Everything we know about The Block 2020 location and the houses this year's Blockheads are set to renovate.

A 2761-square metre parcel of land in Melbourne's affluent suburb of Brighton has been purchased by producers of The Block as the location for The Block 2020. The land has been subdivided into five lots and five run-down houses - each from a different era - have been relocated to the site and now, it's up to The Block 2020 contestants to restore them to their former glory. Before The Block's producers submitted their plans to develop the site, 360 New Street in Brighton was slated to become a series of 13 townhouses. The estate was dubbed 'One Orchard' by the property developer, and it is unclear why their plans for the site fell through. Domain reports that producers purchased the site directly from the developers for $14.96 million.

Now, on each subdivided block of land stands an old weatherboard house from a different decade: the 1910s, 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s. The Block contestants will be assigned a house per team and tasked with restoring the period features, while updating the home for modern day living. It is likely that these houses will have a two-storey rear-extension added, much like the 2017 Elsternwick season of The Block . Experts estimate that each of the houses will be worth around $4 million once the contestants complete the renovations.

ABOUT BRIGHTON, VIC The suburb of Brighton is an affluent beachside which many Australian celebrities call home. Notable residents past and present include Eric Bana, Chris and Bec Judd, Shane Warne and Chris Lilley.

THE BLOCK 2020 CONTESTANTS

Applications for The Block 2020 closed late last year with shortlisted applicants contacted in December 2019. From that shortlist, Lucky Break Creative, the agency responsible for casting The Block contestants, has now confirmed that ten contestants have officially been selected and notified. "I can now share that we have confirmed our cast for The Block 2020 and odds are if this is the first you're hearing about it, it's not you. Whilst this news will suck for the vast majority of you, there are 10 incredible people who are over the moon right and we can't wait for you to meet them later this year," Lucky Break Creative posted on Instagram.

While The Block 2020 contestants haven't been officially revealed, we caught a glimpse of them in the latest promo released by Channel Nine, as well as posts on @theblockinatorblog's Instagram feed. From the promo we can tell you there is a father-and-daughter duo, Tash and Harry, who the other contestants initially mistake as a couple. This is quickly cleared up by the daughter who says, "Let's get one thing straight: he's my dad!"

According to @theblockinatorblog, the other teams include, Sarah and George from NSW, Jade and Daniel from SA, Jimmy and Tamara from QLD and Jasmin and Luke from WA.

The Block 2020 houses

Since late last year, the houses that The Block 2020 contestants will renovate have been arriving on site. According to The Blockinator Blog, the final house arrived on site in January 2020. "With House #5 arriving by truck this morning, The Block 2020 is complete with homes for the new couples to renovate," they posted.

Since then, the scaffolding was set up and the renovations were in full swing until production of The Block 2020 was shut down in March due to the threat of coronavirus. Despite going to extreme measures to continue filming - closing the site to anyone who is not essential to production, ordering every supply needed to finish the build and offering to create a special Block school for the contestant's children – The Block's executive producer Julian Cress made the decision to press pause on production. "We have made this decision to stop production of the show so that our contestants can get home to their families and be there while the country flattens this curve," Cress told 9Now.

THE BLOCK 2020 air date

As the threat of COVID-19 eased and restrictions were lifted, filming for The Block 2020 was able to resume in May 2020, with strict new safety measures in place. With The Block 2020 expected to air in late August, we hope that the renovations and filming aren't affected by the second wave of coronavirus that has forced Melbourne into another lockdown. Judging by this progress shot of the facades shared by The Blockinator Blog back in February, we'd say the show will go on as planned!