The contestants of The Block NZ have spoken honestly about their real feelings after the Dinner Wars scoring debacle.
Stace and Yanita, best friends from Palmerston North, formed an alliance with Christchurch brothers Ling and Zing to rig the team dinner party voting. They scored Hamilton dads Andy and Nate and Auckland twin sisters Julia and Ali big fat zeros after their respective dinner parties.
After rating each other's meals 10s, Stacey and Yanita won a professional paint job for the outside of their house.
Speaking to Newshub this week, PhD student Yanita, 29, said the decision came from the pair "clutching at straws" trying to figure out to how get through the rest of the competition with little money left in their wallets.
"It wasn't an easy decision at all," she said.
"It got to a point where we had no budget. We just had an opportunity to help ourselves a bit. It's not something we're proud of [and] it's not something we'd do in reality."
The girls say they had to face some serious recuperations and crumbling relationships with the scorned teams.
"The relationships were a bit sketchy," 40-year-old graphic designer Stace told Newshub.
"We had to work hard to build them back up. I don't think anyone was expecting us to do that - we weren't expecting to do that either."
Hamilton dad Andy, 38, was hit particularly hard and was vocal about his distaste for the move.
"I've watched previous series of The Block and I hate strategic scoring," he said.
"I just think everyone should get what they deserve and I find it hard to let things go. I'm a bit of a 'sooky bubba' I guess."
Less regretful about the move were the other half of the alliance, Christchurch brothers Ling and Zing. They said the drama was making The Block "almost like an episode of Kardashians".
"We just try to wind everyone up, and we're there eating the popcorn loving it," Ling laughed.
So would they do it again?
Stace shook her head violently and Yanita said "probably not".
Zing, however, said that although they "regret it a wee bit", they'd "probably go back and do it again".
The Block NZ airs Monday-Wednesday at 7:30pm and Sundays at 7pm on Three.
Newshub.
