Alice and Caleb Pearson have gone from reality TV victory to launching their own business. Photo / Supplied
Alice and Caleb Pearson have gone from reality TV victory to launching their own business. Photo / Supplied
It’s been nine years since Alice and Caleb Pearson stormed to victory on the second season of The Block - but the beloved reality TV stars are still going strong with their home renovation game.
The couple have renovated 12 homes in 12 years, and pivoted from their reality TV success into launching their own business, Pearson and Projects, to share the advice they've gained from their experiences.
Speaking to Paula Bennett on the New Zealand Herald podcast Ask Me Anything, Caleb admitted they never actually anticipated making it on to The Block.
"Alice, her new year's resolution in 2012, was 'I'm gonna get on The Block'. And I didn't think anything of it, I don't even think I knew [she] applied."
It came after their first three home renovations, which they had done at weekends and nights around their other work, so getting on the show gave them the freedom to fully experience it.
While they both enjoyed their time on the show, Caleb had a key piece of advice for anyone looking to enter the world of reality TV.
"Go in with your eyes wide open. It's not everything that you just see on the TV. There's a lot more to it. And I think also the, some of the response, the public response is kind of up and down as well."
Caleb and Alice Pearson believe The Block is one of the more genuine reality shows out there. Photo / Supplied.
Alice said The Block felt like a genuine experience, as the focus was ultimately on the home renovation.
"There are a few times on The Block where we felt like the questions we were being asked by producers were trying to paint us in a different way than who we were, and we were just quite grateful that we talked to each other and didn't answer some questions because we could tell they were just trying to put us at odds with each other or against other contestants."
They admit they don't watch the show any more - or any TV at all, as they don't have one in their home.
In their post-TV lives, the Pearsons are now focused on continuing their renovation journey, which is a mix of renovating homes for themselves and ones to flip and sell on, that has also seen them move into developing property as well.
"I think we do look at property a lot different than most people," Alice said. "Even when we were young, it was more about like, what can we afford, and what can we achieve with the situation that we are in?
"And from there, we've seen property as opportunities like we buy this and add this value or rent this out or whatever it may be. We've always looked at property from that mindset rather than we want a three-bedroom house with a garage in this area so our kids can go to school. We've never purchased a property like that.
"We've always seen, I guess, potential in what we can add to property, and that's taken us on a journey of, you know, moving eight times."
Listen to the full podcast above for more from Paula, Alice and Caleb, as they share tips for renovating, selling your home, getting the best you can from a property, and juggling kids at the same time.
Ask Me Anything is a NZ Herald podcast hosted by Paula Bennett, with new episodes every Sunday.
• Ask Me Anything is a NZ Herald podcast, hosted by Paula Bennett. New episodes are out every Sunday.
