Block bidder Adrian Portelli hits back at critics over Omar and Oz’s auction result

A pivotal player in The Block’s finale has broken his silence about his controversial bidding war and why it “rustled some feathers”.

The man at the centre of one of the most controversial episodes of The Block has spoken up after he was accused of manipulating the shocking result of a final auction.

During Sunday night’s chaotic finale, Omar Slaimankhel and Ozman “Oz” Abu Malik were dubbed the winners of The Block 2022 after selling their house for $5.6m.

The staggering price tag made the Sydney-based friends an eye-watering profit of $1.68m.

Omar and Oz have won The Block Tree Change after a shocking auction.

It’s the single largest win in The Block history, but some viewers were quick to suggest it was a set up.

Omar and Oz were the first contestants to go to auction, with a number of interested bidders trying to stake a claim to their four-bedroom, four hectare property in Gisborne, Victoria.

The auction quickly became contentious as the bidding soared and a back and forth between wealthy would-be buyers.

One of the men, Adrian Portelli, knew Omar and Oz, which fuelled baseless rumours he was a fake bidder planted to push up the price for the rural home.

Mr Portelli, who was known as “Lambo Guy” throughout the auction because of the flashy car he arrived in, took to social media to rubbish the rumour.

“For everyone questioning the legitimacy of the auction, I was a genuine buyer with every intention to purchase that property,” he wrote in an Instagram story late on Sunday night.

“Nobody is to blame for what happened. It’s an auction.”

Adrian Portelli bid fiercely against veteran buyer Danny Wallis in the auction for Omar and Oz’s home. Picture: Channel 9

Mr Portelli went head to head with serial Block buyer Danny Wallis in the auction as the price climbed well beyond the $4m reserve.

He hit back at critics who questioned his interest in the house and suggested that he didn’t have the funds to back up his sky-high bids.

“Believe it or not but if you’ve got two people that genuinely want the property, a bidding war will happen,” he said.

“I’m happy to show my bank account for anyone that suggests these were dummy bids.”

Mr Portelli arrived at the house in a yellow Lamborghini and started his bid at $4.5m – half a million dollars over the reserve price.

Critics doubted his ability to follow through with his multimillion-dollar bid but Mr Portelli is an online promotions guru worth millions. He founded LMCT+, a promotions and giveaway platform focused on luxury vehicles, houses, and goods.

He hit back at social media users who suggested he was an auction ‘plant’. Picture: Instagram

Host Scott Cam was shocked by the result. Picture: Channel 9

The contentious bidder said he was very eager to buy the house but he wasn’t willing to overpay for it when it wouldn’t ultimately be his home.

“I wanted to buy the house,” he said on the Kyle and Jackie O Show.

“I was going to give it away through the business. It was going to be a giveaway house.”

The entrepreneur said he’d connected with Omar and Oz through a mutual friend who had brokered the sale.

“We met through a mutual friend and they offered (for me) to buy the house,” Mr Portelli said.

He said he’d had a look at the other houses after being contacted by the other Block contestants, but he was only interested in the one built by Omar and Oz.

“I only liked their house, so why would I stick around?” the businessman asked.

Mr Portelli arrived at the Block house in a yellow Lamborghini. Picture: Nicole Cleary

Before appearing on one of the most hotly discussed episodes of The Block, Mr Portelli said he’d never seen an episode of the property show.

He maintained that the failed auction was a “business decision” and he would have continued bidding if he had hoped to live in the house built by the Sydney friends.

“I think we rustled a few feathers … but no dummy bidding here. It was all intentional,” he said.

The Block winners appeared on Nova’s morning radio show to reiterate the same message.

Omar told radio host Michael “Wippa” Wipfli that the newly minted winners had not conspired with “Lambo Guy” to inflate the house price.

“That couldn’t be farther from the truth,” he said.

“We reached out to everyone that Oz and I knew. We reached out to a mutual friend and they suggested (Mr Portelli) might be interested.”

Adrian Portelli (looking casual in the white t shirt) said he was a genuine bidder at the fiery auction. Picture: Channel 9

The winner said he and Oz were happy to have had three wealthy bidders and maintained that Mr Portelli “absolutely loved the house”.

Although he didn’t ultimately end up buying the house, the Block winners said there was no doubt about the multimillionaire’s ability to pay.

“He is very, very, very, very successful,” Omar told Nova 96.9.

“He has a lot of businesses and he’s a very successful businessman.”

The car enthusiast recently paid more for a rare car, a Koenigsegg CC850, than he would have paid for the Gisborne home, splashing a staggering $6.5m on the limited-edition vehicle.

Fans of Omar and Oz took to social media to defend the auction and suggest the criticisms of the bidding war were motivated by racism.

“We had no idea what was going on during the auction. We just knew we were doing really well,” Omar told Wippa on Nova.

Mr Portelli has earnt millions as an entrepreneur. Picture: Nicole Cleary

He has rubbished claims he couldn’t afford to buy the house. Picture: Channel 9

Oz joked that he was using $5 bills to go to the bathroom.

The massive win left a sour taste in the mouths of many after season favourites Tom Calleja and Sarah-Jane Wilson made just $20,000 in profit from selling their home.

Rachel and Ryan Carr were the only other contestants to make a sizeable amount from their 12 weeks of hard work. They netted more than $169,000.
It was a heartbreaking night for two couples – Dylan Adams and Jenny Heath, and Sharon Johal and Ankur Dogra – who did not sell their homes at all.