Let’s not kid ourselves – at least once in life, everyone has imagined what it would be like if they won the lottery. While that stays as an unaccomplished dream for many, there are some people whose dream life has actually been achieved with just a lottery ticket.
Though some of those lucky ones spend their newly-acquired fortune on luxuries or founding business, “My Lottery Dream Home” centers around those who want to make their dream of buying an ideal house come true.
Even if it’s not always easy finding a house that fits the winners’ taste, has a good location and is well priced, the show’s appeal and overwhelming success lies in how rewarding the experience turns out in the end.
Nonetheless, it’s impossible not to wonder what happened to those who appeared in the show, and if they’re still living in those properties, or changed their mind afterwards. If you want to know the whereabouts of “My Lottery Dream Home”s participants, then keep with us!
Where Are “My Lottery Dream Home”s Guests Now?
Danielle & Pete
For a show that has aired for as long as “My Lottery Dream Home”, it’s not easy to choose which participants are the most memorable ones. However, there’s no doubt the first season’s lottery winners are the ones we remember most dearly, just for the sake of nostalgia.
This is the case of Louisiana couple Danielle and Pete Blakeney, who appeared in the series ninth episode aired back in 2016. Just a year before, the pair had won a $1 million prize, and after taxes, their $700,000 was enough to pursue their dream of buying a vacation home in Alabama.
Although they had pictured themselves living in said area even before winning the lottery, they didn’t jump into buying the property right away. That played out well in the end, as when the Blakeneys were contacted by the show, what they wanted was clearer than ever.
Choosing between three equally gorgeous houses isn’t easy, but for them the right one from the start was always the Beach house, a property they still own nowadays, as they affirmed during a special episode of “My Lottery Dream Home” aired back in 2020. As well, Danielle currently works as a physician, while Pete is still working independently.
Nick Costello
While many simply spend their fortune on luxuries, there are others who use it to ensure themselves and their families a better future. The latter definitely describes Nick Costello, who won the “The Fast Road To $1 Million” prize with only one ticket from a gas station.
After tax reductions, Nick and his then-fianceé Jenna had $650,000 to buy whatever they wanted, but instead of spending it on fanciness as many other 20-something year-olds would have done, Nick took a different route.
As seen in their episode of “My Lottery Dream Home”, the Massachusetts couple’s $500,000 budget allowed them to buy a nice, modern-looking Wilmington family house.
However, as Nick admitted in an interview with YouTuber Timothy Schultz, the rest of the money was invested on three other properties which could afford his family a comfortable life for decades to come, allegedly providing them with income of $90,000 a year on average.
After their goal of financial stability was accomplished, Nick and Jenna finally tied the knot in October 2020. They currently live happily together with their two children in their Wilmington home.
Brian and Tuk Kutz
Some dreams come true in unexpected ways, at least that’s how it was for Brian and Tuk Kutz from Coupeville, in Washington.
The ticket that made them winners of the “Game of Life” prize was bought in a gas station by Brian, who was not only a long-time lottery fan, but also loyally watched “My Lottery Dream Home” with his wife. Though he usually scratched his tickets with a lot of mental preparation, the day he won $200,000 he was unusually careless about it.
Knowing the money wasn’t enough to live on for the rest of their lives, the Kutz put the fortune into making their dream of living in a central Whidbey Island house come true. That’s why they sent a request to be cast in “My Lottery Dream Home”, and while they had low hopes of succeeding, thinking that a low-budget property like their future house wouldn’t catch the show’s audience’s attention, but the response was positive, and so was the experience of appearing in their favorite series.
With the help of the host David Bromstad, the Kutzs bought a beautiful Victorian property featured in the show’s seventh season. In 2021, the couple celebrated their 17th marriage anniversary, and though they don’t reveal a lot about themselves on social media, it’s known they still own the property.
Michael Buinicky
Most people don’t win the lottery even once in their life, so winning it twice is an even more unlikely possibility. That is unless your name is Michael Buinicky, the man who is not only one of the few guys in the world who has won two big lottery prizes, but he also did it in less than three weeks.
After spending decades serving in the Army, luck was quick to ring his doorbell following his retirement, with a $100,000 “Mega Millions Quick Pick” prize. As expected, his initial excitement was great, but it was nothing compared to what happened when two weeks later he scratched another winning ticket, which this time contained a $750,000 prize.
Though the dream of buying his own house was almost a reality, Michael preferred to buy his daughter Tiffany a home for her family first. Later on, “My Lottery Dream Home” contacted him after knowing that he was on the lookout for a townhouse in his native North Carolina, close to his daughter’s house in Charlotte.
Though back then when the show aired in 2019 Michael looked pretty pleased with his house, in 2021 he sold the property to move to the Algarve Region in Portugal, giving this story an unexpected but interesting turn.
Nate and Dixie
Can you imagine turning $25 into $10 million? Regardless of how impossible that sounds, it’s exactly what happened to Nathaniel Waldrop, when in 2018 he won a multi-million lottery prize, thanks to a cheap ticket from “World Class Cash”.
After tax deductions and a lot of thinking, Nate and his then-fianceé Dixie ended up appearing in “My Lottery Dream Home” to buy their family the best house ever, something David Bromstad was more than pleased to help them with, as he was looking for his ideal house in the Orlando area as well.
Some of their house’s specifications included it being located near a lake, having several bedrooms and bathrooms, and a pool.
