A former The Block star has revealed what it is really like to appear on the show as he shared how much the stars really get paid and slammed the program’s aftercare.
Ash Milton appeared on the 2023 series with his wife Leah and has now delivered a scathing verdict about his time on the Channel Nine renovation competition.
The building company owner, 39, revealed he and Leah were paid $100 each per day to appear on the construction program as he shed light on the filming process.
Appearing on Triple M Breakfast with Marto, Margaux & Dan, Ash shared: ‘I’m still under a contract. I don’t know how much I could say, but it’s probably a public thing.
‘But you get a little bit of pocket money a day. I think it was around $100 per person per day, which isn’t bad.
‘But you still got to run a house at home. I mean, I actually shut down my whole business while I was down there. You know what I mean? And then you had to get restarting again after the show.’
The Milton Project owner then gave an insight into the intense filming process, saying their microphones would be on from 5.30am until nighttime, sometimes as late as 2am the next day on Saturday shifts.
Ash also claimed they got little post-show support from Nine as he reflected on the mounting pressure on the show amid Jesse Maguire and Paige Beechey’s shock exit.
Ash Milton, who starred on The Block in 2023 with his wife Leah, has revealed what it is really like to appear on the show, dishing on how much the stars really get paid
‘We were on last year over 12 months ago and like, the post Block support isn’t great,’ he alleged.
‘My wife’s seeing someone now and she’s great, but it took her a while to find someone that she’s comfortable talking to. But yeah, there wasn’t much post-assistance or support, sorry.’
Ash went on to give his candid thoughts on 2024 stars Jesse and Paige’s sudden departure from the competition after they decided to quit following a string of rows.
The controversial engaged couple, who were dubbed this season’s ‘villains’, exited on Monday after producers were forced to intervene during an explosive argument between the pair.
Speaking about the controversy, Ash said it is ‘tough’ to maintain your relationship under the intense pressure as he showed his support for the couple.
He also insisted there were also tense rows going on behind the scenes during the 2023 season but that they never made it to air.
‘It’s tough to keep your relationship going while you’re under that much pressure. You’ve got to be a solid unit going in,’ he said. ‘I think the other thing is, is [Jesse and Paige are] relatively new in their relationship, just recently engaged.
‘You know, they probably haven’t been put under this type of pressure before. So, I mean, even if her mental health was at play here, which is not for us to make comment on, you know, she probably hasn’t ever experienced anything like this to realize how you’re going to deal with it or not.
The building company owner, 39, revealed he and Leah were paid $100 each per day to appear on the program and slammed the show’s aftercare policy
‘Me and Leah went on there as a solid unit when we did our season last year. But we did hear that arguing before, on our season, that was happening in my neighbour’s house but it never got shown.
‘So it’s on there and it’s happening, but it’s how it wants to go to air. It’s how they edit it.’
On Monday night, Jesse and Paige gave up their place on the reality TV competition in a shock decision, citing mental health stress after their difficult few weeks.
After an explosive argument, producers suggested the couple seek professional help, which resulted in them deciding to leave the show.
Breaking his silence on their exit, host Scott Cam, 61, revealed producers had a ‘duty of care’ to the couple and denied rumours that they were ‘forced out’ of the show.
‘We’ve always said we’re not doing anything important here, we’re just renovating,’ Scott said in the video.
‘Health, wellbeing, happiness, always comes first on The Block. We always make sure contestants’ wellbeing is number one.’
On Monday night, Jesse and Paige tearfully gave up their place on the reality TV competition in a shock decision, citing mental health stress after their difficult few weeks
‘They made the decision themselves – we didn’t force them out. They made the decision they wanted to go home,’ he went on.
‘We followed it up 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 mics still attached.
Paige could be heard questioning her relationship with Jesse, stating: ‘There is no us.’
She added angrily: ‘I don’t give a f**k how you feel – deal with it yourself,’ before threatening to quit the show.
By 11.30pm that night, their argument was loud enough to be heard throughout The Block site.
At that point, executive producer Justin Sturzaker stepped in, noting that the couple had had loud arguments before.
‘It seems like a relationship that’s getting pretty bad. Your neighbours can hear you too, you know?’ he said to them.
Ash also claimed they got very little post-show support from Nine as he reflected on the show’s pressure amid Jesse Maguire and Paige Beechey’s (pictured) shock exit
Sturzaker then suggested that Paige and Jesse speak to the show’s psychologists.
‘You don’t have to voice all of your stuff just to Jesse. We need to get some other people in to talk to you, where you guys need to make a big decision,’ he said.
The pair did so over the weekend, and by Monday, announced that they had decided to leave the series.
Paige said the past week had been a ‘cry for help’ adding, ‘It was just like a black hole in my head.’
Host Scott Cam wished them well, saying: ‘We feel as though you need to get to a place that’s out of here, to take care of yourself.’
