A last minute plot twist brought contestants to tears on The Block NZ. Video/Three
An Auckland-based actor who found himself at the centre of a social media storm today has spoken out, explaining just why he was at The Block auction yesterday.
Matthew Haines sparked a flurry of interest after he opened bidding on one of The Block homes last night and was showntalking on his phone throughout the night.
In a statement to the Herald, Haines confirmed he was an actor but was not there in a professional capacity.
"I am genuinely surprised by all the interest I'm getting," he wrote. "I was simply there as a member of the public bidding on behalf of some friends that live out of town."
The finale of Three's reality show made for agonising viewing as buyers took a conservative approach to the auctions, which struggled to meet the reserves.
The winners, Andy and Nate, failed to sell their home at first, until a second auction at the end of the night saw bids reach $1,250,000, netting them a $31,000 profit.
That put them past Stace and Yanita, who thought they'd won the show's $100,000 prize with their $20,000 profit.
Winning figures from the past six seasons of The Block.
A series of memes quickly spread featuring Haines on his phone, with some likening his stern look to hitman Bryan Mills from Liam Neeson's hit action film series Taken.
Earlier, Mediaworks told the Herald the man was registered and had as much right to be there as anyone else in the room.
"Anyone who registered to be in the room to bid did so with Ray White and he's as much of a mystery bidder as anyone else who was there," said a spokesperson.
