Warning! Spoilers ahead
The Block 2023 has official drawn to a close, with mixed emotions hitting the renovation couples at a chaotic auction day.
Two teams became instant millionaires on Sunday night, while one couple walked away with nothing as their house failed to sell.
NSW childhood sweethearts Steph and Gian emerged victorious as this year’s winners, pocketing $1.65 million in a record-breaking auction.
Their house was purchased for a whopping $5 million after the reserve was set at $3.35 million.
Steph and Gian’s win is the biggest in Block history, surpassing the $1.586 million last year’s winners Omar and Oz made over their reserve.
On top of their auction earnings, the couple also take home the $100,000 prize money.
Also becoming instant millionaires were Melbourne sisters Liberty and Eliza, pocketing $1.05 million after their house sold for $4.3 million.
WA team Leslie and Kyle placed third in the competition, taking home a more modest profit of $130,000 after their house sold for $3.1 million.
All three of those houses were bought by serial-bidder Adrian Portelli, who also purchased last year’s winning house.
In a bizarre twist, Portelli even bid against himself, repeatedly raising the price by $100,000 despite already having the highest bid.
“That’s…never happened before,” said a dumbfounded Scott Cam, while the auctioneer called it “the strangest auction I’ve ever done.”
Despite three major auction successes, South Australian couple Kristy and Brett only made a $65,00 profit for their hard work on the season, after their house sold for $3.035 million.
In a devastating blow, Queenslanders Leah and Ash failed to sell their home after bids failed to climb above their $2.97 million reserve.
After tense negotiations, the team decided to pass a low offer, with the home still on the market.
There is some hope for the Queenslanders, as their house could still sell for more than its reserve after auction.
Two of the three houses that were passed in during last year’s auctions eventually sold for well over their reserve, scoring their teams respective profits of around $170,000 each.
Speaking after their win, Steph and Gian said their were “overwhelmed” and described auction day as “surreal.”
“This will change our lives,” they said of their $1.75 million win.
“We have no idea what we are going to do with the money yet. It’s going to clear our debts in Sydney. It’s going to set us up for whatever the next stage is. It’s just unbelievable.”
Image credits: Instagram
