Adam & Stacy - 'HOW WE BEAT THE HATERS'

Why the reality show's unluckiest couple are back to claim the top prize

- Debbie Harrison

After months of tradies, toil, triumphs and tears, Stacy and Adam Middleton returned home empty-handed after The Block NZ: Firehouse in 2019, having made zero dollars from their final house auction despite having the most room-reveal wins in the show’s history. But even more devastating was what they did come away with – the vitriol of online haters.

“We were trolled so hard that I couldn’t leave the house for weeks,” Stacy reveals. “They were brutal, especially about me. There were comments saying we should be ashamed to be New Zealanders, that we should kill ourselves… It was really rough and depressing. In hindsight, I actually should have had counselling.”

So it’s a surprising and brave move to see the Wellington couple, both 28, return to our screens for the new season, The Block NZ: Redemption.

“The opportunity to design an entire house was too good to turn down,” Adam says. “It scratches the itch of being able to renovate another house without us having to buy it. And to be able to do it in 12 weeks and with a budget that we didn’t have to wait 10 years to save for is such a great opportunity.”

“Our real driving force for coming back again was that we made our best friends from doing The Block,” Stacy adds. “Lisa, Ribz, Ethan and Sam are our best friends forever now, and we’d have never have those friendships without the show.”