Adrian Portelli drops a huge cash bundle as My Reno Rules premieres to disappointing ratings: ‘I did not know this’

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Billionaire Adrian Portelli is giving away $1 million to the winners of the Seven Network’s show, My Reno Rules.

The renovation competition launched on Tuesday with significant funding from a well-known, but sometimes debated, 37-year-old businessperson.

This new show is being promoted as competition for The Block. It features four teams of renovators who are each fixing up a run-down house in Melbourne.

As a huge fan of MRR, I was thrilled to hear Portelli reveal during Tuesday’s premiere that the winners will receive an amazing $100,000 cash prize! It’s fantastic to see such a significant reward for their hard work and talent.

A recent trailer for Wednesday’s episode reveals the cast’s surprised and excited reactions when Portelli announces he’s raising the stakes.

‘First place will now be competing for $1 million,’ he said. 

As an added incentive to competitors, Portelli said he was giving away $250,000 for the runner-up.

Dr. Chris Brown, the show’s host, appeared surprised by Portelli’s kindness, admitting to the contestants, ‘I had no idea about this.’

Portelli plans to donate the finished homes, which will be high-end, multi-story properties offering stunning views of the Melbourne skyline.

The judging panel features design expert Neale Whitaker, real estate specialist Simon Cohen of Cohen Handler, and interior stylist Julia Green.

Despite a lot of hype and promotion from creator Dean Portelli on social media, his new show, My Reno Rules, didn’t perform as well as Nine’s Travel Guides in the TV ratings on Tuesday night.

MRR averaged 638,000 viewers nationally, but it didn’t compare to the continued success of Nine’s popular show, which started its seventh season the same evening.

The program featuring Australians traveling the world attracted a strong national audience of 1.025 million viewers.

 It’s a disappointing result for MRR after its troubled production made headlines last year.

Just weeks after the show was announced, a builder walked off the set. 

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve been watching someone really master personal branding – a guy nicknamed ‘Mr Lambo’. He’s consistently used platforms like Instagram and TikTok to build his image and become a recognizable personality associated with a popular series. It’s a smart move – he’s essentially become the face people connect with it!

Seven announced last month that Portelli will be in charge of the show’s live prize giveaway.

Records show that Portelli purchased two older houses in Bulleen, Melbourne – about 15 kilometers from the city center – to be used for the show.

Portelli bought two properties, with a combined value of $2.7 million, using his company, Xclusive Tech Pty Ltd, and then provided them to the show as a contribution.

The show was originally supposed to begin filming on September 26th, but production didn’t actually start until more than seven weeks later.

Okay, so I was freaking out when I read those rumors that the houses on the show weren’t even presentable! But a source just told me – a real insider, mind you – that everything the media said about them not being ‘TV-ready’ was totally false! I knew it! Everything is perfect, just perfect!

They explained that the main problem was the production team was looking for a new construction company to manage the project.

When contacted for a statement, a representative for both Portelli and Seven confirmed that filming for My Reno Rules is scheduled to begin building projects later in 2025.

We’re still talking with several builders as we prepare for construction, according to a recent statement.

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2026-04-22 08:19