The block is accused of cultural appropriation as participants wear Mexican sombreros and fake moustaches: ‘Welcome to unmusical Australian television’
Home renovation series The Block has been at the center of several high-profile controversies this year, and Monday night’s episode was no exception.
Some viewers accused the show of cultural appropriation after contestants attended a Mexican dinner party wearing sombreros and fake mustaches.
The episode featured married couple Sarah-Jane and Tom, dressed in Mexican ponchos, sombreros and facial hair taped on, picking up the other contestants.
Some viewers accused The Block of cultural appropriation after the contestants attended a Mexican dinner party wearing sombreros, ponchos and fake mustaches on Monday. Here you can see Sarah-Jane and Tom
The group then began chanting, “Olé! Ole! Ole!’ when they went to the dinner party.
Some viewers weren’t impressed, with one TikTok user saying, “Welcome to unmusical Australian television in 2022.”
Others took to Reddit to discuss the episode, with one user asking, “That Mexican segment was pretty [inappropriate]To the right?’
Another viewer echoed those sentiments, commenting, “You don’t have to dress up and parody a nation when you’re eating Mexican-inspired food.”
One unimpressed TikTok user said: “Welcome to unmusical Australian television in 2022.”
A Channel Nine spokesman declined to comment.
The participants wearing Mexican outfits said nothing negative about Mexico or its people, nor did they darken their skin in any way.
While sombreros, ponchos, and mustaches may be stereotypes of Mexico, they are not considered historical symbols of oppression, and thus no sane person would consider wearing them racist.
It’s also possible the stars were told to dress up and didn’t have a choice on the matter.
It comes after The Block stars Sharon Johal and Ankur Dogra (pictured) were accused of “cheating” by using Google to quickly end a challenge
Several other controversies on the show follow, including two contestants quitting after just 48 hours, cheating allegations and feuding among teams.
In April, Elle Ferguson and Joel Patfull dropped tools just two days into filming after his mother, Trish, broke her neck falling at their home.
Her departure drew the wrath of host Scott Cam, who didn’t seem to accept her reason for leaving, describing her as “un-Australian”.
And last month, Sharon Johal and Ankur Dogra were accused of “cheating” after using Google to win a wine blending challenge.
Despite that drama, the final season of The Block was a ratings winner for Nine, beating 10’s The Masked Singer and Seven’s My Kitchen Rules.
Contestants Elle Ferguson and Joel Patfull (pictured) left the show just 48 hours into set-up after Joel’s mother was injured, prompting host Scott Cam to describe her as “un-Australian”.
Block host Scott Cam (pictured) lashed out at Elle and Joel for leaving the show
