But what drove the 30-year-old electrician and 29-year-old high school teacher to push so hard through the toughest 10 weeks in reality TV?
Here, they say, are their key tips to their success, on and off The Block…
Be honest with each other
The high school sweethearts have been together for 14 years and are still nuts about each other. “You have to be on the same page or it’s not going to work,” admits Shay. “Be honest with each other always. You’ve got to grow together if you’ve been together for a long time.” Adds Dean: “We’ve been through a lot together and that is what has strengthened us and got us to where we are today.”
Dream big
They say they’re constantly pushing each other to get the best out of life. “I love how much of a hard worker Dean is,” says Shay. Whenever he puts his mind to something he completes it.” Adds Dean: “That’s the best thing about our relationship, we don’t ever forget to dare to dream.” The couple had applied three times for The Block before so when they were finally accepted they went in boots and all. Shay left her teaching job in the hope the show would be the springboard into launching a design consultancy business.
Family comes first
Above all, however, they say they put themselves through the The Block wringer for their two-year-old daughter Everly. “She’s our world,” says Shay, who suffered a devastating miscarriage shortly after they’d finished the apartment. They want to make a “tree change” and buy some land near Newcastle where they can grow their own food as well as their own family. “A tree change is our dream. How soon we get there depends on how the auction goes – whether we can fast track it a bit, or it takes us a bit longer to save up for it,” says Shay.
