The Block’s Marty Fox has revealed he tried to get permission to bid in the 2024 auction after being left impressed by one team in particular.
Marty has been judging the 2024 renovation competition alongside Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer, and has hinted at which team could be crowned the winners.
He admitted he tried to get permission from Channel Nine to put a bid forward in the auction, set to take place on Saturday, but was knocked back.
The judges do not put forward any of their offers of their own, with veteran bidders including Adrian Portelli and Danny Wallis instead snapping up the final properties.
However, Marty said it was Courtney and Grant’s home that left him wanting to put his own offer in this year after being impressed by their main bedroom reveal.
Revealing he was refused to put in a bid by Nine, Marty told realestate.com.au: ‘So maybe I will have to twist some more arms!’
Despite seemingly backing Courtney and Grant, Marty insisted he hasn’t been able to get a sense of who might win the competition, unlike in previous years.
‘Every time I watch The Block, or I have, you know, been a judge last year, or an auctioneer year’s prior, you can kind of get a really good sense of who’s going to win, whereas this one, no can actually pick who’s going to win,’ he added.
Anticipation has been rising for this weekend’s auction, which will air on Nine on Sunday night, with the winning team yet to be revealed.
And the 2024 cast have seemingly been going out of their way to try and secure themselves the winning title this week.
They were all seen trying to buddy up with The Block’s bidder Adrian while attending the Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse on Tuesday.
Footage shared to social media showed Adrian smiling and laughing with the contestants, before sharing a playful moment with controversial star Kylie Baker.
A source claimed the cast were all viewing getting in Adrian’s favour as a ‘ticket’ to winning the renovation competition and were all eager to secure his attention.
‘It was like Channel Nine told the whole cast that Adrian was a ticket to winning The Block,’ an attendee at the Birdcage said.
‘The way everyone was vying for the attention of Portelli was next level.
‘It was fierce and this year’s contestants took on the opportunity to ”schmooze” like it was a challenge set by Scotty Cam.’
‘Everyone from the cast was dripping off him and taking photos,’ another guest claimed.
‘I would be too if I had the potential to win millions of dollars.’
Their meet-and-greet came just days before The Block auctions are set to take place over the weekend, with one former contestant saying it is key to get Adrian on side.
They claimed: ‘Adrian claims to not even watch the show but in the end it was obvious he knew who we all were and that he had favourites.
‘The work you can put into your ”house” means nothing unless you have a buyer like Adrian Portelli in your pocket.’
