The Block 2024 finale raises concerns for Nine after Adrian Portelli's $15m move

An insider has revealed to Yahoo Lifestyle that Adrian Portelli's major $15m purchase of all five of the properties on The Block this year has caused "concerns over the legitimacy" of how Channel Nine runs the show's auctions on the reality series. It comes after the billionaire revealed he always planned on Maddy and Charlotte from House 1 to win the competition, saying he planned on them going last in the auction to ensure he could give them the win with his $3.5m bid.

Adrian was quick to retract some of his statements recently amid the backlash after his comments that he 'made the girls win' and insinuating the show is rigged, with Channel Nine wanting to water down the allegations to protect the future of the show, denying Adrian had met with 'executives' before the final auctions.

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"I’ve never once said The Block was rigged. Those words never came out of my mouth," Adrian said on Instagram earlier this month.

Previous Block contestants have pointed out that Adrian might want to delete photos on his Instagram that appear to show a very tight relationship with Executive Producer Julian Cress if viewers are to believe that these meetings never happened.

The insider claims that Adrian" has clearly been involved with Nine" in the lead-up to the mind-blowing auction that saw all the contestants walking away with staggering amounts of cash.

"The relationship Adrian Portelli has maintained over the last few years with the show's creators is all over the Internet," the insider tells Yahoo Lifestyle, pointing at Adrian's Instagram post from the day of the auctions, where he is posing with Julian. "Hardly something that has been kept secret. Some of the foreshadowing is simply too hard to ignore.

"The fact that it was in the media and that the story involved him spending $15 million has had a lot of attention from watchdogs," the source adds. "It does raise a few concerns about the legitimacy of how The Block auctions are run. A majority of viewers don't believe the way that The Block finished felt right. It didn't pass the 'pub test.'"

Danny Wallis slams the 2024 Block auctions

Danny Wallis, who has previously bought several properties from The Block, branded the 2024 finale as "bizarre" and "silly", adding that having one person buy all five properties "detracts from the show a bit".

"In the weeks that followed, familiar faces that include [auctioneer] Tom Panos and Danny Wallis have publicly expressed their concerns with the show and it would seem that a number of regulars will not be back next year," our insider tells us.

Reflecting on his own involvement, Tom noted that he "probably won’t be returning" for another season, as the lost earnings did not align with the effort required.

"It’s a conversation that’s come up a few times," he told realestate.com.au. "The time and effort involved doesn’t make sense financially. It does make sense when it comes to building a brand profile, but that’s really the only reason many agents and auctioneers do it."

"I spoke with a lot of agents on the day. They have said they love the experience because, let’s be honest, what agent doesn’t want attention? However, they say that the effort involved in handling and marketing properties on The Block is significantly higher and harder than a normal listing."

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Auctioneer Andy Reid added that, to him, "the whole thing felt like a staged drama".

"From the moment the reserve was presented in a stuffed penguin to the lack of genuine crowd engagement, it was clear we were watching something scripted rather than an authentic auction."

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