The Block fans baffled by detail in 2023 winners' return: 'Bit odd'

Monday night's episode of The Block featured the return of one of the most successful teams in the reality show’s history, 2022 winners Steph and Gian. While the couple are expected to work alongside a selection of All-Star contestants on a secret project later in the season, they made a surprise cameo as part of Kristian and Mimi’s reward for winning the very first room reveal.

In addition to receiving $140,000 worth of prizes, Team Purple was invited to join Steph and Gian for a tour of the Charming Street home they renovated last season. The duo, who recently shared their advice for winning the show with Yahoo Lifestyle, also gave Kristian and Mimi their $10,000 prize money from Ford alongside their gift: a flat lay board.

RELATED:

• The Block's Steph and Gian reveal their tips for winning the reality show

• The Block judge spills on 'big decision' to leave the show: 'Time to move on'

• The Block 2024 star responds to 'thirsty' fan comments: 'My current crush'

Although viewers will thrilled to see Steph and Gian back on their TV screens, their appearance left many fans questioning how they were allowed to visit their Hampton East home after ‘billionaire buyer’ Adrian Portelli purchased it for a record-breaking $5 million at last year’s auction.

“How come Scotty [Cam], Kristian and Mimi met Steph and Gian outside last year’s Block where they all got sold?” one person asked in a popular Facebook group for the series. “How were they eating there? I thought they were all sold. Adrian bought the house, didn't he? Sorry if I am being dense but for a year old it looked the same to me and kind of didn't look lived in.”

“Wondered the same thing, bit odd,” another added, while a third said, “Great minds think alike, my thoughts exactly”.

“I was thinking the exact same thing? If it sold, would it not have been customised by now by the new owners? Or does Adrian rent them out?” someone else shared, followed by a different user who replied, “Good question I was wondering the same thing”.

What happened to Steph and Gian's house?

While Steph and Gian’s house was purchased by Adrian Portelli in November last year, the entrepreneurial businessman had always planned to give the property away in a raffle for his business LMCT+.

He held the first giveaway on Facebook Live on Christmas Eve, however, the winner ended up choosing to take the cash prize of $2.5 million tax-free over the $5 million house. Because of this, the house was unoccupied by the time of filming earlier this year which is why Adrian would’ve allowed Steph and Gian to return - especially as it would've given the property extra promo in case it hadn't been won by now.

Steph and Gian’s property was finally given away last month when 42-year-old Bryan from Victoria was the lucky recipient of the re-raffle and chose to take the house over the cash.

“For us, it’s the perfect location,” he said when Adrian called him asking for his decision. “We both lived there for a long time around that area and the house is awesome, so pretty hard to pass that up. It’s phenomenal.”

SHOP:

• The chic and super soft bedding you can curate to your own unique style

• Afterpay Day Sale: Save 20% on mattresses, bed frames and pillows

• The linen dresses you'll want in your wardrobe this summer

In a statement to Yahoo Lifestyle, Steph confirmed that Adrian hadn’t given away the property at the time of filming and he allowed them to make regular visits.

“We were lucky enough from the moment Adrian bought it to the moment it was given away to visit a few times,” she said. “We love the house so much, it has such a great feel and every time we visited it brought back so many memories - after all it was home for about a year!”

Want the latest celebrity news? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.