So it was an all new season of Channel 9’s The Block versus and all new season of Channel 7’s My Kitchen Rules last night and judging how twitter went last night, I think most people had the same idea as myself – Watch MKR and tape The Block as MKR easily raked it in last night with well over 1.6 million viewers compared to The Blocks 1.14 Million (It was even beaten by the return of Home and Away) but i’m assuming when The Block moves on from elimination rounds and into the real game, the ratings will alter.

Let’s talk The Block.  It’s a Fans vs Favorites season and we already know the hipster glasses wearing copper twins Alyssa and Lysandra are back for another round, this time along with the familiar faces of Brad and Dale (and Dales new hiddeous neck tattoo and extensive face hair) who have paired up to form the second team of ‘favorites’.

Last night’s first episode saw two couples (both long-time fans of the show) battle it out in designing a New York loft style apartment with Kyal (had to add that spelling to the dictionary) and wife Kara from New South Wales easily beating out Queensland miners Jesse and Kenny.

Both couples were given a budget of $10,000, a design brief including the Manhattan Loft style and just two days to turn two empty rooms into amazing living spaces at The Block HQ.  Throw in a plasterer named Igor that arrived 5 hours late, a smashed light shade, awesome use of pre-existing graffiti, Scotty Cam being a smarmy bugger and a contestant stealing (or paying for) flowers from a woman on her birthday and we finally have our first couple for the new season.

Now it’s time to talk MKR.  I think the producers learnt a very valuable lesson last season – CASTING IS IMPORTANT AND EQUALS VIEWERS!  And casting of nasty contestants equals people talking about your show.

The ‘Well traveled friends’ from Western Australia Chloe and Kelly ensured we were all talking about them and mostly them.  The general consensus was that they should have been labelled as the ‘bitchy travel snobs’ from Western Australia.

I swear, if either of them say “I’m not here to make friends”….

The Block airs tonight on Channel 9 at 7:30pm

My Kitchen Rules on Channel 7 at 7:30pm