The Block: Why experts say the numbers ‘don’t stack up’

The Block’s 2025 auction finale delivered a $3.41m winning sale, but two homes failed to sell under the hammer before eventually fetching $2.15m each. Picture: Supplied/Nine. Channel 9’s The Block has glossed over a staggering $152m property black hole, despite years of multimillion-dollar auction results. The extraordinary discrepancy highlights how far the cost of the show’s luxury builds can run ahead of what buyers are willing to pay, with potentially disastrous consequences for any mum or dad watching who tried to tackle a build the same way. A Herald Sun analysis of 18 editions from 2011 to 2025 found the properties fetched a combined $230.3m at auction. RELATED: Former Melb Centrelink gets $160m luxury makeover Block star locks in $2.65m deal before finale Portelli says Block gave him $15m in 48hrs Nine spent an estimated $150.8m acquiring the sites, while specialist assessments of construction work, labour, materials and fittings pointed to a further $231.8m in building-related costs. Together, the land purchases and assessed works came to almost $383m, about $152m above the sale prices paid by high-profile buyers such as Adrian Portelli and comedian Dave Hughes. Buyers gat...