The Block winners Omar and Oz reveal truth about ‘Lambo bidder’ Adrian Portelli

The Block winners Omar and Oz have today faced some tough questions about their relationship to one of the bidders at their record-breaking auction.

The Block winners Omar and Oz have faced some tough questions about their relationship to one of the bidders at their auction, as they do the rounds of Australia’s media today in the wake of their record-breaking win.

The Sydney friends emerged as the winners of The Block’s ‘Treechange’ season, earning by far the biggest win in the show’s near-20-year history with a profit of $1,686,666.66 for their luxe home in Gisborne, country Victoria.

It came after the only real bidding war in Sunday’s finale, with serial Block bidder Danny Wallis – who ended up buying the three homes that actually sold at auction – locked in a battle with two other bidders, among them fellow multi-millionaire Adrian Portelli.

Omar and Oz on The Block.

Portelli made a flashy arrival in a Lamborghini, greeted Omar and Oz with a hug and made some huge bids on their property before Wallis outbid him.

Then he left, leaving viewers questioning why he didn’t stick around to nab a bargain with any of the other homes.

“He bid 5.5m for that house and then walked away. He could’ve bought any of the other houses for 4.2. Massive question mark: Why?” asked Josh Packham, one of last year’s Block contestants.

Omar and Oz refuted speculation that Portelli was only there to drive up the bids, saying he was a serious contender to purchase their home.

“We actually reached out to a mutual friend (who) suggested that he might be interested, and he wanted to come have a look at the house. And when he did come, he absolutely loved it,” Omar told Fitzy and Wippa on-air this morning.

Adrian Portelli put in some big bids – then bailed.

In another interview with 2DayFM’s Hughesy, Ed and Erin, the pair explained that while they seemed to have a friendly relationship with Portelli going into the auction, they were actually working hard behind the scenes to court multiple possible buyers.

“We only knew him from when he first visited our house … We met another beautiful family that we got very close to. They came to the house a few times; we took them to the basketball as well. Everyone who was a potential buyer, we really gave up our time for them,” said Omar.

Oz expanded on this in another interview with Kyle and Jackie O this morning, telling the hosts: “It’s all about networking. As soon as we finished the build. we got out there, trying to market our property the best we can.”

They also explained Portelli’s absence from the rest of the auctions. Omar said that the other contestants had reached out to Portelli before auction day, and he had inspected house Tom and Sarah-Jane’s, but that by auction day “he was only interested in our house. It was perfect for him – it was all he wanted.”

Speaking to news.com.au this morning, Omar and Oz said they were proud of their win, pointing to several unique features of the property that they say helped it sell for almost $1.5m higher than that of second-place contestants Rachel and Ryan.

“We had uninterrupted views of the Macedon Ranges, and a lot of privacy, and one of the bigger pools on The Block – thankfully everything worked in our favour,” said Omar.

True, but their mammoth windfall was not without controversy.

Scott Cam was flabbergasted at the incredible first auction result, announcing of the boys’ massive profit: “Someone at Channel 9 is going to lose their job.”

Eccentric multi-millionaire Wallis later even conceded he “probably” overpaid for the property.

“I probably spent too much at the first auction, but was surprised to pick up two more homes at what I feel was a bargain price, so I guess it all evened out in the end for me at least,” Wallis said.

So what will they do with all that cash? The longtime pals confirmed it would be evenly split, giving them both a staggering profit of more than $843,000.

“The cash will go to starting something for to our kids, some for ourselves, and some to charity. The more you give, the more you get back,” said Oz.

Originally published as The Block winners Omar and Oz reveal truth about ‘Lambo bidder’ Adrian Portelli