Who is Danny Wallis? The IT entrepreneur who is no stranger on The Block
There are always a few familiar faces that pop up at The Block auctions – and one man the contestants are always excited to see is Danny Wallis.
Danny has snapped up a grand total of 12 Block properties over the years and has become known for his unconventional bidding on the day.
Stream the latest episodes of The Block for free on 9Now.
Despite not making an appearance in Daylesford during the 2025 season – Danny made a surprise comeback during The Block 2025 auction where he bid on two houses and snapped up Robby and Mat's House 5 property.
Danny Wallis toured the Phillip Island homes during The Block 2024's Domain Listing Challenge. Nine
Danny bid on Britt and Taz's Daylesford home, but pulled out after an intense bidding war with a secret phone bidder. Britt and Taz went on to win the season.
In the end, Danny bid on the stunning home designed by Robby and Mat.
AUCTION DAY RECAP: Unprecedented auction sees Britt and Taz win with $520k – but other homes fail to sell
Just days before The Block 2025 Auction, Scott Cam said that "Danny Wallis was sniffing around so he may be a starter at [auction]."
"We're very happy for Danny to turn up and buy one, that will create a bit of competition."
Danny Wallis' history on The Block
In 2024, Danny, along with fellow star bidder Adrian Portelli, toured all the Phillip Island homes during the Domain Listing Challenge to see if there were any he might be interested in purchasing.
DAN VS DANI: Couple predict the winners and losers of The Block 2025 Auction
At the time he cast his all-important vote for Kristian and Mimi, indicating that House 5 was his favourite this season and confirming his interest.
However, Danny did not purchase any at auction, with Adrian instead walking away the owner of all five homes!
While Danny did bid at the 2023 auction he also ended up walking away empty handed.
It wasn't for lack of bidding. Danny placed a bid on four of the five homes, but couldn't be tempted to push his offers high enough to seal the deal last year.
Danny's most recent purchase was during The Block 2022 auctions when he bought three homes, and secured winning team Omar and Oz a whopping $1,586,666.66 profit.
It was the first auction of the day and Danny found himself in a bidding war with businessman Adrian Portelli over Omar and Oz's House 5.
Danny eventually won the bid – but the sparring with Adrian spilled into the 2023 auctions.
The two went head-to-head for Steph and Gian's property and Eliza and Liberty's.
After conceding to Danny in 2022, Adrian had said, "He can have it, I'm out."
Danny and Adrian square off for House 5. Nine
In 2023, Danny returned the quip, stating: "He can have it" during the auctions for both House 4 and 5.
The generous businessman is known for his erratic bids at auctions.
In 2022, insane numbers flew back and forth between the two powerhouses as they both wrestled to snap up House 5.
Adrian made a bid of $5.3 million before Danny jumped it up to $5,444,444.44.
The bidding war continued as Adrian offered $5.5m, leaving the contestants watching in shock.
Danny then offered a whopping $5,666,666.66.
That bid was one of Danny's biggest and cemented Omar and Oz a place in Block history, with a huge profit.
READ MORE: Live updates and auction results as the five Daylesford homes go under the hammer
He went on to purchase another two Gisborne homes that day, securing Tom and Sarah-Jane's property, along with Rachel and Ryan's.
Who is Danny Wallis?
Danny Wallis is a Melbourne rich lister and IT entrepreneur.
In the past he has been labelled a "nuisance" by buyers' advocates due to his unusual style, but he has proven it works.
While he may have snapped up a few properties in the past, the businessman has donated several to charities to use.
What is Danny Wallis' career and business?
Danny has become a household name on The Block. Nine
Wallis started his career at ANZ and then founded I.T. service management company DWS in 1991. The company has since grown to encompass offices around Australia and New Zealand. Wallis is the CEO and Managing Director.
In September 2020 DWS was bought by Indian tech giant HCL Technologies for $126 million.
