unfinished butler’s pantry were also praised, although the judges questioned whether there were too many wine fridges for one home.
“It’s a total pisshead behind this place,” Marty joked.
“If they’d just got some paint on this, this would have been a genuine contender for kitchen of the day,” Marty added.
The powder room was another big win for the team.
“This is what I’ve wanted to see in every powder room that I’ve walked into this whole season,” Darren said.
Shaynna adored the craftsmanship in the cabinetry surrounding the sink.
The judges noted that this was the best space the team had delivered all season and even praised Tayla’s styling.
“If they just had more time to paint, this would be my winner,” Marty said.
Considering the lack of finish, the pair landed a respectable 25.5 points and fourth place.
Check out the other contestants’ Block Kitchen room reveal results for more.
After a couple of challenging weeks marked by illness and unfinished rooms, Rick and Tayla were hoping to bounce back during Laundry and Rumpus Week – despite the contestant drama swirling around them, and often involving them.
Tayla brought her signature green into the space, anchoring the rumpus with a curvy green velvet couch. However, the bold styling choice failed to win over the judges.
Walking in, the judges immediately took issue with the placement of the couch – and the layout of the room as a whole.
“It’s about scale – the coffee table is too small. Big rooms need big furniture,” said Darren. He also said the room “isn’t delivering enough comfort in the furnishings”.
Shaynna thought the artwork was the wrong scale and had been placed too high on the wall.
“I don’t think this is a bad room at all, I just think we’ve seen some excellent rooms today,” said Darren.
“Do you know what this feels like to me? A holiday home – which is not what this market is.”
The laundry, however, garnered more support than the rumpus.
“It’s perfect; it’s a great laundry,” said Marty.
The judges said it was well executed, and Tayla’s styling even earned a compliment from Shaynna.
Unfortunately, with the other houses performing so well this week, Rick and Tayla landed in fourth place with a score of 23.5 points.
Check out the other contestants’ Block Rumpus and Laundry room reveal results for more.
Like Lisa and Rosco, Rick and Tayla were desperate for a cash injection to help get their house over the line.
Taking advice from their real estate agent, they pivoted away from a traditional kids’ room and instead created more of a teen retreat.
“Let’s start with the positives – there’s no plant under the desk,” Darren joked. “But we do have one really large one on the wall here, and I actually really love that.”
Darren could tell the room had been styled with intention, but Marty wasn’t convinced.
“It’s a bit of a nothing room,” he said.
Shaynna also pointed out some “odd” styling choices, including lamps positioned beneath pendant lights and a random stool tucked into a corner alongside two poufs.
“Look, I think it’s an OK room,” she concluded.
The team’s redo room was their living and dining space, where they aimed to address the criticised layout and fill some of the empty areas.
“Way better than what was here,” Marty said.
The judges all loved the new sofa colour and positioning, with Marty adding, “I actually want to sit down.”
However, Darren noted that the fireplace, which the judges had previously compared to a pizza oven, had not been improved.
Shaynna again found the styling “weird”, and once more the judges were left wanting more from Rick and Tayla.
The team’s mixed results were reflected on the leaderboard, where they finished tied for third place with House 1 on 21.5 points.
Check out the other contestants’ Block Kids Room and Redo room reveal results for more.
Like Courtney and Sev in House 4, Rick and Tayla had a sizeable space to deliver to the judges, and the sheer amount of decking meant they were unable to finish before judging.
Marty and Darren immediately loved their choice of feature stone around the house and decking area.
“That’s probably my favourite stone of the day,” Marty said.
The judges agreed that House 5 offered the best-sized and best-positioned backyard of the season.
Marty questioned the size of the TV on the terrace, but Shaynna felt it was appropriate for outdoor entertaining, such as watching the footy from the pool.
The olive tree was also a hit, although the unfinished state of the space made it harder for the judges to assess fully.
“This is such a beautiful lifestyle proposition,” Darren said.
“Yes, it will do quite well in the market, but at the end of the day, it’s not finished,” Marty said.
Rick and Tayla finished on 21.5 points, placing fifth overall.
Check out the other contestants’ Block Outdoor Terrace and Pool room reveal results for more.
None of the weeks on The Block have been easy for Rick and Tayla, and Backyard and Garage Week was no exception.
They had the most space to complete this week and, in a surprise to few, failed to finish.
Initially, the judges were impressed by the Chery ute in the garage, but they soon noticed the lack of finish. The wallpaper, which matched that used in the kids’ bedroom, left Marty and Shaynna confused.
They were also perplexed by the curved wall in the workspace and tool shed.
“It’s a waste of time, labour and resources,” Darren said.
“They do this every week; they bite off more than they can chew, then they eat somebody else’s meal, and then they come back and their meal is cold.”
The judges left the garage expecting the same level of unfinished work in the backyard and were delighted to be greeted by a sizeable lawn.
“This is probably my favourite space for today,” Marty said, if it were actually finished.
He thought House 5 had created something no other house had managed.
“It’s the only house that’s really catering for a big family.”
Time management again let Rick and Tayla down, with 30 points on the scoreboard leaving them in fourth place.
Check out the other contestants’ Block Backyard and Garage room reveal results for more.
“I think we’re actually in with a frickin’ shot at this $50,000 off reserve,” Tayla said, and she might have been right because, in the 12th and final week, Rick and Tayla completed a space.
Strolling down their driveway past the manicured lawn and pathway, Shaynna was immediately wowed.
“The simplicity of this is heaven,” Darren said.
He did notice, though, that there was no front fence to keep kids and pets in. Aside from that, he was “enamoured”.
“This is a classic case of less is more,” Dave said.
Down the stairs, Shaynna was still looking for a handrail, but she quickly forgot she might take a tumble when she saw the incredible water feature.
“Ohhh come onnnn, that is amazing! We’ve never seen anything like this on The Block ever!”
“I love that,” Darren said. “That’s so beautiful.”
After more exploring, the judges realised this was the first space Rick and Tayla had actually finished.
“What a great way to finish The Block ,” Darren said.
“They saved the best for last,” Shaynna added.
Not only did Rick and Tayla finish a space for the first time this season, they also walked away with the game-changing $50,000 off their reserve, taking first place with 27.5 points.
Check out the other contestants’ Block Front Yard and Facade room reveal results for more.
Rick is a builder and has spent most of his career on the tools.
Tayla has minimal renovating experience but says she has been “handy” since birth.
“I’ve put together every single piece of furniture you see in my house,” she says.
Rick and Tayla live in Melbourne, Victoria.
Rick is a builder, and Tayla is a personal trainer and business owner. She also specialises in eyebrow tattooing, waxing and laminating.
Hailey Coules Hailey is a property media editor and producer with eight years’ experience specialising in Australian real estate and design. She crafts compelling stories about architecture, interiors, and lifestyle.
Meet The Block 2026 contestants: The five teams competing this season
Meet the five teams competing on The Block 2026. Get to know the contestants including where they're from, what they do for work and what they'll bring to the show this season.
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