Eagle-eyed fans of The Block have caught a key detail in a recent episode that casts a new, somewhat suspect light on Chantel and Wyatt’s painting scandal from earlier in the season.
As a refresher, the 2026 couple have been under scrutiny throughout much of this season of The Block, including a controversial budget mix-up and their decision to (almost) leave the show during the guest bedroom week.
One of their earliest scandals, however, arrived during the first few episodes, when Chantel and Wyatt were caught enlisting help to paint their room before judging, in defiance of The Block’s long-running rule about receiving no outside help for painting.
The seeming rule-break resulted in a heated body corporate and some tension amongst the other teams, with Chantel and Wyatt explaining at the time — both on the show and in an exclusive interview with Chattr — that they were unaware of The Block’s painting rule, which has been in place since its very first season back in 2003.
“Apparently, it’s a very well-known thing,” Chantel told us at the height of the painting drama. “We went hunting for the rule book, but there is no rule book. It’s just a made-up rulebook for rules that everyone’s supposed to know.”
The Block fans call out Chantel and Wyatt’s seeming contradiction over painting scandal
While the scandal has since died down on the show, it reared its head again in fans’ eyes in the most recent episode, when Chantel mentioned how contestants on previous seasons of The Block covered in-wall TV wires with artwork.
Viewers were quick to note the seeming contradiction, as Chantel mentioned previous seasons of The Block despite saying earlier she was unaware of the show’s series-long rules when it came to painting.
“Chantel said she wasn’t aware of the rule about only contestants being allowed to paint, but was also aware that in other seasons of The Block they would wire in points for a TV in the bedroom but put artwork in front of it,” one fan wrote.
Another viewer also caught the same moment, adding on social media that “Chantel said in week one that they didn’t know The Block rules regarding painting, but last night she said to Wyatt that in previous seasons contestants had wired the walls for TV cables and then covered it with artwork.”
Chantel and Wyatt are longtime fans of The Block
The implication — that Chantel and Wyatt knew of The Block’s painting rule but feigned ignorance when they were caught breaking it — is given a little extra weight when consulting their official bios. Over on Nine, Chantel is described as having “dreamed of being on The Block for as long as she can remember,” while Wyatt “avidly watched The Block as a teenager with his mother.”
Their longtime fan status, and Chantel’s explicit mention of taking cues from previous seasons, made some fans question whether the couple were truly unaware of The Block’s painting rule back in week one.
Despite that theory, some viewers have suggested other reasons for the seeming contradiction, including that Chantel and Wyatt “maybe did some research from that first week” to brush up on their The Block knowledge after their painting scandal landed them in hot water.
“Have you ever thought that from that first week she may have done some research?” another viewer wrote.
Chantel and Wyatt insisted they had no clue about The Block’s painting rule
While viewers might debate the situation for some time, one person firmly on Chantel and Wyatt’s side was foreman Dan, who believed that they were unaware of the painting rule when the drama first kicked off. “When [Dan] approached him after, he’s like, ‘Look, I believe you, so I’m gonna let this one slide,’” Chantel said in an exclusive interview with Chattr.
“‘I genuinely did not know. Please, do not give us any time restraints or anything like that,’” she added of their conversation. “And he’s like, ‘I believe you.’”
Whether or not the drama reveals itself again remains to be seen, but with so many bombshell moments in the episodes since, including anger over Courtney and Sev’s recent room win, we wouldn’t rule out Chantel and Wyatt being at the centre of more drama as this season of The Block unfolds.
The Block airs on Sundays at 7pm and Monday – Wednesday at 7:30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
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