Block buyer denies “rigged” claims

The Block ‘billionaire’ buyer Adrian Portelli, who swooped on all 5 properties in the weekend auction, has denied the show is rigged following radio comments he made.

On Monday he told Nova 100’s Jase & Lauren “We hand-selected the auction order to make sure the girls went last. So we can get them to win.”

But he denied other contestants knew of his plan.

He also told 6PR the plan to buy all 5 homes was put in place for his promotional site, in which someone can win the entire site, which went Live following the broadcast.

“Me and my team orchestrated the whole thing weeks in advance. So we already filmed with the contestants in the hope that we were going to buy the lot. So it was filmed. Everything was built on our backend and yeah, away we went straight away. We just piggybacked off the media…” he said.

However he hit back at suggestions the show was rigged.

“I never once said The Block was rigged, those words never came out of my mouth,” he said.

“Yes, The Block is a TV series, however, once it gets to an auction it’s a public auction, and anyone from all over Australia can come and bid on these auctions, so it’s no longer in the hands of producers, the network or contestants.

“Whatever happens, happens. If I want to bid $100 million on a property worth $2 million, I’m allowed to.

“So suck it up and stop having a sook. It was my decision. I made the girls win. It was the best house and best contestants. And that’s a wrap.”

A Nine spokesperson told news.com.au, “The Block auctions are conducted by licensed real estate agents who are required to comply with all relevant laws while in the presence of Consumer Affairs.”