'Ridiculous': The Block host Scott Cam lashes out at Adrian 'Lambo Guy' Portelli in extraordinary spray after show's controversial billionaire hung up his bidding paddle
Portelli, also known as "Lambo Guy" for the luxury vehicle he's known to drive to the show's auctions, announced he would retire from bidding after the 2024 season finale, in which the billionaire businessman, 35, purchased the lot for a massive $15.3 million.
The owner of luxury giveaway company LMCT+ had dropped a total of $31.68 million on The Block houses since his first appearance on the hit renovation series in 2022, where he posed as a 'phoney' buyer to up bids.
He earned a reputation as a predictable figure at the season finales thereafter, thanks to his polished appearance, designer accessories, and habit of arriving in a yellow Lamborghini to snap up the homes.
The host of The Block on Monday said he "won't be nervous at all" at the next auction later this year after Portelli dominated the previous two.
'You know, we might not get ridiculous prices, but we're going to give mums and dads the opportunity to buy one of these houses," Scotty told Realestate.com.au.
'And we're going to get families the opportunity to buy one. Or holiday houses for people. It's going to open it right up. We want these homes to go to families.
"They eventually do when Portelli buys them, but this way we cut out the middleman. Let's just get them to the families.'
Portelli is hoping to offload all five Phillip Island properties he purchased in 2024 to a single buyer after his December lottery for the resort failed.
The winner of his giveaway, 34-year-old Holly from Ballarat, opted instead to take an $8 million cash prize, leaving the homes with Portelli.
About six months later, in June, the business announced the sale of the mega Block complex via an Instagram callout.
'For Sale. EOI. The Phillip Island Block Resort. Selling complex complete. Everything included. Will not sell houses separately,' he wrote.
With Portelli having hung up his bidding paddle, Scotty said he and co-host Shelly Craft hope the 2025 Blockheads can all get over reserve.
He said the auction day is always a "very trying time for Shelley and I, adding, "It's the only day we get nervous" for the contestants, whom the hosts want to win and not be set up to fail after all their hard work.
As for Craft, she isn't entirely convinced Portelli's Block run is over and wouldn't be surprised if he showed up at the next auction unexpectedly.
Although she confirmed Nine hasn't heard from the TV star ahead of The Block's 2025 premiere next Sunday at 7:30 on Nine, she said "who knows" if he will eventually stun everyone with a shock appearance.
Blockhead Em, one half of the married couple Emma and Ben, meanwhile, told Realestate.com.au she is 'a little worried' about Portelli's absence.
However, she said she is confident the pair have "created a beautiful house" that one buyer will be "very interested" in.
The fresh round of Blockheads will this year build homes from scratch, rather than renovating them, in the Victorian town of Daylesford.
As well as building from the ground up, the Blockheads will no longer be allowed to work on their properties overnight, Domain reported.
Portelli was embroiled in a scandal earlier this year, when former Today Show sports presenter Alex Cullen made national news after accepting $50,000 from a billionaire to refer to him on air as "McLaren Man".
The moment triggered a media firestorm and led to Cullen stepping down from his role at Nine, followed shortly by his departure from the network.
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