What is Danny Wallis' net worth?
Wallis' net worth is reportedly $120 million.
Which Block houses has Danny Wallis bought so far?
2012: Mike and Andrew's house
2019: Mitch and Mark's house
2020: Sarah and George's house
Daniel and Jade's house
Harry and Tash's house
2021: Mitch and Mark's house
Tanya and Vito's house
Kirsty and Jesse's house
2022: Omar and Oz's house
Tom and Sarah-Jane's house
Rachel and Ryan's house 2025: Robby and Mat's house
What is Danny Wallis' history with The Block?
In 2023 and 2024, Danny walked away empty-handed despite bidding on the properties.
In 2022, Danny picked up three houses – Omar and Oz's winning property, Tom and Sarah-Jane's home, and Rachel and Ryan's.
In 2021, he also went home with three houses in hand: Mitch and Mark's house, Tanya and Vito's and Kirsty and Jesse's for a combined total of a cool $12.2 million.
During The Block auction day in 2020 he was a standout, with things kicking off as Jimmy and Tam's home went under the hammer.
From the first bid there was confusion among not only the auctioneer and those in attendance, but Jimmy, Tam and Scott Cam.
One bidder offered $3,200,000 while Danny went in with a bid at the same time of $4,200,000. The agent clarified, thinking the lower bid was better but Danny revealed he bid higher.
The entrepreneur purchased three Block homes on auction day in 2020. Nine
The agent repeated Danny's bid at $4,200,000 and Jimmy yelled "What?" as it was clear the couple had instantly made a massive $910,000 profit.
Danny continued the odd bids, pulling out and going back into the auction, but failed to purchase the home.
In the end he purchased House 2, renovated by Sarah and George, House 3, renovated by Daniel and Jade, and House 1, renovated by Harry and Tash.
All three couples were blown away by the fact the same bidder splashed out around $12 million on the same day.
During the bidding for Mitch and Mark's home on the 2019 season of the hit renovation show, Danny went as far as calling the auction "stupid".
The entrepreneur blasted the auction process, tried to get the auctioneer to knock down the properties faster and criticised the "thinking time" buyers were given during the auction. He successfully won the bids and walked away with Mitch and Mark's property.
The first time he appeared on The Block was way back in 2012.
During Season 5 he purchased 403 Dorcas St in South Melbourne for exactly $1,400,001.01, after a number of erratic bids.
The property was used by the Ronald McDonald House Charities for free before he sold it in 2016. When the four-bedroom home hit the market again, it was sold for $1.73 million.
Danny's guest appearance in the 2024 season
In 2024, Danny toured all the Phillip Island homes during the Domain Listing Challenge to see if there were any he might be interested in purchasing.
At the time he cast his all-important vote for Kristian and Mimi, indicating that House 5 was his favourite this season and confirming his interest.
At the auction, he made an opening "two million minus four cents" bid on Courtney and Grant's property, in his classic eccentric style, but that was as far as he went.
He also made an early $2.1m bid on Kristian and Mimi's house but was outbid as the property went on to sell for $2.93m.
Danny's guest appearance in the 2023 season
Danny made a surprise appearance in 2023's The Block: Charming Street, when he turned up to join host Scott Cam and room winner's Kyle and Leslie for dinner.
He offered the eager Blockheads some sound advice on what he looks for in a home, including tips on layout and what he considers to be the most vital room.
Danny's guest appearance in the 2022 season
As a permanent figure in the Block hall of fame, Danny was sure not to miss out on a walkthrough of the contestants' houses in the Domain Listings Challenge in 2022.
While Danny might have been bookmarking which house he wants to buy at auction time, there was another reason the teams wanted to impress Danny – he had the power to give away the Bonus Point Gnome to the house he liked the most.
During this visit, Danny had the power to award the Bonus Point Gnome to his favourite house. Nine
The Blockheads certainly tried their hardest to stand out from the pack, but most of them found Danny "hard to read".
