EXCLUSIVE: Shelley Craft shares her honest thoughts on Adrian Portelli skipping this year’s auctions.

Adrian Portelli won’t be making an appearance on this year’s season of The Block. Photos: Channel 9

After making history at last year’s auctions when he purchased all five properties for $15 million, Adrian Portelli won’t be a part of this season of The Block. The billionaire entrepreneur, who has bought a total of nine properties on the show over the past three years, has chosen to step back from the series that made him a household name.

While viewers have expressed concern that the contestants’ properties will sell without Adrian’s involvement, The Block’s host, Shelley Craft, has asserted to Yahoo Lifestyle that this is a good thing. The TV presenter said she’s hopeful that his absence will allow families, local bidders, and other “fresh faces” to get involved this time around.

“We don’t pay Adrian to be there; he’s not on staff at Nine, he’s not a part of The Block production,” she said with a laugh.

“I’m sure past contestants are extraordinarily grateful that Adrian was at their auctions because otherwise, there might have been crickets in the crowd.

“But having said that, there were crickets in the crowd when Adrian was there and didn’t bid, because no one was prepared to bid against a billionaire. So I love the fact that we will see some locals [this year].”

Shelley Craft says she’s hoping to see some ‘fresh faces’ at this year’s auctions. Photo: Channel 9

Alice Stolz weighs in on Adrian Portelli’s absence

Domain’s National Property Editor, Alice Stolz, also recently told Yahoo Lifestyle that she’s hoping to see “mum and dad-type buyers come out of the woodwork” at the auctions now that they don’t have to compete with Adrian.

“You’re going to feel a bit more space, in terms of psychological space to bid and not feel like they’re going to be sort of blown out of the water,” she explained.

“I do know that every year that there are regular buyers amongst the crowd, they have just been in the past, outbid, so they’re definitely there. I don’t think they’ve been damaged enough to never come back, so I think we will hopefully see them.”

Adrian has purchased a total of nine properties on the show over the past three years. Photo: Channel 9

Why isn’t Adrian Portelli attending The Block 2025 auctions?

Adrian announced at last year’s finale that it would be his “last appearance on The Block”, which is why he went out “with a bang” and bought all five properties.

It’s since been revealed that he will be joining Channel 7’s upcoming rival renovation series, My Reno Rules, in 2026 alongside Dr Chris Brown and former Block judge Neale Whitaker.

The series is a brand-new renovation competition that will see four “hardworking teams of Aussie battlers” going head-to-head as they transform two neighbouring rundown houses in Melbourne into breathtaking homes.

The announcement came just days before The Block’s twenty-first season premiered, with Shelley Craft telling Yahoo Lifestyle that she wishes Adrian all the best in his new venture.

“I was like, ‘Oh, there he is!’,” she said about her reaction to the news.

“I was wondering, if he was leaving us behind, where was he going to publicise his next venture? So when I saw him pop up with that, I was like, ‘Oh, there you go, that’s great.’

“Obviously, his business has an incredible model of lotteries for different things, whether it’s jet skis or homes or caravans. The way he’s going about this, good luck to them.”