Combined profits Auction Notes Returning teams Brad & Dale were both contestants on Season 5, but they were with their partners (Lara & Sophie respectively). In Season 8, they returned to the show as a team. This amount of money is split between the two contestants in the team. Season synopsis Season 1 The first season of The Block began airing on 1 June 2003 on the Nine Network, replacing Backyard Blitz and Location Location in the network's flagship time slot of Sunday at 6:30 to 7:30 pm (AEST). The season was presented by Backyard Blitz host Jamie Durie and filmed in Bondi, New South Wales, with the majority of filming being completed prior to the series airing for editing purposes. Selected from approximately 2,000 applicants, the four couples in the season were: Adam Thorn (aged 30) and Fiona Mills (27), a married couple from Banksia. A data analyst and former sales representative, the couple had renovated three properties prior to competing on The Block. They renovated the first ground-floor apartment (flat number one) and were widely considered the "show favourites" throughout the course of the season. Their apartment—which was the last to be auctioned—sold for $751,000 earning them the highest profit of $156,000 as well as the winning prize of $100,000. Mills appeared on the cover of Ralph while the season was airing in July 2003. Warren Sonin (37) and Gavin Atkins (35), a sales manager and public relations manager from Elizabeth Bay, New South Wales. They are the first male same-sex couple to compete on The Block. Paul and Kylie Ingram Phil Rankine and Amity Dry The auction profits had a combined result of $. Season 2 Following the success of the first season, an expanded second season of 26 episodes, airing twice weekly, premiered on 18 April 2004. The season was again set in Sydney, although in the suburb of Manly rather than Bondi where the first season was located. The auction profits had a combined result of $ with two properties not selling at auction. Selected from over 18,000 applicants, the four couples in the season were: Two original contestants, Dani and Monique Bacha, left the program in January 2004, two weeks into the second season, when it was reported that Dani had spent six months in jail in 2002 following his conviction for a drug-related offence. Andrew Rochford and Jamie Nicholson replaced Dani and Monique