A secret off-camera discussion before The Block’s 2025 auction finale may have doomed the contestants’ chances of success long before the gavel came down.
Series auctioneer Tom Panos has lifted the lid on what really went down behind the scenes – revealing that agents and bidders already knew the properties were overpriced before filming began.
Panos, who handled the sale for second-placed duo Robby and Mat, said bidders had disclosed their limits in private talks ahead of the televised auctions – and those limits were well below the producers’ sky-high expectations.
‘Without a doubt, the properties were above market value,’ Panos told Realestate.com.au.
He added that the reserve price of all the houses at the auction – ranging from $2.94m – $2.99m – was several hundred thousand dollars more than most bidders were willing to pay.
‘Ask real estate agents in Daylesford what the right values of these properties were… they would say mid to high $2m,’ he said.
A secret off-camera discussion before The Block’s 2025 auction finale may have doomed the contestants’ chances of success long before the gavel came down. Pictured: Series host Scott Cam with contestants Emma and Ben
‘If you think about it, the prices that some of the contestants on the show got were pretty good for the area, but unfortunately just not at the level the contestants would have expected.’
Panos added he suspected the auction would be a bust when some of the pre-bidding was significantly below the asking price.
‘I was concerned. We had a few registered bidders but they had all been talking $2.7m,’ he said.
He revealed the two teams who failed to sell their homes at auction now faced the challenging and daunting battle of trying to sell their property off-camera.
‘I was hell bent on getting the property sold at auction because trying to get a property that (passes in at auction) on The Block to sell afterward is extremely challenging. They stay on the market for months,’ Panos explained.
‘I don’t know what is going to happen to them, but I do know it will be difficult. The data doesn’t look good for properties that don’t sell. They don’t get a good price.’
The Block’s nail-biting grand finale aired on Sunday night and furious viewers have lashed out at the show for being ‘out of touch’ after the auction saw only one of the five teams net a big win.
During the shock episode, a solid field of bidders – including series veteran Danny Wallis – turned out to the rural Victorian town of Daylesford, the site of the 2025 iteration of the Channel Nine series.
One of the show’s auctioneers, Tom Panos (pictured), has lifted the lid on what really went down behind the scenes – revealing that agents and bidders already knew the properties were overpriced before filming began
WA couple Britt and Taz took out the top sale of the day – offloading their stylish House 3 for an impressive $3.41 million, as the fan favourites walked away $420,000 richer – adding to that, a $100,000 bonus prize, netting them a total $520,000.
Although two other teams made a small profit, in an unexpected twist, two groups walked away empty-handed after their homes failed to attract any successful bids.
Stunned viewers took to social media to lash out at both the contestants for being ‘greedy’ and the series for placing unrealistic expectations on its participants.
‘Every year on The Block, the contestants seem to get a little greedier. It’s reached the point where a $100k profit is treated like a disappointment, when in reality, most people would be thrilled with that kind of money,’ one person sniped.
Others pointed out Robby and Mat’s disappointment over making just $109,999 profit.
‘Pathetic reaction from the boys [Robby and Mat],’ one person commented.
‘Seriously, there are people in Australia who don’t earn $55k a year and they’re angry at making that for 12 weeks work. Get over yourselves. This show is so out of touch,’ they added.
Despite concerns that the Daylesford houses were priced way above the median for the area, the nerve-wracking auction day saw three of the five homes sell to successful bidders.
Panos, who handled the sale for second-placed duo Robby and Mat (pictured), said bidders had disclosed their limits in private talks ahead of the televised auctions – and those limits were well below the producers’ sky-high expectations
Serial Block bidder Adrian Portelli was absent from proceedings, with the winning bid coming from an anonymous phone bidder, after a battle with Melbourne rich lister and IT entrepreneur, Danny Wallis.
Fellow renovators Robby and Mat’s South Australian property fetched $3.099million, netting the best mates a meagre $109,999 profit.
The lads were bitterly disappointed with the winning amount, which they will have to split between them.
Meanwhile, Sonny and Alicia sold their home for $3.06 million – $120,000 above their $2.94 million reserve.
Despite the small yield, the couple were happy with the result.
But not everyone walked away with a sale, as both Emma and Ben, and Han and Can, failed to attract enough interest to get their properties over the line.
In heartbreaking scenes, Emma and Ben’s home was passed in after bidding stalled at their $2.99million reserve – and even a $3.10 million bid failed to help it generate interest.
Han and Can’s home also failed to sell, the ladies left facing the crushing reality that they were walking away from the show without having made a penny.
There were fears of an auction disaster in the lead-up to the big day, with the eye-watering price guides on the Daylesford homes raising some eyebrows.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that the teams behind the five properties were hoping to fetch $3 million to $3.3 million for their creations.
However, the insanely high price guide did not match up with the median house prices in the Victorian town, where homes are four times cheaper.
