A former The Block star has revealed what it’s really like to appear on the show and shared how much the stars actually get paid.
Ash Milton appeared in the 2023 series with his wife Leah and has now delivered a scathing verdict on his time in the Channel Nine renewal competition.
The 39-year-old construction company owner revealed that he and Leah were each paid $100 a day to appear on the show.
Appearing in Triple M Breakfast with Marto, Margaux and Dan. Ash shared: “I still have a contract. I don’t know how much I could say, but it’s probably something public.
“But they gave you a little pocket money a day. I think it was about $100 per person per day, which wasn’t bad.
“But you still have to run a house from house to house. I mean, I actually closed my entire business while I was there. You know what I mean? And then you had to start all over again after the show.”
The owner of the Milton Project then gave an insight into the intense filming process, saying their microphones would be on from 5.30am until the evening, sometimes as late as 2am the next day on Saturday shifts.
Ash also claimed they received little post-show support from Nine as she reflected on the mounting pressure on the show amid the shock exits of Jesse Maguire and Paige Beechey.
Ash Milton, who starred in The Block in 2023 with his wife Leah, has revealed what it’s really like to appear on the show and spoken out about how much the stars actually get paid.
“We were there last year more than 12 months ago and, for example, the post-lockdown support is not very good,” he alleged.
‘My wife is seeing someone now and she’s doing really well, but it took her a while to find someone she felt comfortable talking to. But yeah, there wasn’t a lot of help or support afterwards, I’m sorry.’
Ash went on to give his honest thoughts on the sudden departure of 2024 stars Jesse and Paige from the competition after they decided to quit following a series of disputes.
The controversial couple, who were dubbed this season’s “villains,” walked out on Monday after producers were forced to intervene during an explosive argument between the two.
Speaking about the controversy, Ash said it is “difficult” to maintain the relationship under so much pressure while showing his support for the couple.
He also insisted that there were also tense disputes behind the scenes during the 2023 season, but they never aired.
“It’s hard to maintain a relationship when you’re under so much pressure. You have to be a solid unit at the beginning,” she said. “I think the other thing is that (Jesse and Paige) are relatively new to their relationship, they just got engaged.
‘You know, they’ve probably never been under this kind of pressure before. So, I mean, even if their mental health was at stake here, which is not our place to comment on, you know, they’ve probably never experienced anything like that to know how they’re going to deal with it or not.
The 39-year-old construction company owner revealed he and Leah were each paid $100 a day to appear on the show and criticised the show’s aftercare policy.
‘Leah and I went there as a solid team when we did our season last year. But we had heard that argument before, in our season, that it was happening at my neighbor’s house, but it was never shown.
“It’s there and it’s being aired, but that’s how it wants to be aired. That’s how they edit it.”
On Monday night, Jesse and Paige gave up their spot on the reality TV competition in a surprising decision, citing mental health stress after their difficult weeks.
After an explosive argument, pProducers suggested the couple seek professional help, which led to them deciding to leave the show.
Breaking his silence on his exit, presenter Scott Cam, 61, revealed Producers had a “duty of care” towards the couple and denied rumours that they were “forced off” the show.
“We’ve always said we’re not doing anything major here, we’re just renovating,” Scott said in the video.
“Health, wellbeing and happiness always come first on The Block. We always make sure that the contestants’ wellbeing comes first.”
On Monday night, Jesse and Paige tearfully gave up their spot on the reality competition in a shocking decision, citing mental health stress after their difficult weeks.
“They made the decision themselves, we didn’t force them to leave. They made the decision themselves that they wanted to go home,” he added.
‘We provided them with professional care in their home state for as long as they needed it.’
The engaged couple were caught arguing off-camera on Monday’s episode, but with their microphones still on.
Paige can be heard questioning her relationship with Jesse, stating, “There’s no us.”
She angrily added: “I don’t give a shit how you feel, accept it yourself,” before threatening to leave the show.
By 11:30 p.m. that same day, their argument was loud enough to be heard throughout The Block.
At that point executive producer Justin Sturzaker intervened, pointing out that the couple had had heated arguments before.
“It seems like the relationship is getting worse. Your neighbors can hear you too, you know?” he told them.
Sturzaker then suggested that Paige and Jesse talk to the show’s psychologists.
Ash also claimed they received very little post-show support from Nine as she reflected on the pressure of the show amid the shock exit of Jesse Maguire and Paige Beechey (pictured).
“You don’t have to tell everything you have just to Jesse. We need other people to talk to you when they have to make an important decision,” she said.
The couple did so over the weekend and announced on Monday that they had decided to leave the series.
Paige said the past week had been a “cry for help” and added: “It was like a black hole in my head.”
Host Scott Cam wished them well, saying, “We feel like they need to go somewhere other than here to take care of themselves.”