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Billionaire Portelli was an increasingly flashy presence at Block auctions in recent years, culminating at last year’s finale where he bought all five of the season’s houses for a combine spend of more than $15 million. His big spending made last year’s Block contestants the richest in the show’s history, with even the last-placed couple walking away with $650,000. Portelli declared that to be his Block swansong, and one year on, with no Portelli on hand to make wild bids, this year’s contestants struggled to inch over their reserves. Winners Britt and Taz, who made $520,000 from the show, are arguably the only true success story this season. In a new video posted to Instagram, Portelli is shown watching this year’s Block auctions unfold as he spruiks the online giveaway business that made him his vast fortune, LMCT Plus. “Wow, that’s a bit awkward,” he begins, as this year’s auctions play out on the television behind him. “But anyway … I still have The Block houses, and it’s clear that nobody really wants to pay for them. But I’ve still got five from last year down at Phillip Island, so I am giving them away through LMCT Plus. You don’t have to pay for them – clearly people don’t want to buy these houses,” he said. In fact, Portelli had struggled to sell the five Phillip Island properties he purchased for a combined $15.03 million last year. Back in June, he posted on Instagram begging his followers to take the properties off his hands. “For Sale. EOI. The Phillip Island Block Resort. Selling complex complete. Everything included. Will not sell houses separately,” he posted. Portelli stated in this new video that the houses are valued at “over $2 million each” – suggesting he overpaid to the order of up to $5 million when he purchased all five of them last year. Portelli couldn’t resist one final crack as he finished spruiking the new promotion, promising that the giveaway will “be much more of a successful night than …” and gesturing back to the TV screen. It’s not the first dig Portelli’s made at The Block’s expense since this year’s finale aired. On Sunday night shortly after the auctions had played out on screen, he shared a selfie with several “crickets” emojis – then followed it up with a post sharing The Block’s logo, scribbled out with “My Reno Rules” written over the top. After farewelling The Block last year, Portelli has taken up a key role in Seven’s rival reno show, due to air next year: He’s the show’s principal sponsor and has also donated two of the houses that contestants will renovate. WA couple Britt and Taz won this season of The Block with an auction profit of $420,000, plus $100,000 prize money, taking them to $520,000. The teams in spots two and three were a long way behind: Sonny and Alicia made $120,000 at auction, and Robby and Mat made $109,999. And poor Em and Ben and Han and Can both watched on as their homes were passed in at auction – Han and Can’s failing to attract a single bid. Host Scott Cam said that, while disappointing, this year’s Block auction results were at least “more realistic” compared to the inflated battles between super-rich bidders like Portelli that have played out in recent years.
