The identity of a mystery bidder attempting to snap up Courtney and Grant’s house during Sunday night’s The Block finale has been revealed amid speculation about who will replace Adrian Portelli on the program.
Billionaire bidder Adrian shocked viewers on Sunday night when he snapped up all five of the properties during The Block’s final, spending a total of $15.03million.
After the milestone feat, he then confirmed he won’t be returning to The Block next year.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal Melbourne-based gym owner Nikolaos Solomos, who was once almost shot dead by a balaclava-clad man, was the man bidding alongside Portelli on Sunday night during Courtney and Grant’s auction.
Host Scott Cam was seen asking the duo if they knew who the mystery ‘diamond guy’ was, referring to him dripping in silver chain jewellery at the auction.
‘Who is the guy with all the diamonds and all the jewellery? Diamond guy,’ he asked.
Courtney and Grant both confessed they didn’t know who he was, but said he was still ‘welcome’ to buy the house, before it was ultimately snapped up by Portelli for $3.3million.
Solomos was seen standing directly next to Portelli during the nail-biting bidding war, leading to speculation he will be replacing the bidder amid his exit.
The identity of The Block’s mystery bidder (left) has been revealed amid speculation that he will replace Adrian Portelli (right) on the program
Daily Mail Australia can reveal he is Melbourne-based gym owner Nikolaos Solomos (pictured), who was once almost shot dead by a balaclava-clad man
Solomos, 41, is the founder of family-run business Derrimut 24:7 gyms, which has an extensive list of branches around Victoria and South Australia.
The ambitious entrepreneur wants to have 300 gyms operating in Australia and internationally by 2030, and he currently boasts 27 gyms in Australia alone.
However, his vast gym empire is arguably best known for working with Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger, who jetted Down Under to help promote the business.
Schwarzenegger famously visited the Ravenhall gym branch in 2013 to address 1,400 bodybuilding fans in a meet-and-greet as part of a speaking tour.
As well as founding a successful gym empire, Solomos also made headlines in June 2015 when he survived an attempted murder attempt.
He was confronted by a balaclava-clad man in his driveway before two shots were fired through his car window, according to reports at the time.
The shots narrowly missed him and Solomos managed to escape with just ‘minor injuries’ from the shattered glass.
Solomos, 41, is the founder of family-run business Derrimut 24:7 gyms, which has an extensive list of branches around Victoria and South Australia
At a press conference to find the gunman, Solomos told reporters he didn’t have any known enemies and did not owe any money.
‘It happened in a split second. By the time I got a visual on the person standing with the balaclava it was too late to do anything — the shots were fired,’ he told the Herald Sun at the time.
Just weeks after the shooting, the Victoria bomb squad were called to the gym owner’s home in Burnside over a device attached to his car.
Police attended the scene and houses were evacuated after the device was found underneath his vehicle. It was not explosive and was thought to be a tracker.
The following year, in June 2016, a man was then charged with the assassination attempt, stalking and placing a tracking device on his Chrysler 300c.
In October 2021, his gym empire once again made headlines when a hammer-wielding man caused $500,000 of damage at three gyms in Melbourne’s north-west.
The man arrived at Derrimut 24:7 gym at around 1am on October 20 on a motorbike before breaking into the gym while wearing the business’ branded merchandise.
Solomos (pictured) also made headlines in June 2015 when he survived an attempted murder attempt, when two shots were fired through his car window
He then spent almost an hour using a hammer to smash up all of the gyms cardio machines and 220 mirrors on the walls, according to reports at the time.
At the time, Solomos called the damage ‘a category five tornado’, adding: ‘I didn’t think it was humanly possible you could damage the place so much.’
The vandal went on to break into another two gyms in Derrimut and Coolaroo, smashing 700 mirrors and causing more than $500,000 worth of damage.
The branch has since recovered from the shocking vandalism and Solomos often promotes his thriving business on his personal and professional Instagram pages.
As well as running his successful gym empire, Solomos is also a fitness fanatic himself and has a background in football and bodybuilding.
In recent years, he has also taken up boxing and joined the professional and celebrity fight night Only Hands on October 23, 2022, at Melbourne Pavilion.
He also now appears to be taking a career turn into property after appearing on The Block as a mysterious bidder, leading to speculation about his future on the show.
Though Portelli ended up snapping up all five properties, leaving Solomos empty-handed, there has been much speculation about who will be replacing the prime bidder.
Portelli confirmed he won’t be returning for another year on The Block following his record-breaking purchases in Sunday night’s auction finale.
‘I think this was my final year, I think this is the final one, I’m going to hang my boots up after this,’ he told 9Entertainment.
Portelli confirmed he won’t be returning for another year on The Block following his record-breaking five purchases in Sunday night’s auction finale
During Sunday’s final, Maddy and Charlotte Harry have become the youngest-ever auction winners of The Block after their Phillip Island home sold for $3.5million
Solomos has not made any mention of his brief appearance on The Block on any of his social media as it appears to be a closely-guarded secret.
During Sunday’s final, Maddy and Charlotte Harry have become the youngest-ever auction winners of The Block.
The sisters, who were latecomers to the 2024 series, took home an eye-watering $1.65million profit after Portelli bought their home for $3.5million.
Maddy, 24, and Charlotte, 22, also took home an extra $100,000 for their monumental victory.
The Block regular also purchased the other four Phillip Island properties on the night, spending a total of $15.03million.
