Block: Elle and Joel quit because she 'didn't want to wear hi-vis for 12 weeks'

The Block’s executive producers accused Joel Patfull and Elle Ferguson of giving up because they couldn’t handle 12 weeks on a construction site in Victoria.

Julian Cress, the show’s creator who has overseen all 18 seasons of the popular Nine renovation show, said the crew was confused when the Sydney couple dropped equipment during the first week of shooting in April.

While Elle and Joel insist they quit due to a family emergency, Mr Cress told the Herald Sun it was probably due to more superficial concerns.

The Block’s executive producers accuse ‘quit’ Joel Patfull and Elle Ferguson (pictured) giving up because they couldn’t handle 12 weeks on the building site

She claims Elle, a 36-year-old fashion influencer from Bondi, rejects the idea of ​​wearing hi-vis work clothes instead of her usual chic outfits.

Mr Cress also cast doubt on the couple’s claims that they were forced to leave the show to care for Joel’s ailing mother after she fell at his home in Adelaide.

‘[Elle] seemed a little surprised that he had to spend 12 weeks on hi-vis at work,’ he said.

Julian Cress (pictured), who has overseen all 18 seasons of The Block, said the crew was confused when the Sydney couple dropped equipment during the first week of shooting in April.

Mr Cress said he was impressed by the pair’s performance in the first challenge of the season, so were ‘shocked’ when they called him on April 15 to say they weren’t enjoying themselves and fear the show was ‘not enough for the brand. they’.

He arranged to have a meeting with them the next morning, but by the time he arrived at the construction site, they had already packed up and left.

“They never spoke to us again,” he added.

While the couple insisted they quit production due to a family emergency, Mr Cress told the Herald Sun that Elle (pictured), a 36-year-old fashion influencer from Bondi, rejected the idea of ​​wearing hi-vis workwear instead of her. ordinary chic wardrobe

Mr Cress admitted Joel’s mother did have an accident in Adelaide, and confirmed production had paid to fly the couple overseas to see him a week before filming began.

But he denied claims in the media that Joel and Elle only quit because they couldn’t get confirmation from the producers that they could ‘come and go’ from the construction site in Gisborne to visit his ailing mother in South Australia.

‘I can understand why they don’t feel like they don’t get the answer to that question, because they never ask it,’ he says.

Mr Cress added that The Block was always willing to accommodate the team during family emergencies, and once shut down production for a full week in 2013 when the mother of one of the contestants fell ill.

The pair dropped the device in April – just two days after filming and after the first challenge – after Joel’s mother, Trish, broke her neck during a fall at her Adelaide home.

‘We’re not the kind of program that prohibits someone from visiting a sick mother. We never, we never will,’ he said.

Elle and Joel, a 37-year-old retired AFL player, dropped the device in April – just two days after filming – after her mother Trish broke her neck during a fall at her home.

The blogger then posted a cryptic message on Instagram hinting at their exit: ‘Wherever you are in the world. Whatever you do. Family always comes first.’

As reported by TV Week, The Block host Scott told other contestants that they were leaving because the show wasn’t ‘branded’ to them as glamorous influencers.

Mr Cress acknowledged Joel’s mother had indeed been in an accident, but denied claims the couple only stopped because they could not get confirmation from producers that they could ‘come and go’ from the construction site in Gisborne to visit his ailing mother in Adelaide.

He also said they had complained ‘toilet paper is too scratchy’.

Like Cress, Scott is unsure of the team’s reasons for quitting the show, saying: ‘Of course, family comes first on The Block – we’ve stopped production before when people had family emergencies.

“And of course, I’m not referring to someone going to visit their sick mother… That’s because they didn’t give us a reason.”

Scott previously said at the Logie Awards that Elle and Joel who gave up so quickly to the competition were ‘unAustralian’ and ‘p**s poor’.

Mr Cress said The Block was always willing to accommodate the team during family emergencies, and once shut down production for a full week in 2013 when the contestant’s mother fell ill.

He told TV Tonight: ‘We had a 48 hour challenge to pick the houses you got and they disappeared after 48 hours. That is something that has never happened before.’

‘Forty-five thousand people signed up to join The Block and win life-changing money. These guys are up and they can’t handle the pace after 48 hours.”

‘Which to me is a bit unAustralian! Try! This is so bad.’

As reported by TV Week, The Block host Scott Cam (pictured) told other contestants that Elle and Joel left because the show wasn’t ‘branded’ for them as Sydney influencers.

The couple made the difficult decision to leave Channel Nine’s renovation show two days after filming, after Joel’s mother suffered a severe fall.

The former footy star’s mother reportedly broke her tailbone and broke her wrist.

A spokesperson for Nine confirmed their departure to Daily Mail Australia, saying: ‘Over the weekend, we were pleasantly surprised to have one of our new team of contestants leave The Block a few days into filming for the upcoming season.

‘We wish them all the best for the future and we are excited to select two new Australians for the opportunity of a lifetime at The Block. Block Tree Change will air as scheduled later this year.’

Their departure from The Block will be the main storyline in the first few episodes of the new season, which premieres on Sunday, August 7, on Channel Nine and 9Now.

Upon exiting, Elle shared this photo to Instagram of their luggage at Melbourne Airport, and wrote: ‘Wherever you are in the world, whatever you do, family always comes first’

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