By 3 News online staff
The Block NZ contestants Tyson Hill and Rachel Rasch say they are overwhelmed by the generosity of the public.
A total of $14,453.22 was donated to a bank account set up for the couple by Target co-host Brooke Howard-Smith after they failed to make any profit on the TV3 renovation show.
In the final episode of the show their property sold for $798,000 – exactly their reserve – meaning they walked away with nothing for ten weeks' worth of work.
The couple was told of the total amount raised on The Edge’s Jay-Jay, Mike & Dom breakfast show today.
Rachel responded with disbelief: “Are you kidding me?”
“I just want to cry, I can’t believe that,” she said.
Tyson also found the response incredible.
“I kind of thought that I pissed most people off over that nine weeks, but obviously not. That was unbelievable,” he said.
Southland siblings Ben and Libby Crawford took out the top prize from The Block NZ. Their home sold for $961,000, $157,000 above their reserve.
Tyson revealed that drinks were on the winners after the show.
“I feel really bad about spending so much of Ben’s money on Friday night – I really took him to the cleaners,” he said.
But after the partying, Tyson and Rachel deliberately kept out of contact with the outside world over the weekend because of the level of public interest.
“Look, we get lots of phone calls from people wanting to give us things – I can’t even list them off, it’s so overwhelming, it just really is,” said Rachel.
“We just turned the phones off and didn’t look at the computer all weekend ‘cause it’s just too emotional. I can’t believe how nice people have been.”
Aside from the cash donations, the couple have been given an overseas trip by Flight Centre, and have received numerous other offers.
“You know lots of people have wanted to just give us things – chocolates, a pendant from Michael Hill Jeweller […] I’m speechless, it’s just crazy.”
Rachel revealed that she was the one who wanted to enter the contest, and that she had to force her partner to take part.
“I just felt really sorry for Tyson because I think everyone does know that he never wanted to do this and I forced him – like I literally forced him – right to the very last day before we flew out of Wellington to go and spend ten weeks there, he still didn’t want to go.
“So the first thing I said to him was, ‘sorry babe’.”
Tyson said that he was glad they went through with it, but joked that it would take more pressure for him to do it again.
“Very glad – I had no choice, it was either you come here now or go and find somewhere else to live.”
“So if I got that threat put on me again, yes I would do it.”
Rachel said the level of support they have received has been “bizarre”.
“That was very strange actually for us, well we don’t have a sick child, we don’t need any immediate surgery or anything like that or have to fly to America.”
And she admits it feels unfair that they have received more in donations than another couple on the show made from the profits of their house.
“It seems unfair because that’s more than Ginny and Rhys got, and we’ve got the trip and the movies.”
However, the couple have already said they plan on re-gifting some of the donated cash to charity.
“We’re definitely going to have to even it out some how,” said Tyson.
“Tys and I have talked about it – we’ll be definitely giving some away to a charity that we feel really strongly about,” said Rachel.
Howard-Smith’s fundraising effort also garnered $286 worth of donations for Taranaki couple Ginny Death and Rhys Wineera.
Read more about Rachel and Tyson’s plans to give some of their donations to charity.
Watch the final episode on TV3 On Demand.
3 News