A 'surprise' new twist, controversial location, and all The Block 2025 gossip in one place.

Well, folks, it's about that time: The Block is upon us for another whirlwind season.

I know, I can hardly believe we're back here either. Just when you've gotten over the many scandals, trials, tribulations and gossip from the last season, Scotty Cam is back to deliver 12 weeks of divine reality TV.

Scotty will be joined in hosting duties by his best friend forever, Shelley Craft, alongside judges Shaynna Blaz, Marty Fox and Darren Palmer. Foreman Dan Reilly will also be on set, with Foreman Keith seemingly not returning in 2025, after taking a break in 2024.

Watch the trailer for The Block 2025. Article continues below.

Last season saw a series of record-breaking sales thanks to billionaire bidder Adrian Portelli, who dropped $15.03 million to purchase all five homes up for auction. But this year, he's vowed not to return. Couple that with a somewhat controversial new location, and the 2025 season could be shaping up to be a hot mess — just as viewers have come to expect from the show, which gets more and more scandalous with each passing season.

As we prepare for another season of The Block, we're keeping tabs on all the latest news.

All The Block 2025 gossip you need to know.

A new twist for The Blockheads.

In a new teaser, host Scotty has confirmed the 2025 season will see all contestants building their homes from scratch for the first time ever.

In some seasons past, the purchased homes have been so dilapidated that the cast may as well have been building from the ground up — but they still had bones to work with. Now, we're building all the way!

This will clearly add an extra layer of stress to the build, as these regular people attempt to pull off the impossible: complete a new build in a designated timeframe, in a small town. Which brings us to the location.

The Block 2025 filming location.

The new season was filmed in the Victorian country town of Daylesford, a 90-minute drive from the Melbourne CBD. Nine purchased an allotment not too far from the town's centre.

Daylesford is a picturesque (and very popular) region thanks to its stunning natural beauty and charming town. And if you're thinking it sounds familiar, you're right! The Block was slated to film in Daylesford in 2024, but pulled out of filming in the region due to local community backlash. After a dispute involving the state planning minister and the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, Nine moved the 20th season to Phillip Island.

Daylesford is a picturesque country town in Victoria. Image: Getty.

Now, they've ironed out the details and filmed the new season earlier this year.

"So after a lot of wrangling back and forth, the plans that we submitted to the council in Daylesford were finally approved a couple of months ago, so we've decided we're going to go there," executive producer Julian Cress told TV Tonight of the decision to return to the country.

"We're going to do the show that we wanted to do [last] year and we're really excited about [it] because we think off the back of this kind of 'seachange' series that we're doing in Phillip Island, Daylesford is just a beautiful country town. It's the number one weekend destination in Australia. So again, I think it's a town that will resonate with a lot of viewers and as a backdrop for The Block, it's absolutely stunning and the community there is wonderful."

Cress told TV Tonight there was "one person" in a town of 10,000 residents who opposed the first attempt at filming, but claimed all was well when the cast and crew rolled into town to film the 2025 season.

The Block 2025 designs are giving fans déjà vu.

It's not the first time The Block has taken its drama to the countryside, with contestants renovating farmsteads in the 2022 season filmed in the Macedon Ranges.

An insider has told The Daily Mail that the new homes created this year are a little bit too similar to those built in the 'Tree Change' season.

"Honestly, the style and finish of the homes are nearly identical to what we saw in [the 2022 season]," they told the publication. "Same vibe, same tones, same country-chic energy."

But honestly? The same could be said for about 80 per cent of the rooms delivered each week on The Block, where the contestants all share similar visions in the hopes of enticing the right kinds of buyers.

Adrian Portelli is done with The Block.

In a move that will have the new Blockheads on edge, Adrian Portelli has officially confirmed he won't be returning to The Block to purchase any homes in the future.

Along with eccentric bidder Danny Wallis, Adrian is one of the most well-known buyers on The Block — having dropped $31.68 million over the years on different properties.

The entrepreneur said he didn't want to "overstay his welcome" and chose to "go out with a bang" by purchasing every single home on auction in 2024.

Adrian Portelli is putting away his chequebook as far as The Block is concerned. Image: Nine.

This year, he won't be back. And given how extremely over-asking he paid for houses in the past, the new contestants could be in for a rude shock come auction day when no one sweeps in to hand them millions of dollars. Eep!

But Cress isn't worried, telling realestate.com.au he believes the new homes in a stunning location will still sell.

"We've enjoyed having Adrian Portelli on the ride for the last three years," he said.

"It's been great for contestants. But obviously our new crop of contestants that will be joining us in Daylesford soon are going to know coming in that they're not going to be selling to Adrian Portelli, so they're going to have to knuckle down and build some beautiful houses for some local families next year."

The Block is expected to premiere on Channel Nine and 9Now in August 2025.