Steph and Gian Win The Block 2023
- 5 Nov 2023
From childhood sweethearts to record breaking Block winners, Steph and Gian’s fairytale comes true.
From the moment they stepped onto The Block, Sydney couple Steph and Gian had one mission in mind – to win The Block.
And in a fairytale ending to their dream, that’s exactly what the pair did after a jaw-dropping auction finale to The Block 2023 where entrepreneur Adrian “The Lambo Guy” Portelli outbid Block regular Danny Wallis and buyer’s advocate Frank Valentic to pay five million dollars for house 4, giving Steph and Gian a record-breaking, $1.65 million dollar profit – which increased to $1.75 million with their $100,000 prize money.
“It’s just incredible,” a stunned Gian said after the win.
“We had hoped to do well, but this is just wild! We never imagined it could end like this!”
“It's an incredible feeling. We are so overwhelmed right now and can't believe it. It was such a surreal day, and to end on such a high like this after all the hard work is amazing. We are so grateful that Adrian Portelli saw something in our house which we love so much. This will change our lives." the couple said.
“We have no idea what we are going to do with the money yet. It’s going to clear our debts in Sydney. It’s going to set us up for whatever the next stage is. It’s just unbelievable.”
It was a drama filled auction, with the action stopped by auctioneer Tom Spanos when one crowd member collapsed and was attended to by the closest doctor.
When the bidding resumed, Frank still had the upper hand with a $4 million bid, but Adrian landed a knockout blow with a bid of $5 million and was declared the winner.
“What just happened?” Steph asked.
Coming second on the day were sisters Eliza and Liberty in House 5, whose house sparked a battle between Adrian and Danny.
Going for another knockout win again, Adrian bid against himself at one point just to make it clear he was out to secure the house, with an amused Danny conceding.
That gave Eliza and Liberty a million dollar profit, far in excess of what they had dreamed.
“Who wins that kind of money?” Eliza asked as she tried to process what had happened.
At House three, a spirited fight between Danny Wallis and buyers advocates Martin Fox Snr and Frank Valentic ended with Martin securing the house for his client at $3.035 million, giving Kristy and Brett a profit of $65,000.
Moving to House 1, the bidders were again beaten by Adrian, who paid $3.1 million for Kyle and Leslie’s home, giving them a profit of $130,000.
“I got the hat trick!” Adrian joked.
“Just wow,” Kyle replied.
And in the final auction of the day, House 2, Leah and Ash passed their home in when bidding slowed after one of their main buyers – the mother of the woman who had collapsed earlier – withdrew from the day to be with her daughter.
“It was the right thing to do,” Leah said.
It all made up for what Scott Cam admitted was a Block auction like no other.
"It has been a rollercoaster of a day, with ups and downs," Scotty says.
"We had the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. We had houses just above the reserves, one passed in and then $1.65 million for Steph and Gian and $1 million for Eliza and Liberty.
"I am very happy for Steph and Gian, I think they played the game beautifully and they deserve it.
"They stuck to their guns, they held their heads high and in the end built a beautiful home."
It was astonishing, agreed Block executive producer Julian Cress.
After watching the auctions unfold, The Block Executive Producer, Julian Cress, said: “For someone to make a million-dollar bid when the bidding is already at four million, it was an astonishing day.”
He praised the contestants, saying: “The ratings for the show say it all. It’s due to the contestants that the audience stuck by the show for 12 weeks and the ratings kept going up and up and up. It’s because of these people and the fact they were compelling to watch."
"I think Kristy and Brett are two of the best contestants we have had on the show and I feel terrible for them that they had to go through that, after just watching their neighbours make a million plus. For them to make $65,000 is pretty heartbreaking.”
"For someone to make a million dollar bid when the bidding is already at four million, it was an astonishing day," he said.
And not just for the winners, he added.
"I think Kristy and Brett are two of the best contestants from our end we have had on the show and I feel terrible for them that they had to go through that, after just watching their neighbours to make a million plus, and for them to make $65,000, that's pretty heartbreaking," he said.
As for the man of the day, Adrian Portelli, it was all a lot of fun, he said.
"I had a great day," he said. "It was an entertaining day to be part off."
Adrian hinted at least one - possibly more - of the homes he bought could be given away through his company LMCT.
"I think with the three houses I bought, there is only a small percentage of Aussies who can afford something of this value."
"To be able to buy them and potentially give someone else a chance to win it, it means alot."
Looking ahead to 2024, Julian Cress said: “It’s such a milestone to be able to say you are making a 20th season of a show. Scott and I and the whole crew are really excited to get into it."
“We think we have found the perfect location for an anniversary special in Phillip Island. It’s going to be an amazing 20th season of The Block.”
Since premiering on Channel 9 in 2003, Australia’s richest reality program has awarded a grand total of $35,587,807.60 in winnings.
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