Reality TV Show Facing Government Scrutiny Amidst Bullying Allegations

'The Block' has raised concerns of "anti-social behavior" with Australia's media-monitoring agency.

By Michael Hein

The Australian government is now investigating the reality TV series The Block over alleged bullying on the set. According to a report by news.com.au, the Australian Communications and Media Authority has received 28 reports from viewers of the current season of The Block, saying that contestants are bullying each other on the air. An ACMA spokesperson said: "The majority of the contacts related to allegations of bullying, harassment and promotion of anti-social behaviour between contestants."

The Block is a competition series where four or five couples per season are challenged to renovate their own homes then sell them off for the highest price. It airs on Nine Network and is currently in its 19th season, but many viewers on social media say the show has gone too far in stoking drama between contestants. One recent post reads: "The Kristy and Leah show. What a waste of airtime," while another asks for "more renovation, less drama for ratings thanks." Apparently, those complaints have gone far enough to catch the attention of country's media monitoring specialists.

"Under the broadcasting co-regulatory system, complainants are directed to the broadcaster in the first instance," the AMCA spokesperson explained. "If a complainant does not receive a response from the broadcaster within 60 days or is not satisfied with the response they do receive, they may refer their complaint to the ACMA for consideration."

Series co-creator and executive producer Julian Cress has already responded publicly to these complaints in an interview with TV Tonight. He said: "I see that people throw around words like bullying on social media. They were referring to Leah calling a body corporate meeting and asking Steph why she didn't get her father inducted. It does not amount to bullying in my opinion. I understand that people choose sides with personalities in the show. But I'm not happy when contestants get accused of bullying when they didn't."

Cress seemed to say that these kinds of issues come with the territory for reality TV. He said: "We needed strong personalities. We needed a bit of psychological warfare. I would say that my expectations for all of that were dramatically exceeded."

Presumably, an official response from Nine Network is on the way. For those that want to catch up on the drama in the U.S., The Block is available to stream on Prime Video's Freevee channel.

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