The Block viewers are livid over this one detail.

Adrian Portelli with The Block winners Maddy and Charlotte

The Block fans have called out the show for being ‘rigged’ and claiming it’s ‘clearly scripted’. Photo: Instagram/adrian_portelli

The Block fans have called out the show for being ‘rigged’ and claiming that it’s ‘clearly scripted’ after serial buyer and entrepreneur Adrian Portelli walked away with all five houses during the show’s season finale. Adrian spent a massive $15.03m on all five properties, choosing to use a buyer’s agent to throw people off.

He made Maddy and Charlotte of House 1 the youngest-ever winners of The Block at just 24 and 22, respectively. Adrian purchased their home for $3.5m, earning them $1.55m, plus $100,000 in prize money from the show.

“We are just so grateful, and it’s a very surreal feeling,” Maddy said of the win. “You can’t anticipate how something like The Block will end, but it is the perfect ending for us. I think there is such a special relationship with sisters, and I’m so proud of both of us and how hard we worked.”

Charlotte added, “To end The Block on such a high note is so special. We never thought it would go like this. I could not have had this experience with anyone else but Maddy. We have been in this from the beginning, so it’s an incredible feeling for both of us now.”

The girls added, “This has been the experience of a lifetime. Winning this much money is life-changing for us. We can’t believe Adrian loved our house as much as we do!”

“I’m so pleased for the girls to win it, and they deserve it,” host Scott Cam said. “All of the houses have sold, and it’s a fantastic way to finish the 20th season of the show, with all five couples making some decent coin.”

Fans took to social media to slam the show, claiming it was “rigged” and the result was “ridiculous”.

“The Block is not a real show anymore,” one user wrote on X. “It’s rigged by sponsors and not even a true auction now. Adrian Portelli just spends the most money on his favourite couple. What a pointless series. It was clearly scripted. What a load of crap.”

“It’s clear #TheBlock is rigged,” another said. “It’s totally #fake, doesn’t reflect market reality and insults viewers.”

Adrian Portelli on The Block Island

Adrian has joked that he’s the ‘mayor of Portelli town’ and will be giving away the whole resort to one winner. Photo: Instagram/adrian_portelli
“Tonight is why #theblock can’t be taken seriously as a contest,” a third agreed. “One guy makes it all about himself at the auctions and just bids highest on whoever he wants to win. It’s not a true reflection of the actual work and effort put in by the teams.”

“Adrian just making up a number at the end…. Like is this show rigged or what,” a fourth wrote.

“Welcome to the most rigged part of this show… the auction!” someone else added.

“What’s the point of having an auction anymore?” one viewer questioned on Instagram.

“Can’t help but feel that this was a contrived result,” another said. “Rather convenient that all the reserves were the same and that the girls opted to go last. Did they know something? Silly me, I forgot that it is not a competition just a show.”

After revealing he purchased all the homes in the auction, Adrian told the cameras, “All the contestants were playing the game, so I thought I’d play the game back, and we got a buyer’s agent in there so it would throw people off and nobody knows the game plan. I didn’t want anyone to know what we were doing and, yeah, it paid off.”

“That massive bid at the end, was that sending a message?” a producer asked him off-camera.

“That was a message, that will be my last appearance on The Block and thought I’d go out with a bang,” Adrian said with a smile, adding that the last couple of years “have been fun”.

Adrian Portelli on The Block auctions

Adrian used a buyer’s agent to make it look like he hadn’t bought all five properties. Photo: Instagram/adrian_portelli
Viewers saw this as Adrian saying it never mattered who was last in the auction order, they always would have won.

“What a joke, whoever came last Adrian would have done the same thing he said he wanted to make a statement on the last bid,” one user wrote on Facebook. “It had nothing to do with merit or personality just luck of the draw.”

“I think the statement was more about the bullying and see what happens when you’re nice,” another hit back. “He alluded to not liking bullying in previous seasons.”

“Didn’t matter where the girls were placed he wanted to help them win,” a third agreed.

“There was no favouritism as Adrian had no idea in what order the sales were going to be, nobody did, it was just luck to the girls on a fantastic win, and they earned it,” someone else added.

Father-of-one Adrian is a flamboyant billionaire, celebrated for his attention-seeking stunts and passion for sports cars. He’s even earned a spot on AFR‘s Young Rich List of Australia’s 100 wealthiest people under 40.

Adrian Portelli bought all five houses! Credit: Channel Nine

Adrian Portelli bought all five houses! Credit: Channel Nine
Adrian, a university dropout, started his career in the family’s truck repair business. However, he soon discovered his ticket to wealth within the bustling tech landscape of Los Angeles. During his tenure there, he ventured into tech start-ups, collaborating with a roommate to develop a suite of highly lucrative mobile apps, which were sold for substantial profits.

His net worth currently stands at an eye-watering $1 billion, according to AFR Magazine