Adrian Portelli’s $1m twist sparked chaos as My Reno Rules delivered its worst ever judging and a contestant meltdown. Picture: Seven
Adrian Portelli has turned My Reno Rules into a $1m fight after one team was savaged over a bathroom judges hated, prompting a contestant meltdown.
The billionaire stunned contestants by lifting the winner’s prize from $250,000 to $1m, before adding that second place would now take home $250,000.
“So, guys, to be clear. The winner of My Reno Rules wins … you win $1m,” Portelli said, leaving the teams and host Dr Chris Brown visibly shocked.
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The announcement came after Franky and Isaac were handed a $10,000 bonus for delivering Portelli’s favourite rooms of the week, with their hidden walk-in robe entry and bold master bedroom marking a major turnaround from their early underdog status.
But the celebration did not last long.
With the judges arriving after the second build week, Emma and Michelle’s black en suite became the most bruising moment of the episode, with judge Julia Green calling it “one of the worst bathrooms I’ve seen”.
Adrian Portelli stunned contestants by lifting the prize to $1m in a game-changing twist on My Reno Rules. Picture: Seven
The pair had gone into judging hoping to redeem themselves after last week’s “hideous” critique, but their bold black tile choice, nib walls and dark styling left the judges cold.
“It was big, blocky, dark, drab, quite frankly,” Green said.
Michelle pushed back, saying she was “actually really happy with the bathroom”, but the judges questioned where the black tile choice had come from and why the room clashed so sharply with the rest of House 1.
Contestants raced against the clock as pressure mounted following Portelli’s $1m prize shock. Picture: Seven
Neale Whitaker was particularly blunt, reminding the pair he had warned them their en suite could feel like a “dark tomb” if they pushed ahead with black tiled nib walls.
The critique hit hard.
By the end of the night, Emma was questioning whether she could keep going, saying she was “so close to quitting this show”.
The episode had started with only three hours left on the clock, as all four teams raced to finish their second week of rooms and hit the halfway point of the competition.
In House 1, Nathan and Julia were still nervous about being accused of copying after both they and Emma and Michelle landed on pink paint, similar wallpaper tones and adjoining bar concepts.
Nathan and Julia pushed a bold design strategy as pressure grew in the $1m My Reno Rules competition. Picture: Seven
Emma was left shattered after brutal judging, admitting she was close to quitting the competition. Picture: Seven
Julia worried the judges would walk through Emma and Michelle’s pink study first, then assume Nathan and Julia had replicated their look in the colour-drenched master bedroom.
Emma, however, had a different read.
“It’s smelling like cohesion,” she said.
Nathan and Julia’s hallway divided the judges, with Simon Cohen comparing the Venetian plaster wall to pumice stone while Green found the space sterile, though Whitaker defended the neutral treatment as subtle and cohesive.
Their master bedroom landed more strongly, with judges praising its luxury feel and bold pink colour, though the asymmetrical pendant placement drew criticism for being impractical.
Judges delivered their harshest feedback yet, branding one space among the worst ever seen on My Reno Rules. Picture: Seven
Emma and Michelle’s study also gave them an early lift, with judges praising it as luxurious, cosy and a major improvement from the previous week.
Their parents’ lounge was less successful, with the panel finding it overcrowded and overstyled, before the black en suite dragged their feedback into brutal territory.
House 2 had a much better night.
Franky and Isaac’s entrance foyer impressed all three judges, who praised its welcoming feel, artwork, colour and cohesion with the rest of the home. Their bedroom then completed the comeback, with Whitaker saying he had never seen such rapid growth from contestants.
Franky led a stunning comeback as his team impressed judges and surged up the leaderboard. Picture: Seven
Judge Julia Green did not hold back, calling one bathroom one of the worst she had ever seen. Picture: Seven
Their walk-in robe, complete with double-sided cabinetry and a makeup station, also scored strongly and helped deliver the first perfect 10 of the series from Whitaker.
Mitch and Shaz also stayed near the top, with their timber-clad parents’ retreat, curved TV wall and terracotta en suite winning wide praise from the judges.
Their choice to convert the study into a fourth bedroom initially divided the panel, with Cohen unsure about the function, but Green and Whitaker praised the risk as bold and brave.
Green even said she would offer Shaz a job, while the judges described the en suite as sophisticated and a masterclass in bathroom design.
Tensions boiled over as emotions ran high following one of the toughest judging nights of the season. Picture: Seven
Then came the scores.
Franky and Isaac won the week with 28.5 out of 30, including Whitaker’s perfect 10, catapulting them to 49 points overall.
Mitch and Shaz scored 25, keeping them on top of the leaderboard with 50 points.
Nathan and Julia scored 23, taking them to 45.5, while Emma and Michelle scored 21.5 and dropped to last place on 42.
MISSED AN EPISODE? HERE’S ALL OUR MY RENO RULES 2026 RECAPS SO FAR
Episode 1: ‘Manipulator’ exposed as budget blowout sparks early chaos
Episode 2: ‘Hideous’: Brutal verdict rocks Portelli reno show
Episode 3: ‘Fine line’ as Julia calls out rivals in copygate drama
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