Enter Shoalhaven based mates Sticks and Wombat who snatched the win out  from under both teams in this week’s facade reveal to finish the 2017 Block on a high.

The Sussex Inlet boys took out the final week by, again half a point, with a score of 28.5.

Sarah and Jason were close behind with 28, then Josh and Elyse with 26, Ronnie and Georgia with 25.5 and Hannah and Clint last (again, sorry) with 23.5.

Even a rather raucous hen’s party couldn’t stop the pair who have become firm fan favourites on The Block.

As the boys prepared for the final night of painting, out of the darkness appeared 30 plus women, dressed in their pyjamas.

Unfortunately, despite Sticks and Wombat offering up one of their rather cute tradies as bait for the amorous crowd, we cut to an ad break and then there’s more talk of painting.

The boys had to reject offers to help paint (it’s against the rules) but did take the time to pose for a few photos, including one with all the party on their front verandah, which as Wombat put “was a good test for the new deck!”

The judges gushed over the continued use of timber and the plant choices, but Neale questioned why they house hasn’t got a name (“Hygge” was his suggestion … maybe not, Neale).

The boys christen it “The Castle”. How very Aussie.

The final week has been all about face value and street appeal of the five homes.

The contestants began by reminiscing on their “journey”, and as Sarah points out, “the fat lady has finally sung”.

Unfortunately, Jason decided to illustrate the point.

Apart from facades, the focus this week was on house defects (a word which here can also refer to Jason’s singing) and they number into the hundreds for some teams.

And they’re complaining about painting. Just for something different.

Upon receiving their final “tools down” cry of the season, the contestants were overcome by emotion and celebrated in the street.

Let’s see if they’re still celebrating this time next week when auctioneers are working their magic.

As for the the judges’ thoughts on the other facades.

Jason and Sarah’s — now “the sweetest little dream house”, according to Darren Palmer — passes with flying colours for its mix of materials and its refined and polished original details.

Over at Hannah and Clint’s place, the pink front door draws gasps of delight from Shaynna Blaze but a crooked outdoor light is what got Neale Whitaker’s eye. The judges were really picking at the tiniest details this week because the houses from the outside actually are pretty great.

The geometric tiles and dark facade of Georgia and Ronnie’s house (“You’re gonna love it or you’re gonna hate it,” says Georgia) divide the judges. While the colour gets the tick of approval, Neale and Shaynna can’t abide the tiles.

“Every day, this is going to look dirty and messy,” says Shaynna, prompting this confused reaction from the Queen in house three.

Neale seems a bit cold on the whole marriage of the bold statement of the tiles and the refined, sleek interiors of the house. But Darren loves it, so, you just can’t please everyone.

On a high after their Domain magazine cover win, and the win for best fix of the defects, Josh and Elyse are pleased to have their front likened to a “visit to nanna’s” by Shaynna … until she reckons it doesn’t match the rest of the house.

“It’s very old-fashioned but not in the boho way they’ve done … it doesn’t connect with the back garden,” she says, and upon hearing that Neale agreed (and even hated the pillars), Elyse and Josh took the news as well as you might expect.

When it came to the scores, there were some niggles while they were announced: Georgia and Ronnie refused to believe Sticks and Wombat should’ve equalled their perfect 10 from Darren, Josh suggested Shaynna couldn’t see over the fence after she scores he and Elyse an 8.5 (why is it always Shaynna who cops it?), prompting host Scott Cam to jest: “That Shaynna’s a bitch, isn’t she?” (Contestants from other years might well agree … I, however, would never think that.)

So it sets the scene for the final week on the block and the live auction next week.