A last minute plot twist brought contestants to tears on The Block NZ. Video/Three
Who was this man in The Block's auction room, should he have been there, and what was his role?
That's the question on everyone's lips after The Block NZ's auction disaster played out on live television last night.
The finale of Three's reality show became full of awkward drama asthe North Shore homes four teams had worked on for months struggled to sell, showcasing Auckland's slowing propery market.
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.
But one man in the auction room who spent much of his time on the phone and played an active part in the bidding process on several auctions has dominated social media talk.
A series of memes quickly spread featuring the man on his phone, with some likening his stern look to hitman Bryan Mills from Liam Neeson's hit action film series Taken.
That Facebook page for Matthew Haines suggests he studied acting at South Seas Film and TV School.
The Herald contacted Haines on Facebook and asked him if he'd like to talk about his role in last night's live auction.
His reply was a firm: "Sorry I don't want comment."
But 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.
