Ironically, Warran and Gavin, or Waz and Gav as they liked to be called, described themselves as Mr & Mr Gay Average. They presented as a very likeable and happy couple, in their 30s, well-dressed and very gym-fit. The most striking thing about the couple was Waz's laugh. It sounded like a cross between a vacuum cleaner and a hyena and provided lots of unintentional laughs.
At the beginning of the series some right-wing radio commentators had a problem with the fact that Waz and Gav where on TV at all. These homophobes said that gay couples should not be shown at 6.30pm. This time slot belonged, so they said, to 'family viewing shows like Disney. But what the homophobes seem to forget is that gay people do have/are families. Thankfully, the voice of the homophobes went quiet once the series got underway.
The first episode looked at the homes and lives of the contestants themselves. The couples were all young (20s-30s), and in some cases quite attractive, especially Fiona and Adam who looked like blonde models (nicknamed Ken and Barbie). Amity and Phil, like Waz and Gav, were professionals. Kylie and Paul worked in sales and trades, Paul being a plumber. While each couple had an attractive apartment Waz's and Gav's apartment was, not surprisingly, spectacular, with each room they presented looking like something out of a magazine. Waz and Gaz where quickly knicknamed 'the boys.'
The contestants had to give up their attractive homes for the tough task of renovating
four rundown, old apartments in a single block (hense The Block) in the Sydney suburb of Bondi. Each couple had to renovate to a set budget and the couple with the best apartment would win the prize money totalling $100, 000.
Cameras where set up from every conceivable angle in the apartments to capture all the drama of removating. You could almost taste the dust in your mouth and smell of damp as the couples got to work. The cameras also captured the dramas within couples as well as between couples which made for some sure-fire watchable TV.
One of the more fiery dramas was between the plumber and the boys. I can't say I warmed to the plumber, who's apartment was directly above the boys. He came across as arrogant, ignorant and just plain dumb. All three unattractive qualities were combined when the plumber looked at the boy's finished lounge room, spotted an ottoman, and commented, "there's another poof". This was enough to put me off him and hope he would lose the competition. And there was more conflict between he and the gay couple, as his bathroom leaked several times down into waz and gav's apartment. As the boys noted, if he can't fix his own plumbing what does that say about his own work?
While the plumber might not have been very diplomatic I have to grudgingly admit that he did manage to do some very good design work with his partner, and his lounge, kitchen and bathroom were quite stunning. One of the ways the show created conflict was to show film of some of the private comments that the couples made when they saw their competitor's rooms for the first time. Adam and Fiona, who had become good friends with gaz and waz, were quite offended when they heard Gav and Waz say that their kitchen was "cold". They didn't help things later when they added that they had received a cold and frosty reception in a cold and frosty environment.
It was a pity that the audience then got a bad impression of this couple as bitchy. But it wasn't the couple's comments I noticed as much as their bodies. The boys seem to be flagrant exhibitionists and had a penchant for wearing nothing but white designer underwear when they were painting their apartment. I mean they do have nice gym-built bodies but do we need to be constantly reminded of the fact? And they really challenged Mr and Mrs Average Australia's comfort-zone when they appeared in public with nothing but aprons on and their backsides showing.
