Viewers were left baffled during The Block’s explosive finale, after Ronnie and Georgia Caceres disappeared following the underwhelming sale of their home.
While the rest of the stars celebrated everyone’s huge cash prizes, the duo – who finished in last place with a still impressive profit of $296,000 – vanished from shot without explanation, after deciding to put their home on the market first.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Monday, other contestants revealed the reason behind their vanishing act – and while it was partly due to disappointment, others claimed they also ran off-screen to see their children Leo, nine, and Charlotte, six.
Revealed: The Block contestants have revealed why Ronnie and Georgia Caceres (pictured with Shelley Craft) disappeared from the auction during Sunday’s finale
‘Their kids are here, as they are all over from Perth,’ winner Mitch Edwards said.
‘I think the reality is that Ronnie and Georgia are fierce competitors – of course they wanted to win The Block. It was probably more important to them than it was to us.
‘They could see that it had slipped away. Everybody on The Block feels they’ve done the best house, so everybody wants their home to be celebrated. Their home was celebrated, but others were celebrated with more gusto.
‘It’s a bit hard to take. Mark and I have done The Block before, and we came last so we understand totally how they felt. You have to suck it up and be strong.’
Missing in action: The Block viewers were left perplexed when Ronnie and Georgia seemingly vanished without a trace during Sunday night’s season finale
Their perspective: ‘Their kids are here, as they are all over from Perth,’ winner Mitch Edwards (left) said. ‘I think the reality is that Ronnie and Georgia are fierce competitors – of course they wanted to win The Block. It was probably more important to them than it was to us’
Mark echoed that Ronnie ‘needed a bit of time’ to digest what was happening, adding: ‘The kids were here, and he deserves that. We had an intense couple of days. I think, probably there was some disappointment.’
The pair had most noticeably vanished when Josh and Luke Packham sold their house for a whopping $3.93million – making a tidy $530,000 profit – putting them in second place behind Mitch and Mark.
This would have been quite the sting for Ronnie and Georgia, after the twins – along with Tanya and Vito Guccione – had taken part in the cheating scandal that shocked the nation earlier in the season.
‘Obviously they weren’t there,’ Josh said. ‘I think they did great putting themselves forward and going first, but they’re very competitive at the end of the day.
Space: Mark (second left) echoed that Ronnie (left) ‘needed a bit of time’ to digest what was happening, adding: ‘The kids were here, and he deserves that. We had an intense couple of days. I think, probably some disappointment’. Pictured with the cast on auction day
‘They wanted to come out first, and I think they might have just struggled with that. I’m sure when they woke up the next day and they realised what they’ve achieved, they’ll be fine now.’
Kirsty Lee Akers – who alongside husband Jesse Anderson came in second-to-last place with a profit of $301,000 – added: ‘We haven’t spoken to them since, I think they left quite quickly afterwards.
‘I’m sure they’re disappointed, but you know – it’s hard to be disappointed with almost $300,000.
‘Obviously we feel for them, I think they realised that putting themselves first was probably the wrong decision – they probably should have put themselves second.
‘There was no storm off, I just think all the emotions were going. At the end of the day, they only made five grand more than us – they did pretty well. They did better than their first time. I think they’re obviously happy.’
Perspective: Kirsty Lee Akers – who alongside husband Jesse Anderson came in second-to-last place with a profit of $301,000 – added: ‘We haven’t spoken to them since, I think they left quite quickly afterwards’
Mitch Edwards and Mark McKie were crowned the winners of The Block Fans v Faves on Sunday night.
The Sydney couple made the largest sum over reserve of all five Block houses at Bronte Court at auction, selling their home for $4,044,444 with a profit of $644,444.
Mitch, 59, and Mark, 60, also took home an additional $100,000, taking their total prize money to $744,444, with the stylish pair understandably in complete shock.
Coming in second at auction was Josh and Luke Packham, selling their property for $3,930,000 with a $530,000 profit.
Nice work: Tanya and Vito Guccione sold their property for $3,800,000.01 with a $400,000.01 profit at auction
The former Love Island stars created a modern four-bedroom, three-bathroom property with one of the biggest drawcards being the master bedroom and outdoor bathtub.
Tanya and Vito Guccione – who were at the centre of the ‘biggest cheating scandal in TV history’ – placed third with a profit of $400,000.01 after selling their home for $3,800,000.01.
Kirsty Lee Akers and Jesse Anderson finished fourth, selling their property for $4,401,523.67 with a $301,523.67 profit.
Placing last was Ronnie and Georgia, selling their property for $3,696,000.00 with a $296,000.00 profit.
Disappointed: Placing last was Ronnie and Georgia, selling their property for $3,696,000.00 with a $296,000.00 profit