He’s the multimillionaire who generated buzz with his flashy antics at the nail-biting The Block 2022 and 2023 auctions, and he’s expected to make his triumphant return to the renovation reality show for the 2024 auction – but who exactly is Adrian Portelli?
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From the moment he rolled up in a flashy yellow Lamborghini on his first auction day in 2022, it was clear that he meant business, placing an opening bid on the winning property of $4.5 million, more than $400k over the reserve before ultimately being outbid by seasoned The Block property purchaser Danny Wallis.
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While there were initial claims of cheating and claims that winners Omar and Oz had brought in Adrian (who they had connected with via a mutual friend) to drive up the price and place “dummy bids” on their property, ultimately these reports were dismissed, with Adrian himself confirming that the boys weren’t the only contestants to invite him to bid on their properties.
A year later, he splashed $5 million on Steph and Gian’s swanky pad in Hampton East, the couple walking away with a cool $1.75 million in prize money thanks to his overly generous offer.
But he wasn’t finished, the father of one going on to purchase Eliza and Liberty’s joint for $4.3 million against a reserve of $2.97 million – netting them $1.05 million in winnings in the process.
What does Adrian Portelli do for a living?
Six years ago, the entrepreneur launched LCMT+, a promotions and giveaway platform with a focus on both luxury houses and vehicles.
Members can subscribe for $19.99 a month to enter the regular giveaways, or buy one-off tickets. According to the Daily Mail, the platform has more than $100,000 members.
According to Adrian, he started the business with a vision of “giving everyday Australians a chance to save thousands from our network and help change some lives along the way.”
As well as LCMT+, Adrian is also the brains behind the charitable foundation The Little Legends, which was created to provide some brightness in the lives of children suffering from chronic illness and a range of different disabilities.
“At Little Legends, we work hand in hand with other charities like the Ronald McDonald House to fulfill wishes, host activities, and events, and provide financial support when it is needed most,” he told Melbourne My Style in June 2021.
How much is Mr Portelli worth?
Reports have varied but it is estimated that Adrian Portelli has a net worth of $1.3 billion.
In 2024 the entrepreneur was listed as Australia’s 115th richest person by The Australian.
In a rags-to-riches tale, Adrian dropped out of university to work with his father at a truck repair business before moving to the USA where he initially planned to operate his own limousine business for celebrities.
From there, he and his tech genius roommate developed several successful apps which then sold for huge amounts, in what would be the start of his fortune.
Adrian then moved on to working in online promotions, specifically his business LMCT+ which he started in 2018, also deriving income from various investments.
“If I am not working 16, 17, 18 hours a day, I am f***ing depressed,” the businessman admitted in an October 2022 podcast.
“I have been absolutely broke, and now I have a lot of money, and I am still not content I am still not happy. I have the cars I wanted, I dreamed of as a kid, I have everything, houses all around Australia…I don’t know how many cars I have got, I don’t know how much money, I don’t know how many houses, there is just s*** everywhere,” he continued, revealing to the Daily Mail shortly after that $500 million was a “conservative estimate” of his net worth.
Is Adrian Portelli returning to The Block in 2024?
He made huge headlines in 2022 and 2023 with his auction day antics, but it remains to be seen if he will make an even-bigger splash on Phillip Island later this year.
Given he has previously made appearances as a guest of honour, it wouldn’t be beyond the realm of opportunity for Adrian to reappear during filming once more as well as on auction day.
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