diff --git a/src/duobench/tasks/block_balance.py b/src/duobench/tasks/block_balance.py
index 7ff341f..fcf6aa6 100644
--- a/src/duobench/tasks/block_balance.py
+++ b/src/duobench/tasks/block_balance.py
@@ -81,6 +81,18 @@ def _body_has_any_contact(self, sim: Sim, body_id: int) -> bool:
                 return True
         return False
 
+    def _body_touches_only(self, sim: Sim, body_id: int, allowed_body_ids: set[int]) -> bool:
+        """True if every contact of the body is with one of the allowed bodies (e.g. not the table or a robot link)."""
+        for i in range(sim.data.ncon):
+            contact = sim.data.contact[i]
+            geom1_body_id = sim.model.geom_bodyid[contact.geom1]
+            geom2_body_id = sim.model.geom_bodyid[contact.geom2]
+            if body_id == geom1_body_id and geom2_body_id not in allowed_body_ids:
+                return False
+            if body_id == geom2_body_id and geom1_body_id not in allowed_body_ids:
+                return False
+        return True
+
     def update_internal_state(self, sim: Sim):
         beam_body_id = mj.mj_name2id(sim.model, mj.mjtObj.mjOBJ_BODY, self.beam_body_name)
         blue_rectangle_body_id = mj.mj_name2id(sim.model, mj.mjtObj.mjOBJ_BODY, self.blue_rectangle_body_name)
@@ -93,9 +105,8 @@ def update_internal_state(self, sim: Sim):
 
         beam_grasped = beam_body_id in left_arm_contacts or beam_body_id in right_arm_contacts
 
-        beam_on_cube = (self.red_cube_geom_name, self.beam_geom_name) in contact_pairs or self.internal_state[
-            "beam_on_cube"
-        ]
+        # current step only: a beam that touched the cube once and then fell onto the table is not on the cube
+        beam_on_cube = (self.red_cube_geom_name, self.beam_geom_name) in contact_pairs
 
         cubes_contacted_by_left = {
             body_id for body_id in (blue_rectangle_body_id, green_rectangle_body_id) if body_id in left_arm_contacts
@@ -120,6 +131,7 @@ def update_internal_state(self, sim: Sim):
             or right_arm_contacts & {beam_body_id, blue_rectangle_body_id, green_rectangle_body_id, red_cube_body_id}
         )
 
+        task_body_ids = {beam_body_id, blue_rectangle_body_id, green_rectangle_body_id, red_cube_body_id}
         beam_qvel_adr = sim.model.jnt_dofadr[
             mj.mj_name2id(sim.model, mj.mjtObj.mjOBJ_JOINT, self.prefix + "pink_beam_joint")
         ]
@@ -140,6 +152,10 @@ def update_internal_state(self, sim: Sim):
             and self._body_has_any_contact(sim, beam_body_id)
             and self._body_has_any_contact(sim, blue_rectangle_body_id)
             and self._body_has_any_contact(sim, green_rectangle_body_id)
+            # the structure stands on its own: beam and rectangles touch only each other and the cube, not the table
+            and self._body_touches_only(sim, beam_body_id, task_body_ids)
+            and self._body_touches_only(sim, blue_rectangle_body_id, task_body_ids)
+            and self._body_touches_only(sim, green_rectangle_body_id, task_body_ids)
         )
 
         if beam_balanced_now:
@@ -157,20 +173,17 @@ def update_internal_state(self, sim: Sim):
         self.update_stage()
 
     def update_stage(self):
-        if self.internal_state["beam_balanced"]:
-            new_stage = 5
-        elif self.internal_state["both_cubes_on_beam"]:
-            new_stage = 4
-        elif self.internal_state["both_cubes_grasped"]:
-            new_stage = 3
-        elif self.internal_state["beam_on_cube"]:
-            new_stage = 2
-        elif self.internal_state["beam_grasped"]:
-            new_stage = 1
-        else:
-            new_stage = 0
-
-        self.stage = max(self.stage, new_stage)
+        # stages are sequential: stage n + 1 can only be reached from stage n
+        if self.stage == 0 and self.internal_state["beam_grasped"]:
+            self.stage = 1
+        elif self.stage == 1 and self.internal_state["beam_on_cube"]:
+            self.stage = 2
+        elif self.stage == 2 and self.internal_state["both_cubes_grasped"]:
+            self.stage = 3
+        elif self.stage == 3 and self.internal_state["both_cubes_on_beam"]:
+            self.stage = 4
+        elif self.stage == 4 and self.internal_state["beam_balanced"]:
+            self.stage = 5
 
