The Block fans have been left rattled after the backyard and pool reveals, with many taking to social media to call out the show and Channel Nine for not considering pool safety more.
It was House 5’s – Robby and Mat’s – pool that was the centre of attention for Block fans, with fans being left “disappointed” about the lack of safety.
With the pair’s Trendz fireplace the star of the show, fans quickly pointed out that the layout of the massive fireplace blocks the view of the pool, making it dangerous and impractical, something judge Marty Fox also noted.
“From a family perspective, not being able to see the kids in the pool, that is a concern, and I think people will recognise that when they come here,” he said, while Darren Palmer was quick to defend the pair.
“The Swann security camera up here points directly at the pool, so you can watch that from your phone or from the TV inside in the living room and you can keep an eye on the kids while they’re in the pool,” he said as a rebuttal.
The Block fans left ‘disappointed’ by ‘dangerous’ design
However fans of the show took to Reddit and Facebook to call it out, saying Channel Nine should’ve been more careful when promoting the fireplace, the backyard setup, and praising the security cameras instead of focusing on what real pool safety is about.
“If you have a pool for the love of all that is holy be near the pool to supervise your children. You should not be on your deck or monitoring with a safety camera. The amount of accidental drownings is way higher than it should be and part of it is because parents do not properly supervise,” one person said on Reddit.
“Even if your child goes to swimming lessons THEY SHOULD NOT BE SWIMMING ALONE. If you are not on the pool deck with them, then they are unsupervised. I am incredibly disappointed in Channel Nine for promoting such unsafe behaviour.”
“Yes, exactly!!! They literally promoted not watching your children with your eyes, but looking at your snatch watch!??! Channel 9 needs to cut that out and leave the point the judge made about children being blocked from eyesight and how DANGEROUS this design is – not promote it because of cameras,” another agreed.
“Absolutely dumbfounded that product placement is obviously more important than pool safety,” someone else said.
“How fast would you be able to get around the fireplace if you had to jump in to save someone? It should not be compliant!” another person pointed out in a Facebook group.
“Since a child can drown in 20 seconds, this bothered me so much! The fire is on the wrong side of the pool fence. So since you’ve noticed your child drowning on your phone screen, you have run around the fireplace, open the gate (with a cool head), and then locate the child IRL, before you can start to save them. Could easily be long enough to kill the child, or cause them lifelong damage.”
Other fans argued that children should always be supervised in the direct pool area regardless
Some people, however, had counter-arguments to the placement of the fireplace and pool safety arguments.
“Children come in all ages. Young children need supervision. If your kids are young you’d want to be inside the pool area, either in the pool yourself or on the poolside furniture,” one person pointed out. “Kids in their mid to late teens usually don’t need any supervision at all. Keeping the occasional eye on them is all it takes, and being within earshot. Fireplace isn’t an issue. The cameras are a great safety measure for the gap in between where your kids are confident swimmers and want their independence, but you still want to keep an eye on them.”
“All parents should be in the pool area or right next to it though, if kids are swimming,” someone else agreed. “Not sitting on the alfresco watching, even if the fireplace wasn’t in that position. I’ve always been brought up to stay within the pool enclosure with children, so you can jump in straight away if there’s an incident.”
Chattr has reached out to Channel Nine for comment.
The Block 2025 airs on Sundays at 7:30pm and Monday – Wednesday at 7pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
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