With a budget of almost half their initial lottery prize amount, the Waldrops ended up buying a $1,470,000 Orlando house that had everything they dreamed of, and more.
Fast forward to present times, Nate has actually founded his own business Waldrop Investment Group, and works in a local enterprise named Olympus Executive Realty. As well, in 2019 he and Dixie tied the knot after being together for several years.
Although it’s unknown if they still live in the same property featured in the show, it’s nice to know everything looks great for the Waldrop family nowadays.
William Polochak
Despite being a realtor himself, William Polochak actually needed some help to buy his ideal house back in 2016, during the first season of “My Lottery Dream Home”.
William is a sort of lucky guy through and through. While being an already successful business man might have been good enough on its own, winning $9 million with a ticket bought in a convenience store was just the piece which completed the puzzle.
While his “Florida Lotto Jackpot” ticket made him a multi-millionaire, deductions left him with barely over $6,000,000, enough for most people, That didn’t stop him from buying not one but several properties, very true to his business-like mind.
So whatever happened to him? Though William isn’t much into social media, his LinkedIn profile tells us he’s still pretty much active in real estate. Since 2017, he’s been the owner of Fair Realty, a highly successful home-selling business based in Jacksonville. However, it’s unknown if he still owns the properties seen in the show.
Joe and Rhonda Meath
Money can change everything or nothing at all, which is something Joe and Rhonda Meath from Minnesota know very well.
After winning $11.7 million thanks to “Hot Lotto” in 2015, it was somewhat expected for the couple to just retire right away. However, going against all predictions, the only big change money made to Joe and Rhonda’s life was to move out of their old house.
Knowing they were looking for a new property, and that their newly-acquired status as recent lottery winners meant their budget was quite high, the production staff of “My Lottery Dream Home” didn’t lose time in inviting them to appear in the show.
Despite the unusual invitation to appear in an internationally famous TV show out of nowhere, the Meaths accepted, to be part of that experience described as ‘easy’, ‘friendly’ and ‘accommodating’ by Rhonda.
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While their previous 10-acre property wasn’t bad at all, their new 7,400 square foot mansion set in a 38-acre property was admittedly better.
Nowadays, they still live in the same house, and even managed to retire regardless of their initial reluctance to leave their old jobs. While not much is known about Joe’s everyday occupation, Rhonda is a proud member of the local German Shepherd Dog Club.
Yassannah And Jesus Fernandez
This couple’s story of how they suddenly became multi-millionaires is nothing unusual. As a worker in a Miami-based financial enterprise, Yassannah Fernandez’ life was pretty much normal until 2018, when she scratched a $15 million lottery ticket she bought in a convenience store.
After tax deductions, her money earned thanks to the “Florida Lottery”, was still over $11 million, but it was enough to buy a house and quite a lot of other stuff. However, Yassannah and her husband Jesus didn’t want to go over the top, and with a budget of $700,000, their only request was a house with an open concept, three bedrooms and a pool.
Though choosing between a gorgeous city apartment, a cozy but modern cottage, and a very Floridian-looking family house shouldn’t have been easy, the Fernandez’ choice to buy the house couldn’t have been more perfect-fitting for their family and friends.
So whatever happened to them? Ever since their “Florida Windfall” episode aired in 2019, neither of them have revealed much on their whereabouts. However, judging by some online registers, it’s confirmed Yassannah and Jesus are still living in their North Palm Beach paradise.
What a great show it would be if @bromco could take Matt on a hunt for his dream home on @hgtv 's#MyLotteryDreamHome
(Show has had all kinds of money winners getting help from David finding dream homes.) pic.twitter.com/agJ6OGaZxE— Stan Kastrava, MSW, LCSW (Ret.) 🏃♂️ (@stantherunner) October 2, 2021
Rick and Lorie
Few things are as important for a show as its first episode, and “My Lottery Dream Home” surely gave us everything with theirs.
Showcasing Rick and Lorie Knudsen from California, the series sold us quite well on the dream of winning the lottery, affording a dream life and buying an amazing mansion with it. At the time, the Knudsens had recently won the “Mega Millions” jackpot of $180 million, but instead of wanting to spend it on nonsense, the humble and hard-working family opted to stay ‘grounded’, despite their fortune.
With the help of David Bromstad and the series, the Knudsens were initially on the lookout for a South Californian home with a price not to surpass their modest $2.5 million budget. However, at the sight of a mega mansion in the mountains they just couldn’t say no, even if its $5,800,000 cost made them doubtful at the start.
Though they bought the property anyway, only a couple of years later they put it up for sale at an impressive price of $26 million. Their sudden move was due to their son Ricky’s heart condition, which required him to ‘move to a lower elevation’. In the end, it’s unknown if the house was actually sold, but in 2019 the family already had plans of moving to a 100-acre ranch in another state.
What Happened To David Bromstad?
If you happened to watch the series throughout the years, you surely know “My Lottery Dream Home”s host David Bromstad has been chasing the house of his dreams for a long time.
As good things come to those who wait, David finally achieved that milestone in his life by buying a beautiful Orlando house, shown in the 2021’s special episode “David’s Dream Home“.
Besides showcasing David’s dream becoming a reality, in 2021 “My Lottery Dream Home” aired on TV with great audience ratings, a very fortunate fact for the show’s audience who want to keep on seeing people living the dream for years to come.
