It's been a big week for Sophie and Dale, who won their first Room Reveal. We spend some quality time with the newlyweds to talk about all things Block and what life's been like since filming wrapped on the series.
Finally, a win for you guys! Dale: It was so good. A couple of times we had contemplated whether we were doing the right thing, whether it was worth sticking with our style or completely changing it, but once we got that win we were pretty confident. Sophie: I think we were getting a bit down about things, so once the judges said they liked it, it was new motivation to keep going.
It couldn't have come at a better time — just how broke were you guys? Dale: We got pretty broke. I ended up painting a bedhead and Sophie got some stuff from recycled stores, all because it was cheaper than buying new. That said, Sophie did really well with our budgeting. She didn't spend what she thought should be spent on a room, she spent what we had. She worked to our budget, rather than working to what we thought rooms should cost.
So tell us — now the show is on air, is it weird seeing yourselves? Dale: It is pretty weird. At the start it was just as if they'd given us a DVD of the episode and we were watching it at home, so if felt like no one else in Australia was watching, just us. But sometimes you have to miss watching it, and you go to a pub or something, and it's on there! Or you walk past a shop front and it might be on in a window. Then it becomes pretty weird, because you know then that it's on everywhere. But it’s been good.
Your wedding was also on the cover of Woman’s Day last week — you’re famous! Dale: Yeah, that was pretty cool! Sophie loves re-living our wedding, so the more places she sees it, the better! Sophie: I love that we're on the cover next to Michael Clarke and his new wife — it's classic! All the family are loving it.
Sophie, you've mentioned you're not a fan of watching yourself on TV — why is that? Sophie: I thought I would find it funny and interesting to watch, but it's just hard. I try to watch a lot, because I like to see what the kids [I teach at primary school] see at home. But I probably wouldn't watch as much if I didn’t have to. You know when they pan out for that view, and they show all the houses in drawing form and zone in on one house? I'm always like, 'Please don't be blue — go to someone else's house!' It means I can survive another five minutes without seeing myself!
How has it been being back at school? The kids must bombard you with questions? Sophie: You know what? I really thought they would, but nup — not at all! At the start they were really excited. Me and the teacher I team-teach with, we had a 'Block Box' ready to go. We were going to say, 'We're not going to answer any questions about The Block in class, you have to put them in the Block Box,' but they don’t even bother — it's hilarious! I think it’s just because they knew me as Mrs Vine before, and I haven't changed at all, so it's not strange for them.
Dale, have you had lots of people recognising you from TV? Dale: Plenty, but everyone has been really good. They'll stop me and give me a handshake, saying stuff like, 'Stick with your style,' which is nice.
There were a few weeks we were worried — because they were showing you saying a few, shall we say, sexist remarks... Dale: Ah yeah! I think I said something in the first week, like, 'You can't talk sense to her, because she's a girl.' I was just saying it to one of the cameramen as a joke, and he recorded it, and it got played 20 times in that first week! I had mates, and mum and everyone saying, 'How many times did you say that? Wouldn't you learn after the first time?' But it’s the same footage!
What's this we hear about you shaving your head, Dale? Was it so you don’t get recognised quite as much? Dale: Yeah, I've shaved me head! I said for a while there I was going to do it — just for something to do. So Sophie went out for dinner with a girlfriend and then came back, and I had done it! Sophie: He didn't go bald like Neale Whitaker, but it was pretty short! It hasn't stopped him being recognised though — he keeps wearing the clothes he wore on The Block and I'm like, 'You can't help yourself!'
There was a little bit of controversy last week with Dan and Dani’s bathroom. Did you watch that episode? Dale: Yeah, we did watch it. And it wasn't really much of a surprise to us. I think it was pretty truthful to how things went down and what people said. It's one of those things, if you say something, there's a camera there to catch it, so you can’t deny it when it goes to television...
You guys all seem fairly close still though... Dale: Yeah, we are. And I think everyone, with the exception of Brad and Lara and ourselves — we never annoyed each other — but I think everybody did something to annoy somebody at some stage. It’s just the way it is.
If you walk away from The Block with no money, would it still have been a good experience? Dale: For sure. We've made lifelong friends that we will stay in touch with forever now. It's like having all these highlights in your life, and it's all recorded for you and you can watch it again if you want. It's like an intense doco that we can pop in the DVD player when it's finished and relive whenever we want!
