Behind the glamor - here's what you don't see on HGTVs My Lottery Dream Home
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Where do lottery winners go when they want to buy a home?
This was the idea behind HGTV's "My Lottery Dream Home" when the program first started in 2015.
You might have thought that when you won the lottery, you'd get in touch with HGTV to have host David Bromstad help you find the home of your dreams.
Well, it wasn't always that way, according to The List.
In fact, to get the first season started, executive Mike Krupat said that they initially contacted almost 1,000 lottery winners.
Of those, only 10 winners responded to appear on the first show from the production company's 7Beyond Productions.
However, once the show became more popular and the public learned more about its concept, finding lottery players became easier.
Krupat explained, "Lottery winners don't really need the exposure and they don't need the money to participate."
The premiere episode of "My Lottery Dream Home" features Rick and Lorie Knudsen, who had won $180 million in the California Mega Millions lottery.
Despite their massive winnings, they had only budgeted $1.5 million to $2.5 million for their new house, Eagle Crest.
ADRIAN VAN ANZ AND JASON SPETH
The Knudsens appeared in the first episode titled "A Big Home for a Big Prize," and eventually purchased their home.
They have been the show's biggest winners so far.
Rick and Lorie Knudsen… where are they now?
Their plans changed when their son, Ricky, faced health problems. Ricky had a congenital heart condition, and doctors advised that living at a high altitude could make his condition worse.
Because of this, Rick and Lorie decided to sell their Oak Glen estate in 2018. They listed the property for $26 million, reflecting the upgrades and additions they had made.
Their decision to sell was based on their son's health needs rather than financial reasons. The Knudsens said they wanted to find a new home in a lower altitude area to help with Ricky's health.
After selling the estate, Rick and Lorie planned to move to a single-story home at a lower elevation. They also wanted to buy land to build a new home and start another ranch.
They planned for this new property to be about half the size of their previous estate but still large enough to keep animals like horses and buffalo. This move was about creating a living situation that better fit their family's needs.
Former Disney illustrator and host David Bromstad was sure their $5.8 million, 16,000 square-foot, five-bedroom, eight-bathroom house had everything the couple wanted and more.
David told the Los Angeles Times that the earnings of the show's winners typically range from around $1 to $4 million.
Bromstad talked about the show’s many winners, “The number one thing they want is to move near family, which is really cool and special.”
“I didn’t expect that. I thought people would just move to the nicest neighborhood,” he says.
"A lot of winners get financial advisers and think it through before they call me," he said in an interview with the New York Post.
READ MORE: What The Cameras Don't Show You On HGTV's My Lottery Dream Home
