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One way billionaire Adrian Portelli would return to The Block

Adrian Portelli’s retirement from the show will leave a huge (and expensive) hole in future auctions – but he’s revealed one way he’d come back.

Adrian Portelli’s extraordinary $15m Block spending spree

Adrian “Lambo Guy” Portelli is set to leave a massive (expensive) hole behind in all future seasons of The Block, after announcing this year would be his last round as the show’s most generous bidder.

The billionaire 35-year-old, known for driving flashy Lamborghinis, has become a key fixture at Auction Day over the last few seasons, buying three of the homes last season – and all five of this year’s offerings, after promising to go out with a “bang”.

Winners Maddy and Charlotte scored a massive profit of $1.65m (including their $100,000 prize first-prize money), and even fifth-placed couple Kylie and Brad scored $650,000 – more than the actual winners of previous seasons took home.

Portelli with winners Maddy and Charlotte. Picture: Instagram
Portelli with winners Maddy and Charlotte. Picture: Instagram

MORE:Secret Block meeting proves finale was ‘rigged’

Without Portelli, it’s likely to be a very different outlook for future contestants – but speaking to Nine’s A Current Affair on Monday, he joked that there was one condition under which he could be lured back.

“If I never get called ‘Mr Lambo’ again, I’ll come back to The Block,” he told reporter Seb Costello, before confirming he had definitely now “retired” from the show.

“I’m 100 per cent done,” Portelli said.

The flashy billionaire’s $15 million spending spree over the weekend marked the first time one buyer had won all five auctions, and the combined total of $5.43 million in winnings also made it the most lucrative auction day for contestants in the show’s history.

MORE:How Lambo Guy Adrian Portelli swept Block auctions

All of this season’s contestants made a tidy sum - thanks to Portelli. Picture: Channel Nine
All of this season’s contestants made a tidy sum - thanks to Portelli. Picture: Channel Nine

Portelli waited until after all five auctions had taken place before announcing that he had bought every home on the show, directly or through his buyer’s agent.

Shortly afterwards, his company LMCT+, an online marketplace and rewards platform, went live with its next big lottery – a monumental giveaway of all five properties on ‘Block Island.’

In what’s been dubbed “Australia’s biggest giveaway ever”, the offer promises “one lucky winner will get the keys to not one, but five luxurious homes within this [Phillip Island] complex. Or, if you prefer, you can walk away with a staggering $8 million cash prize.”

Entries close at 8pm AEDT on Boxing Day, with the winner announced via Facebook Live half an hour later.

Speaking on the Kyle and Jackie O Show on Monday morning, Portelli said he wasn’t “much of a fan of Phillip Island”, so preferred to give the houses away to everyday Australians.

Originally published as One way billionaire Adrian Portelli would return to The Block

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Original URL: https://www.thechronicle.com.au/entertainment/television/reality/one-way-billionaire-adrian-portelli-would-return-to-the-block/news-story/84f107a4fd64c1f0dc6390e8a73b0fbd