The Block 2018 winners Jess Eva and Norm Hogan have spent their entire $209,000 prize

June 14, 2024

Block fan favourites and self-proclaimed ‘bogan couple’ Jess Eva and Norm Hogan pocketed thousands from their impressive win two years ago, but according to Jess, it’s all gone.

During The Block finale, the couple sold their St Kilda apartment in Melbourne’s Gatwick hotel at auction for $2,859,000, making a tidy profit of $209,000.

Speaking on Triple M’s Moonman in The Morning today, former reality star Jess admitted they spent every penny of their takings, and not exactly in the way you’d expect.

According to Jess, it all went on swimming pools, gambling, helping out friends and a kind act for a stranger.

“The first thing we bought was two above-ground pools and we handed them out to our friends like lollies,” the mum-of-two revealed to co-hosts Lawrence Mooney and Chris Page with a laugh.

“We just had friends who had been wanting a pool for ages. The above-ground pool salesman would have thought we were loony!”

“They’re $5000 each, so there’s $10,000” Jess added.

She went on to reveal a chunk of the cash prize went on a big bet at the tennis.

“Remember when Ash Barty was starting out on the tennis circuit, and we didn’t know she was going to be a winner and she was playing against Maria Sharapova?” asked Jess.

“We put thousands on Maria Sharapova, and it was just when Ash Barty was starting her winning streak, and I just forgot that Maria was just coming back from her drugs ban … I’ll never forget Norm’s look after Maria lost the second set, he just had tears in his eyes.”

The revelation prompted a shocked response from Lawrence, who asked: “So most people would go see a financial advisor or put it in the bank. You’re looking for good returns in the gambling world?”

In comments to news.com.au after the show, Jess further revealed they also paid off a friend’s car loan, bought two lawnmowers and a block of land on an island “without ever going to look at it”.

Earlier this year, it was reported the couple sold their block of land on Queensland’s Russell Island for $24,000 after buying the land in 2019 for $17,000.

The radio host told The Daily Telegraph they had hoped to build on the land this year, rent it out and then move back in 15 years but they “didn’t have time”.

With the last few hundreds left from their prize, Jess revealed, the couple paid rent for a struggling stranger they came across on a community Facebook board.

“When you come from nothing you’ve got nothing to lose,” she said.

“If everyone can’t enjoy it together, what is the point of living?”

The radio star revealed in April that her husband Norm’s employment as a builder had been terminated amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“He had this look on his face, his eyes were wide and he looked at me and said, ‘I’ve been let go. I’ve got no work, the jobs have dried up,’” she said.

“At the start he was really scared. We live week to week, so we need that money to pay our rent,” she said.

During the chat, she admitted: “We’re not the greatest with money.”

Now, she says they’ve put themselves on a savings plan, believing Jess’ job at Triple M is their second chance.

Jess worked in regional radio before appearing on The Block, and jumped ship from breakfast radio in the Sunshine Coast to Sydney’s Triple M network at the start of 2019.

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