It was 53-year-old House Rules grand finalist Carole Bramston who cast last night’s final of Seven’s ratings-busting renovation show in these generational terms - but when it was all over, youth trumped experience.

Victorian couple Adam Dovile and Lisa Lamond racked up a winning combined audience and judge vote to pip their Perth rivals Carole and Russell Bramston to win the show’s second series and pocket a sizeable prize: the mortgage on their home paid off. 

“This means we can get married, start a family and our lives will be less stressful,” a delighted Lamond said after the win was announced. 

Her partner Dovile could barely contain his delight.  

“I didn’t even know Lisa had applied for this show … I owe Lisa my life as far as I’m concerned. What has just happened is the most amazing thing in the world.” 

The defeated Bramston told the winners: “We’re sad we didn’t win but we’re so happy for you.” 

The series final was a live broadcast, with the contestants who had been eliminated earlier seated in the studio with host Johanna Griggs, and the two finalist couples beamed in live from their respective homes in Melbourne and Perth.

Then it was back to the video tape, with the final room renovation filmed as each couple was tasked with completing a makeover on their rival’s property - a “six-star” Bali-style result for the Bramstons in Perth, a “James Bond” effect for the Victorian couple. 

Both couples declared themselves delighted with the results but in the end it was up to the verdict of the public and the show’s judges. The public vote had been tallied on the basis of the contestants’ performance prior to the final - only the judges had a say on the final project, and that was a win for the Sandgropers, with the Bramstons given a score of 19 out of 20, a two-point win over the Vics.  

When the public vote was added, Dovile and Lamond, who had declared themselves the underdog before the grand final, came out on top. 

But regardless of the actual result, there are really no losers in the world of reality TV: the advertisements during Sunday’s night’s final suggest a second-life hawking everything from household products to fast food to headache pills looms as a lucrative on-going prize. 

Seven will be hoping for big ratings for the grand final, which was up against a resurgent Masterchef of Ten and the kids version of The Voice on Nine - with the Sunday night ratings war set to heat up even further with the return of Seven’s The X Factor in the House Rules time slot next Sunday.