 
 @dataclass(kw_only=True)
diff --git a/src/tests/test_block_balance_stage.py b/src/tests/test_block_balance_stage.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cd87bfd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tests/test_block_balance_stage.py
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+import os
+import warnings
+
+import gymnasium as gym
+import mujoco as mj
+import numpy as np
+import pytest
+from rcs.envs.scenes import SimEnvCreator
+
+import duobench.tasks.block_balance  # noqa: F401  registers duobench/block_balance
+from duobench.tasks.block_balance import BlockBalanceStage, BlockBalanceTaskConfig
+
+warnings.filterwarnings("ignore", category=UserWarning, module=r"gymnasium\.core")
+
+PREFIX = BlockBalanceTaskConfig().prefix
+# half heights of the box geoms
+CUBE_HALF_Z, BEAM_HALF_Z, RECT_HALF_Z = 0.02, 0.01, 0.045
+
+
+def test_stages_are_sequential():
+    stage = BlockBalanceStage(BlockBalanceTaskConfig(), prefix=PREFIX)
+    stage.internal_state["both_cubes_on_beam"] = True
+    stage.internal_state["beam_balanced"] = True
+    stage.update_stage()
+    assert stage.stage == 0
+
+    for key, expected in (
+        ("beam_grasped", 1),
+        ("beam_on_cube", 2),
+        ("both_cubes_grasped", 3),
+        ("both_cubes_on_beam", 4),
+        ("beam_balanced", 5),
+    ):
+        stage.internal_state[key] = True
+        stage.update_stage()
+        assert stage.stage == expected
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="module")
+def env():
+    os.environ.setdefault("MUJOCO_GL", "egl")
+    env_creator = gym.envs.registry["duobench/block_balance"].entry_point
+    assert isinstance(env_creator, SimEnvCreator)
+    cfg = env_creator.config()
+    cfg.headless = True
+    cfg.camera_cfgs = None
+    cfg.camera_adds = None
+    env = env_creator.create_env(cfg)
+    env.reset(seed=0)
+    yield env
+    env.close()
+
+
+def _place(sim, name: str, pos: np.ndarray):
+    model, data = sim.model, sim.data
+    joint = mj.mj_name2id(model, mj.mjtObj.mjOBJ_JOINT, PREFIX + name + "_joint")
+    qpos, qvel = model.jnt_qposadr[joint], model.jnt_dofadr[joint]
+    data.qpos[qpos : qpos + 3] = pos
+    data.qpos[qpos + 3 : qpos + 7] = [1.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0]
+    data.qvel[qvel : qvel + 6] = 0.0
+
+
+def _settle_and_track(sim, stage: BlockBalanceStage, start_stage: int, steps: int = 300, **state) -> int:
+    """Let the objects settle (robots untouched), then run the stage check for a few steps from start_stage
+    (with internal_state entries preset from earlier steps)."""
+    mj.mj_forward(sim.model, sim.data)
+    for _ in range(steps):
+        mj.mj_step(sim.model, sim.data)
+    stage.reset()
+    stage.stage = start_stage
+    stage.internal_state.update(state)
+    for _ in range(10):
+        mj.mj_step(sim.model, sim.data)
+        stage.update_internal_state(sim)
+    return stage.stage
+
+
+def _table_and_center(sim) -> tuple[float, np.ndarray]:
+    cube = sim.data.body(PREFIX + "big_red_cube").xpos.copy()
+    return cube[2] - CUBE_HALF_Z, cube[:2]
+
+
+def test_balanced_structure_succeeds(env):
+    sim = env.get_wrapper_attr("sim")
+    env.reset(seed=0)
+    table, (x, y) = _table_and_center(sim)
+    beam_z = table + 2 * CUBE_HALF_Z + BEAM_HALF_Z
+    rect_z = beam_z + BEAM_HALF_Z + RECT_HALF_Z
+    _place(sim, "big_red_cube", np.array([x, y, table + CUBE_HALF_Z]))
+    _place(sim, "pink_beam", np.array([x, y, beam_z]))
+    _place(sim, "blue_rectangle", np.array([x - 0.07, y, rect_z]))
+    _place(sim, "green_rectangle", np.array([x + 0.07, y, rect_z]))
+
+    stage = BlockBalanceStage(BlockBalanceTaskConfig(), prefix=PREFIX)
+    assert _settle_and_track(sim, stage, start_stage=4) == 5
+
+
+def test_beam_on_table_is_not_balanced(env):
+    """The beam touched the cube once, then lies flat on the table with both rectangles on it: not a success."""
+    sim = env.get_wrapper_attr("sim")
+    env.reset(seed=0)
+    table, (x, y) = _table_and_center(sim)
+    beam_z = table + BEAM_HALF_Z
+    rect_z = beam_z + BEAM_HALF_Z + RECT_HALF_Z
+    _place(sim, "big_red_cube", np.array([x, y + 0.0395, table + CUBE_HALF_Z]))  # touching the beam's side
+    _place(sim, "pink_beam", np.array([x, y, beam_z]))
+    _place(sim, "blue_rectangle", np.array([x - 0.07, y, rect_z]))
+    _place(sim, "green_rectangle", np.array([x + 0.07, y, rect_z]))
+
+    stage = BlockBalanceStage(BlockBalanceTaskConfig(), prefix=PREFIX)
+    final = _settle_and_track(sim, stage, start_stage=4)
+    assert stage.internal_state["both_cubes_on_beam"]  # the rectangles do stand on the beam
+    assert final == 4
+
+
+def test_beam_on_table_without_cube_contact_is_not_on_cube(env):
+    """Old check: beam_on_cube stayed latched after the beam left the cube. New: current contact only."""
+    sim = env.get_wrapper_attr("sim")
+    env.reset(seed=0)
+    table, (x, y) = _table_and_center(sim)
+    beam_z = table + BEAM_HALF_Z
+    rect_z = beam_z + BEAM_HALF_Z + RECT_HALF_Z
+    _place(sim, "big_red_cube", np.array([x, y + 0.15, table + CUBE_HALF_Z]))
+    _place(sim, "pink_beam", np.array([x, y, beam_z]))
+    _place(sim, "blue_rectangle", np.array([x - 0.07, y, rect_z]))
+    _place(sim, "green_rectangle", np.array([x + 0.07, y, rect_z]))
+
+    stage = BlockBalanceStage(BlockBalanceTaskConfig(), prefix=PREFIX)
+    final = _settle_and_track(sim, stage, start_stage=4, beam_on_cube=True)  # touched the cube earlier
+    assert not stage.internal_state["beam_on_cube"]
+    assert not stage.internal_state["both_cubes_on_beam"]
+    assert final == 4