Luke, who competed with his twin brother Josh Packham in 2021, has suggested the current Blockheads have a much softer ride thanks to strict council restrictions at the Mount Eliza site.

The 2026 contestants reportedly have to leave site at 6pm on weekdays and 3pm on Saturdays, a very different rhythm from the old all-night painting marathons that helped turn previous seasons into a sleep-deprivation Olympics with feature walls.

Luke Thinks The Hard Work Has Changed

In a TV WEEK interview, Luke said the current contestants would need to be painting through the night if they wanted to understand the exhaustion earlier teams dealt with.

"The hard work of it all is gone now because the whole show for me was wrapped around having to paint the rooms late at night and rush the finish," he said.

And then came the very Luke flourish: if this year's contestants say they are tired, "they're really not tired."

Look, every Blockhead probably thinks their season was the brutal one. That is practically part of the induction pack. But Luke's point is that the current rules have changed one of the show's most chaotic ingredients.

The Packham Twins Know The Backlash Cycle Well

Luke and Josh appeared on The Block: Fans v Faves, where they became two of the season's most talked-about contestants after a cheating scandal and a very unfriendly villain edit.

Luke has since said parts of their season did not reflect what was happening off camera. In the interview, he recalled going to bed at 6am and waking at 8.30am, only for the show to frame them as sleeping in.

He said the public reaction eventually became heavy enough that he stepped away from social media to focus on his family, mental health and business.

That history gives his latest comments a little extra spice. This is not just a former contestant yelling from the renovation sidelines. It is someone who knows exactly how fast The Block can turn exhaustion, editing and public opinion into a full-blown weekly pile-on.

Could Luke Return With Someone New?

Luke is currently back on reality TV with Josh on The Traitors Australia, but he has not completely shut the door on another TV chapter.

He told the outlet he would love to do a series with his wife Olivia, while adding that he and Josh still make good TV together, whether viewers love them or not.

Honestly, after calling the current Blockheads not tired enough, that return would probably come with a few paint tins and a lot of side-eye.