What would you do if you won the lottery? For many, buying a dream home tops the list,
and HGTV capitalized on that idea when the network created My Lottery Dream Home in 2015.
Hosted by Design Star winner David Bromstad, the series introduces viewers to recent
lottery winners and follows the lucky folks as they search for the house of their dreams.
When the show first launched, Bromstad could not have been more excited to help lottery winners in
this venture, saying in a press release, "I live for taking them on the search of
a lifetime to find their dream home." Bromstad's enthusiasm for the series,
paired with its fantasy factor, may just be the secret to its success. My Lottery
Dream Home is still going strong after six years on the air, and it's among the top five performing
shows on the channel's streaming service, HGTV GO. While the show clearly attracts a lot of
attention, there are many behind-the-scenes secrets inside HGTV's My Lottery Dream Home.
Viewers of the show are used to clients sitting down with the host or a real estate agent and
listing off what they do and do not want in their future property. However, Bromstad told TV
Insider that much more goes on behind the scenes. Bromstad admitted he doesn't do too much research
on the couple before he meets them, because he wants to, quote, "keep it really fresh."
Upon first chatting with the lucky winner or winners, he gets an idea of who they
are and what they desire in their dream house. Then, when cameras stop rolling,
he dives in deeper. Bromstad explained, "I really get into the nitty gritty of
what they want, where they want to be, what I can look for, what I can't."
"I smell a dream home." "Yay."
After they settle on a house, Bromstad leaves the door open for questions or requests for advice.
While one may think the extra cash flow may get to some lottery winners' heads,
Bromstad revealed the sweet thing most clients on My Lottery Dream Home request:
to be close to family. Bromstad told AOL,
"That is 100% the biggest thing. A house could be in the middle of nowhere,
and they always stay close to family. That was something that really surprised me."
There have been a fair share of unique requests, although the TV host places more importance on
learning what the clients want, their style, and what they can actually get for their budget.
But if anyone does have a far-out request, Bromstad tries to act as an objective guide.
He explained to the New York Post, "It's always nice to have someone who's not
really part of their lives, an outside source, to come in without any great emotions while
listening to what they're looking for in a home." If you’ve seen the show, you know "winning big"
does not always mean they're rolling in hundreds of millions of dollars.
Bromstad spoke to the New York Post of clients who appear on My Lottery Dream House and said:
"Some people are living paycheck to paycheck." The tattooed host went on to explain that some
people have debts to pay off, or they simply want to use their money in more beneficial ways.
And though many of the show's lottery winners are, quote, "million dollar winners," he added,
"To me a million dollars just elevates your plans for ten years."
While My Lottery Dream Home is now a huge hit, people weren't comfortable with being
on the show at first, because they didn't want to draw more attention to their large winnings.
Michael Krupat, of 7Beyond, the production company behind the HGTV series, told Mediaweek,
"Once other winners saw [...] how it was about wish fulfilment and making people's dreams become
a reality, people were more willing to take part." In fact, being on My Lottery Dream Home was the
first thought for Brian and Tuk Kutz, after they won $200,000 from a scratch-off lottery
ticket in Washington state. Brian shared with HeraldNet,
"My wife and I had always watched that show before we won the scratch ticket. I used to joke we'd
have David find us a house if we ever won." Will you be the next lucky
winner on My Lottery Dream Home? Check out one of our newest videos right
here! Plus, even more Nicki Swift videos about your favorite reality TV shows are coming soon.
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