"Danny Wallis was like a poker face, he gave nothing away," Sarah–Jane said.
Ryan admitted Danny "didn't give him much".
Danny's challenge house visit in 2022
It was a surprise when the IT entrepreneur showed up at a challenge house the teams were renovating earlier in the series.
Danny visited Tim and Tyler's house to hand over a mirror TV he donated for the renovation.
Then he was spotted by Omar and Oz who took the opportunity to show off their work on House 5.
Danny was just passing when Omar and Oz gave him a lift to site. Nine
But Danny wasn't exactly impressed with what he saw, saying the Venetian plaster detailing on Omar and Oz's guest bedroom wall "looks dirty". He then teased the friends about the mess in their other guest bedroom.
"A lot of work to do. They're very messy aren't they?" he said afterwards.
Danny had plenty of opinions about House 5. Nine
Danny Wallis snaps up three houses in Bronte Court
The first auction of the day was House 1 and of course Danny was standing front and centre in Ronnie and Georgia's living room.
Auction day proved to be another expensive one for Danny Wallis who walked away with three of the five homes from Bronte Court in his portfolio.
The IT entrepreneur snapped up Mitch and Mark's House 2, Tanya and Vito's House 3 and Kirsty and Jesse's House 5 for a combined total of a cool $12.2 million.
Throughout the auctions Danny went with his signature bidding style of erratic and confusing numbers which Tanya and Vito's auctioneer and former Blockhead Jesse Raeburn had been waiting for.
Buyers' advocates like Frank Valentic on the other hand were less than impressed with his technique.
Danny Wallis goes to see Tanya and Vito, who's house he bought post-auction. Nine
Danny said he planned to donate Tanya and Vito's home to My Room Children's Cancer Charity.
"There's always demand for accommodation for families with kids with cancer. I bought Daniel and Jade's Block house last year and it's always in use. Now I've bought another one for My Room to help support these kids," Danny said.
"Danny's gift to My Room means we can continue to support families during their darkest days. When I got the call, it was so emotional and humbling, as we have seen the impact that the Brighton Block home has given to families. When you have a child with cancer, every moment counts and that is exactly what Danny Wallis's generous gift to My Room is creating," My Room CEO Margaret Zita said.
Danny's visit to The Block in 2021
He bought three of the five Block homes in 2020, so of course the teams were excited to find out Danny was coming along to the Domain Buyers Jury challenge.
Danny was there to check out the homes and hand out the bonus point Gnome to the home he liked the most in Bronte Court.
The home he picked as his favourite? House 5, Kirsty and Jesse's place.
What did Danny do with the three houses from the 2020 auctions?
House 3, Daniel and Jade's home, was the one he was most proud to buy on auction day in 2020.
He knows the hardships the couple have been through with their daughter Isla, who suffers from a rare chromosome disorder, and donated the home to My Room Children's Cancer Charity.
"What an amazing day it was and a real thrill to buy the three houses. I was so impressed with the builds this year, the location in Brighton, and the potential as an investor for the properties in the future," Danny told Nine in a statement after the auction.
"The My Room Children's Cancer Charity do so many wonderful things for sick children and their families, and they will benefit so much from having access to Daniel and Jade's amazing home.
"It is made extra special for me because I know Daniel and Jade have been through so much with their daughter Isla over the years, in and out of hospital, and they will understand just how important the house will be for My Room and all the incredible work they do for sick children and their families."
FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest news from your favourite shows via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.
Most viewed in The Block
The Block’s Dan and Dani Rielly announce huge new mission in daughter Billie’s honour
Episode 22 recap: Foreman Dan’s shock replacement and a surprise All Star returns
‘Something wasn’t right’: Rick and Tayla reveal the grim reality of his Block hospitalisation
Episode 23 recap: Team accuse Chantel and Wyatt of ‘cheating’ as ‘scandal’ takes over site
